Subject taught
- Biology
- Math
- Physics

Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=maLRhoceeuc

Type of Product
- Videos

Language Skills Developed
- Interaction
- Listening
- Reading
- Speaking

Transferable/Scientific Skills Developed
To observe and to understand why these physic phenomena happen and which laws govern them.

Description
• The general aims are to develop the observation skills and the ability to make connections and suppositions. To be able to be engaged in team work . To acquire and interpret information in a critic way through different contexts and through different communicative instruments.
To estimate the scientific credibility of the source and to discern the difference between facts and opinions.
• The linguistic aims are to teach students a correct scientific language. They will have to read or to watch and to understand a scientific article or video. They will have to use a correct language when they have to explain a scientific topic.
• The specific aims are to stimulate the curiosity of the students in order to explain the two phenomena: the superior and inferior mirage as a consequence of the refraction and reflection of the light in a particular situation.
• The target group age is 16 /18
• The level of competence in English is B1/B2.
• The time required to use the resource with the students is about two hours: ten, fifteen minutes to watch the video and the rest of one hour for the explanation by the teacher. Another hour is needed to watch and comment the video, the pictures or other sources that the students have found at home .
• After watching the video, the teacher must explain and help the students to recognise that these phenomena are a consequence of the refraction and reflection of the light. He can use other videos or asks students to search about these topics. It is important that the students can estimate the scientific credibility of the sources and identify the photo shopped images. Often the students recognize that the inferior mirage is not so unusual and remember that they have seen it on the road in summer.
• Normally the students do not have any trouble to understand these phenomena.

Comments
• Strength: the video is very charming and appealing and the students are stimulated to find other on line pictures, videos , and so on. In this way the refraction and reflections are connected to mirages or other optic phenomena and so the students cannot forget these laws. • Weakness: no major weakness • Scientific reliability: the resource is an amateur video. The background and images are distorted as it happens in mirages, but they might have been made bigger. • Pedagogical value: collaborative learning, self–directed learning and group work are used in this lesson. Only a little part is a frontal lesson, but it is necessary to fix the notions and to rearrange the ideas.

Related Video Lessons

Tricks of Light 2: Mirages