Behind the Curve
Student Worksheet
This documentary seeks to understand the Flat Earth movement. While this might seem like an unusual topic to broach in a science class, its actually a great example of pseudoscience, the scientific method, and bias in the modern era. People who believe the Earth is flat have an inherent distrust in many institutions -- the government, science, and education. As such, they seek to discover what the truth is, and in doing so, construct and conduct many of their own experiments. This documentary provides a lot of opportunity for class discussion of the basis of their distrust, bias, and where exactly in the scientific method they're going wrong.
Essential concepts:Pseudoscience, scientific method, bias, experimental design.
Answer Key: Available for purchase at the environmental science instructor resources subscription page.
