Planetary  Motion	The Bubonic Plague  or The Black Death	Bicycle Racers

In the 15th Century, European countries experienced the dawn of the Renaissance.  This "Age of Enlightenment" continued for almost 200 years into the early 17th Century.  During this time period, Columbus sailed to America; Rembrandt, da Vinci and Michelangelo created masterpieces which can be found in art museums around the world; the written word was brought to a new level by Shakespeare; and our knowledge in certain sciences was changed forever.  Two scientists, which laid the foundation for our study of motion, were Galileo Galilei and Sir Isaac Newton.
 
 

As you move throughout this Web Quest, your mission is to discover what two scientists from 200 years ago can still teach you about motion in today's world.  Each group of three students will complete the following tasks:

• Answer the scavenger hunt questions on the handout using complete sentences.

• Write a paragraph (minimum of five sentences) which answers the question at the beginning, "What do these images have in common?"

• Create a time-line, beginning with the birth of Galileo and ending with the death of Newton.  Include the life spans of each scientist, when the "problem" for each occurred, and THREE other major events from that time period.

• Choose ONE of the five scientific principles you discovered in the scavenger hunt and create a poster which advertises/explains the concept.  Be sure to include a visual representation of the scientific principle which demonstrates an example from everyday life.

• Write a letter to either Signoire Galileo Galilei or His Lordship, Sir Isaac Newton expressing your gratitude for one of his principles.  Be sure to include THREE examples of modern day inventions/tools and explain how they demonstrate the chosen scientific principle.  Also, include helpful advice on how you would deal with his "problem" in today's society.

• Present your time-line, poster and letter to the class with all three group members participating in the explanation of what you have learned and the choices you have made for your project.

Resources

The following is a list of websites to help you accomplish your tasks.
 

For information on Galileo Galilei: Galilei,Galileo Galileo Biography Galileo GALILEI  The Art of Renaissance Science   For information on Isaac Newton: Newton's Life Isaac Newton (1642 - 1727) Sir Isaac Newton Newton's Laws of Motion   For information on life  during Renaissance: Le Poulet Gauche  Hospital of the Innocents     The Courthouse

Working in groups of three, you will explore the selected Internet sites in order to learn more about the Renaissance period, Galileo, Newton, and the important scientific principles which each developed about motion.  Each member of the group will take a role at the beginning of the activity.  These roles are to be rotated throughout the progression of the computer assignment so that each student will experience each role.
 
 
 

Role	Description
Navigator	responsible for operating the computer while exploring the various websites
Recorder	responsible for writing the group's answers to the scavenger hunt questions on the handout
Time-keeper	responsible for making sure the group spends an equitable amount of time on each question and for making sure the members rotate roles in a timely fashion

 
 

1.     When was Galileo born and when did he die?
2.    In which country was Galileo born?
3.    How did Galileo get his education?
4.    During his life, what jobs did Galileo have?
5.    Into which class of society was Galileo born?
6.    What was Copernicus's theory?
7.    What instrument/tool did Galileo invent?
8.    What scientific principle did Galileo support about the planets in our solar
       system?
9.    What scientific principle did Galileo determine about falling objects?
10.   What major "problem" did Galileo encounter and what was his response?
11.    Abjuration means recant.  Define recant.
12.   When was Newton born and when did he die?
13.   In which country was Newton born?
14.   How did Newton get his education?
15.   During his life, what jobs did Newton have?
16.   Into which class of society was he born?
17.   What major "problem" did Newton encounter and what was his response?
18.   What scientific principle is defined by Newton's First Law of Motion?
19.   Define inertia using the physics definition.
20.   What scientific principle is defined by Newton's Second Law of Motion?
21.   What scientific principle is defined by Newton's Third Law of Motion?
22.   Using any of the websites listed in the Resources section, describe three
        major events which occurred during the years between the time of Galileo's
        birth and Newton's death.
23.  What is the Catholic Church's current position on Galileo and Copernicus?
 
 

Evaluation

This project is worth 100 points which will be divided up as follows:
            1.    Scavenger Hunt Questions                 10 points
            2.    Paragraph about the Images              15 points
            3.    Time-line                                         15 points
            4.    Poster                                              20 points
            5.    Letter                                              20 points
            6.    Presentation                                     10 points
            7.    Participation                                    10 points

The grading rubric below indicates how points will be awarded for each of the above categories.  Failure to meet the minimum requirements in the "Lots of work to do" column will result in a loss of points for that task and may contribute to a failing grade for this project.
 
