LESSONS 1-3

Teachers’ Guide
The Curiosity Chronicles

justinjonesy.com Ages 10-12 2023

Hello, esteemed educators!

Welcome to The Curiosity Chronicles – a scientific journey sculpted for young minds. This course unfolds
in three lessons – delving deep into observation, analysis, and the art of forming a hypothesis. By the end
of the course, students will be poised to test their insights with an exhilarating experiment!

Before setting sail on this voyage of curiosity, we strongly recommend you familiarize yourself with the
entire course. You'll need to gather or purchase certain materials to bring the experiment to life.

Please note: While the materials and opinions presented in this course are grounded in thorough
research, we always advocate for individual inquiry and encourage you to conduct your own research.

Happy teaching, and here's to developing a sense of curiosity in every young scientist!

Section Lesson 1

Presentation Part 1 Your role: Guide students to master deep and scientific thinking in daily life.
Course: Throughout the course, you will be helping students apply scientific
understanding without lab tools; instead focusing on real-life situations.

Welcome video Welcome Video: A brief introduction video from your host, welcoming
students to the "Curiosity Chronicles."

Presentation Part 2
Lesson Focus: Skill of observations, training to notice even the smallest
details. Students will:
Discover amazing insights through close examination.
Explore the value of considering different perspectives.
Learn about "attentional blindness" - not noticing unexpected things
when focused elsewhere.
Icons in Presentation: Look for icons displayed on the corner of each page;
they will guide the students on what to do.

Worksheet Students can access the exercise on a computer, or you can print it out for
them to fill in.
Have students observe an object in their environment – it could be anything
in the classroom or a building in their line of sight.
The questions are designed to enhance observational thinking.
Presentation Part 3 Observation activity:
Find a Partner: Pair students up in the classroom.
Observation Round 1: Together, students take 1 minute to observe each
other closely, making mental notes but not writing anything down.
Change Appearance: Close eyes or turn around while one partner changes 5
things about their appearance. Most changes should be noticeable, while a
few can be subtle.
Switch Roles: Now the other student makes changes, remembering that the
alterations are up to them.
Observation Round 2: The partner then has 1 minute to observe any
changes, giving time to notice the alterations.

Facilitate a class discussion where students can:

Share whether they were able to spot all the differences in their partner's
appearance.
Talk about any missed changes, as well as the reasons that led to the
oversight.

Worksheet Introduction: Explain that this exercise builds on the earlier activity, focusing
on observational skills, not artistic ability.
Choose Object or Building: Students to decide whether to observe an
object within the classroom or an intriguing building outside.
Same Object, Different Angles: Instruct students to look at the same object
or building but from various angles, seeing multiple views of the same thing.
Emphasize Observation: Remind students that the goal is not to create a
fabulous drawing, but to work on their observational skills.

Presentation Part 4 Start a Discussion: Begin a class discussion based on the activity.
Questions to Ask: Have students discuss:
-How many doors/windows did their object have?
-Were there any signs or symbols present?
-What was the color of XYZ?
-What other details stood out to?
Reflect on Perspectives: Help students reflect on the different viewpoints
and how teamwork contributed to a better understanding of the object.
Next up: To demonstrate to the students what inattentianal blindness they'll
watch a short video. In the video they will be asked to count.how many times a
leaf bounces, this is merely a distraction to see if they miss the fish that comes
into frame.
Video This short video is to demonstrate inattentional blindness

References:
Journal Articles:
Simons, D. J., & Chabris, C. F. (1999). Gorillas in our midst: Sustained inattentional
blindness for dynamic events. Perception, 28(9), 1059-1074.

Grossman, E. S., Hoffman, Y. S. G., Berger, I., & Zivotofsky, A. Z. (2015). Beating
their chests: University students with ADHD demonstrate greater attentional
abilities on an inattentional blindness paradigm. Neuropsychology, 29(6), 882-
887.

Online Video:
Selective Attention Test ‘The Invisible Gorilla’ from Daniel Simons and
Christopher Chabris 1999

Online News Article:

Devitt, J. Revisiting the Invisible Gorilla: Fast-Moving Unexpected Objects
Capture Attention. Neuroscience News.

Presentation Part 5 Reveal the motive: First, explain that the bounce-counting in the video was
merely a distraction.
Question about the fish: Ask students if they spotted the fish swimming
across the screen; if not, introduce the concept of inattentional blindness.
Explain Inattentional Blindness: It's when we're so focused on one task that
we miss other details, even obvious ones.
Reflect with students: Help students reflect on why inattentional blindness
happens, reassuring them that everyone does it, and it's not a fault.
Wrap-Up: That concludes the first lesson.