WE LIVE IN A ‘MATERIAL’ WORLD:
CLUSTER 2 THEMES & APPLICATIONS
EDUB 2130
Cluster 2: Material World Topics
Grade 5
Cluster 0
Grade 6
Overall Skills and Overall Skills and
Attitudes
Attitudes
Grade 7
Grade 8
Overall Skills and Overall Skills and
Attitudes
Attitudes
Cluster 1
Maintaining a
Healthy Body
Diversity of Living Interactions Within
Cells and Systems
Things
Ecosystems
Cluster 2
Properties of
and Changes in
Substances
Flight
Particle Theory
of Matter
Optics
Cluster 3
Forces and
Simple
Machines
Electricity
Forces and
Structures
Fluids
Cluster 4
Weather
The Solar System
Earth's Crust
Water Systems on
Earth
Central Themes
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1. Properties of Materials – characteristics – descriptive or
behavioral. What is this material like?
2. Uses of the material based upon its properties. Knowing this, what
is this material used for?
3. How the material changes – permanent or temporary, chemical or
physical. How & Why does this material change?
4. Issues associated with the material - environmental, social,
technological. What are the issues associated with his material?
Gold is unreactive, aesthetically appealing, malleable and lustrous and for
these reasons, it is used for capping teeth. It is quite useful and rare,
thus its economic status and associated issues with mining, currency,
and social conflict and exploitation.
Some Historical Themes and Applications
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Early Greeks – again white males- first reference to the ‘particle’ –
atomus/atoma – indivisible
400 BC (2400 years ago)!
In Early Greek society there were several ‘schools of thought’.
One school being the ‘materialists’ – primary figure was the mentor
of the school - Leucippus – but given little recognition for his
contributions
Materialists believed that things (phenomena) could be explained
based upon evidence
From this school, the earliest thoughts about the atom as a particle
originated
Reasoned explanation for natural phenomena based upon evidence
Had the potential to strongly influence the development of early
science
Three Levels of Materialist (Scientist) Activity
The relationship between theory, evidence, and reasoning:
THEORY Development - Resolution
________________________________________
Reasoning – Cognitive –
Psychological Level
Processing of Evidence
Evidence Collected –
Experiential Level
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Where’s Leuicippus?
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The banknotes and historical recognition are given to
another guy, Democritus, rather than Leuicippus
The ‘materialist’ school was based in Athens
Democritus was from northern Greece, like Aristotle
Had a privileged life – extrovert – the ‘laughing
Philosopher’ – favor because of Aristotle lnk
Leuicippus although Democritus’ mentor, largely
overlooked – referred to as ‘shady’ – ‘shadowed’.
Public recognition of science contributions of one over
the other primarily because of status and perception
rather than sound credibility – not to discredit Ds efforts
as he did systematize understanding of the ‘particle’
Fast Forward to the 1600s
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The time of alchemy – making ‘kimia’ (gold) out of
something that does not possess gold
Search for the ‘philosopher’s stone’ that would make this
process a reality – what a diversion!
No significant exploration into the nature of the particle until
the 1600s
Robert Boyle – another European!
Controlled investigations focusing upon the collection of
evidence to support scientific reasoning
Worked primarily with air in confined containers – examples
Strong mathematical basis to his work – evidence to support
theory
His Model for Explaining Pressure- Volume!
Materialists in Other Cultures?
The
Tow
n of
Inuvi
k,
68º
21'N
Long
itude
:
133º
43'
W,
was
locat
ed
on
the
east
side
of
the
Mac
kenz
ie
Rive
r
delta
, 97
km
sout
h of
the
Beau
fort
Sea.
It
was
appr
oxim
ately
75
miles
dista
nt
from
Akla
vik.
(Ma
p
court
esy
of
Multi
map.
com)
Hallway of Aklavik School
Rangifer tarandus
Inuvialuit & Gwichin of
Northern NWT &Yukon
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Recognized that the
migration route of caribou
was along corridors through
the mountain valleys.
Observations of migratory
assisted in preparing for
the spring and autumn
hunts.
Migration influenced by
lichen abundance. One
lichen today is called
caribou ‘moss’ – Cladina
rangiferina
Scores of lichens but not all
consumed by caribou
Hard to distinguish between them
by appearance
Evidence-Reasoning-Theory
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Lichens are very acidic – not consumable
Cladina rangiferina not as acidic as other lichens
Palatable for caribou
Stomach contents eaten by Gwichin - dependent on lichen
contents – for good health – especially in ill health
Stomach contents of caribou with lichen used to alter colours of
plants for dyes – dark to light colours
“soapberries” used to alter colour of plants - especially
flowers - for dyes- light to dark colours
Also used as a soup thickener & mild fermenting agent
Note uses of the lichen based upon its properties
A variety of bioactive compounds have been isolated and identified from
C. rangiferina, including abietane, labdane, isopimarane, the abietane
hanagokenols A and B, ontuanhydride, sugiol, 5,6dehydrosugiol, montbretol, cis-communic acid, imbricatolic acid, 15acetylimbricatoloic acid, junicedric acid, 7α-hydroxysandaracopimaric
acid, β-resorylic acid, atronol, barbatic acid, homosekikaic acid, didymic
acid and condidymic acid. …Some of these compounds have mild
inhibitory activities against microbial action and are mildly depressant in
fermented state.
Nybakken L, Julkunen-Tiito R. (2006). UVB induces usnic acid in reindeer lichens.
Lichenologist 38(5): 477-485.
Closing Thoughts
Our students learn science from one perspective only,
not realizing that the evidence-theory connection of all
science is evident in the thoughtful and purposeful
thinking of all cultures.
Science must be presented in a manner that honors the
thoughtful reasoning evident in all peoples. This is just
not affirming the cultural diversity of the
marginalized, but also helping the dominant culture to
realize that other cultures are equally able to reason.
Adapted from Prof. Elizabeth McKinley
University of Auckland