 

Tasks	Lots of  work to do (Grade = D)	Not yet,  but close (Grade = C)	Got it!  Met the standards (Grade = B)	Wow! Exceeded the standards (Grade = A)
Scavenger Hunt Questions	Correctly answered 14/23 questions using complete sentences OR answered at least 18 questions without using complete sentences	Correctly answered 18/23 questions using complete sentences OR answered 23 questions without using complete sentences	Correctly answered all of the questions using complete sentences	Correctly answered all of the questions using complete sentences while providing relevant background information
Paragraph about the Images	Paragraph contains three complete sentences OR the paragraph is not relevant to the images	Paragraph contains four complete sentences OR the paragraph contains relevant ideas but sentence structure needs a lot of work	Paragraph contains five complete sentences which are relevant to the images	Paragraph contains five complete sentences which draw appropriate conclusions about the images
Time-line	Contains the dates of the lives of both scientists and is missing the problem or has only 1 major event	Contains the dates for the lives of both scientists and is either missing the problem or has only 2 other major events	Contains the dates for the lives of both scientists, when the problem occurred and 3 other major events	Contains the dates for both of the scientists, when the problem occurred, 3 other major events and relevant pictures or images
Poster	Lacks TWO of the following: an accurate explanation of one of the scientific principles, an example from modern day life OR an appropriate diagram	Lacks EITHER an accurate explanation of one of the scientific principles, an example from modern day life OR an appropriate diagram	Accurately explains one of the scientific principles, includes an example from modern  day life with an appropriate diagram	Not only accurately explains one of the scientific principles but advertises it and includes an example from modern day life with an appropriate diagram
Letter	Contains two of the following: incorrect format for a letter, less than 3 examples of inventions/tools, inaccurate explanations of how each demonstrates the scientific principle OR missing/inappropriate advice for the "problem"	Contains one of the following: incorrect format for a letter, less than 3 examples of inventions/tools, inaccurate explanations of how each demonstrates the scientific principle OR missing/inappropriate advice for the "problem"	Follows the correct format for a letter; contains 3 examples of inventions/tools with  explanations of how each demonstrates the scientific principle; contains advice for the "problem"	Follows the correct format for a letter; contains 3 examples of inventions/tools with detailed explanations of how each demonstrates the scientific principle; contains advice for the "problem" making a connection to similar modern day problems
Presentation	Two of the following occur: only 2 members present the project, part of the project is missing (time-line, poster, letter), students have not prepared ahead of time what will be said, OR the presenters are unfocused and act in a distracting manner	EITHER only 2 members present the project, part of the project is missing (time-line, poster, letter), students have not prepared ahead of time what will be said, OR the presenters are unfocused and act in a distracting manner	All 3 members present a part of the project including the time-line, poster and letter; students have prepared ahead of time what will be said	All 3 members present a part of the project including the time-line, poster and letter; students make eye contact with the audience, speak slowly and clearly, and have prepared ahead of time what will be said
Participation	Two of the following occur: members did not rotate the roles during the scavenger hunt, did not share equally in the project assignments (paragraph on the images, time-line, poster, letter) OR one or more of the members exhibits an uncooperative attitude towards other group members	EITHER the members did not rotate the roles during the scavenger hunt, did not equally share the project assignments (paragraph on the images, time-line, poster, letter) OR one or more members exhibits an argumentative, uncooperative attitude towards other group members	Each member spent time fulfilling each of the 3 roles during the scavenger hunt; each member participated in creating the paragraph on the images, the time-line, the poster and the letter	Each member participated fully in the rotation of the 3 roles during the scavenger hunt and the creation of paragraph on the images, the time-line, the poster and the letter; the 3 members worked together as a supportive and cooperative team

Conclusion

More than two hundred years ago, Galileo and Newton were able to explain how and why things moved.  The scientific principles which they developed have led to new ideas and inspirations in many different areas of science and society.  Today, are we living in a time when knowledge is highly valued and can inspire many avenues of discovery?  Can we experience growth not just in scientific discoveries but in all aspects of our civilization?