That's Incredible!

Science Activity

In this activity, children will create a game of facts and fiction.

WHAT YOU NEED

Books that include facts about what your class has studied or will study in science
Index cards

WHAT TO DO

Tell children that many facts, especially in science, may seem incredible and yet still be true. Illustrate this point with an incredible fact from a science topic your class has studied or will study this year.
Then tell children that they are going to create a fun game called That's Incredible! Explain that they are going to choose a science topic (that they have studied or will study this year) and do some research to discover some incredible facts about the topic. When they find an incredible fact, they will record it on an index card. They will also write the word true in a corner of the card on the same side as the fact. They may record facts that they already know.
Next, explain that they will also make up some phony "facts" to include with the real facts. These phony "facts" can be wildly incredible or sound almost believable. Tell children to write the word false in a corner of each card that has a phony "fact."
Once children have made ten fact cards, including at least five true facts, they are ready to play That's Incredible! Have children find a partner. Each child will take turns reading a fact from one of his or her cards. The partner must decide if the fact is true or false. Whoever guesses correctly most often wins. It might add to the fun if children respond to each fact with the phrase, "That's incredible, but I believe it," or "That's incredible, and I don't believe it."
As the year goes on, children can add new fact cards to their decks of cards and continue to play the game to review what they have learned.

TEACHING OPTIONS

Have children work in groups to find real facts and create phony ones. Then have a That's Incredible tournament where each group is a team. Team members can work together to create believable phony "facts" and discuss the facts offered by other teams.
Once children or groups of children have researched a topic and played That's Incredible, have them share what they have learned with the class. They can create a brief presentation on the topic they researched, using their true incredible fact cards as notes. They may also want to draw some pictures to liven up the presentation.
You may want to have children play That's Incredible using facts they have researched on topics in social studies.

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