Fission Broadcast or Movie for Year 11 Physics (10th Grade)

Here is an assignment that I had my year 11 physics students working on earlier in the year (a new batch of year 11s will be conducting this activity in several weeks). It went quite well and the videos that the students created were fantastic.

Assignment:
You are a science and technology reporter on the bustling galactic capital of Trantor, somewhere near the galactic center. You have been sent to write an undercover feature on the sleepy backwater of Earth, somewhere on the outer rim of the galaxy. The last time that anyone reported on the situation on Earth was in Earth-year 1900. Since then, the Earthlings have made an important leap forward – they have discovered nuclear fission.

Your task is to describe the impact of this discovery on the people of Earth. You can do this in the form of a newspaper or magazine article, a radio broadcast (podcast) or movie (documentary/news feature). Use your imagination and creativity. Some useful applications that will allow you to do this are Garageband, iMovie09, and Final Cut. You will be assessed on IB Criteria A (One World) and B (Communication). In order to earn the highest levels, you will need to:
• show awareness of the benefits and drawbacks of the development and use of nuclear fission
• show understanding of the moral and ethical issues associated with nuclear fission
• show understanding of how society / culture / politics affected the development of nuclear fission and its applications
• express all your ideas in scientific language which is appropriate for your intended audience
• acknowledge appropriately all sources of information
You will have several lessons in the library to find any relevant information. (See Pople pp. 323 for useful information).