Micro 1

You, ________, are hereby formally invited to

join
The most illustrious organization...

The Cookie Cabal

Our most sacred duty is to inform the misbegotten denizens of this world of the one true Best
Cookie. Before you may be accepted into our ranks, answer the following questions and bring
this sheet along with a plate of the Best Cookies to the Initiation.

What qualities make for the best chocolate chip cookie?

How many different answers do you think the class will have, and how
many do you think may be true? Why?

Congratulations! You have been invited to join the most illustrious Cookie Cabal! Youve never
heard of them, but there will be cookies so it cant be all that bad, right? However, you must
bring them, in their words, the Best Cookies, but the debate over what is the Best Cookie has
raged for decades!

How can we decide which recipe makes the Best Cookie?

Thankfully, we have already narrowed the candidates down to three batches. It is your duty to
design a procedure to determine which is the Best Cookie.
Write your procedure below, using the following questions and hints as guides.
Hints: How many participants do you think your test should ideally have?
How will you measure your chosen quality(ies) (e.g. 1-10, least/middle/best, etc.)?
What do you believe is/are the most important quality(ies) in a cookie, to most people?

Based on this, what question(s) should your experiment be attempting to answer?

Describe your proposed procedure below and/or on the back of the page, including how
you will measure the qualities (however you choose to define this) that you are looking
at.

Group Discussion
In groups of three, briefly discuss your plan. Make sure to state what qualities
you chose to look at, and what
Based on the small group discussions, what changes (if any) will you make to your
procedure? Describe your refined procedure below.

Conduct your Test

Use the space below, and scrap paper as necessary, to record your data and notes

debrief
In these experiments, we were looking at peoples opinions on something, rather than
creating and observing a very controlled environment. Do you believe this difference
would make results we get any more or less true? Why?

If you could perform this experiment on a large scale, what would you change about your
design?

Agenda
Cookie Cabal application form
The Best Cookie - an investigation
Cookie Consensus
Is there a Best Cookie?

Micro 2
Agenda
Anticipation guide
The Truth is, Id Hypothesize that this is a Theoretical discussion, and thats a Fact
Exit Ticket

Anticipation Guide
Based on the map in the front of the class, circle below whether you think the following
statements are true or false, and in the third column write an estimate of how confident you are
in your answer.
Statement

How sure you are (0-100%)

It is a truth that this map is

upside-down

True / False

A piece of evidence to
support this is the fact that
Antarctica is on the top

True / False

This fact is objective (not

influenced by opinions and/or

True / False

emotions), rather than a

subjective (influenced by
opinions and/or emotions).
I could make hypothesis
about the orientation (which
way is up) of the Earth
without first gathering some
evidence

True / False

This hypothesis could

potentially become a theory,
should it be proven true

True / False

Exit ticket

How would you respond to someone who said that is just a theory when talking about
a scientific theory?

Begin reading for tomorrow, which Mr. Carroll will hand out towards the end of class.
NOTE: Do not discuss this reading with other students, as receive a different packet than
most of the others!

Micro 3
The Guru, the Skeptic, and the Nature of Science

Today, we will be exploring the nature of science and the similarities and differences between
faith, belief, and proof. To do this, you will divide into seven groups of 2-3 students based on

what story you read for homework. Then, draw your tale on the poster paper, but do not include
the Skeptics response (the part after the page break)!
At 25 minutes after the beginning of class, we will then regroup to tell our stories. Each group
has 2 minutes to tell their tale in their words, using the art as an aid. Again, do not include the
Skeptics response in your telling!
While each tale is being told, write below whether you think it is science or not science, and
why. After, the class will then be polled as to whether they believe it to be science or not
science, and we will discuss why or why not.
Be sure everyone in your group is included in the activity!

Mondays Tale

Tuesdays Tale

Wednesdays Tale

Thursdays Tale

Fridays Tale

Saturdays Tale

Sundays Tale

Reflections

Which of the seven tales, if any, do you believe gave facts, in the
scientific sense of the word? Why?

Which, if any do you believe gave truths, in the scientific sense? Why?

What do you think is the goal of science?

Agenda
The Guru
His Tales, Your Voice

Do Any Ring True?`