This lesson is centred on some interpretations work.
It gives the students an opportunity to develop their ability to critique the viewpoint of an established historian.
Students are presented with the views of historian Steven Shapin. Shapin argues – quite controversially – that there was ‘no such thing as the Scientific Revolution’.
Shapin suggests that four main criteria were not met, and it is students’ job in this lesson to work out whether he is right.
They work their way through a series of clues, creating radar graphs to help them decide the extent to which each of the criteria can be said to have been fulfilled.
Finally, they are given the opportunity to respond to Shapin. They are asked to outline how convincing his arguments are – and supporting their claims with plenty of evidence.
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- Lesson presentation: PowerPoint
- Lesson write-up: PDF
- Worksheets: PDF
- Resource Sheets: PDF
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