Crazy Christmas science – Two truths and a lie
This fun and festive science game is based on the BBC Radio 4 game show The Unbelievable Truth. It's sure to cause much hilarity as well as testing students' recall of scientific facts.
It focuses on six topics: two each for biology, chemistry and physics. This should provide enough material for a lesson of 1–1½ hours.
- Biology: Digestion (8 truths)
- Biology: Evolution (9 truths)
- Chemistry: The periodic table (7 truths)
- Chemistry: Metals (10 truths)
- Physics: Sir Isaac Newton (8 truths)
- Physics: The solar system (8 truths)
Each topic contains some information that is untrue and some information that seems like nonsense but is actually true. The aim is for students (working in groups) to pick out the statements that they think might be true.
Some of the information has a Christmas theme, but this can easily be taken out if you want to use the game at other times of the year.
As an extension activity, students can choose a different science topic and write their own unbelievable truths, hiding them amongst some ridiculous statements.
Answers, plus explanations of the truths and lies, are provided in the Excel spreadsheet.
A ‘Two truths and a lie’ version of the game is included as a less challenging alternative for SEND or EAL students. This doesn't have a Christmas focus and could be used at any time of year.
One of the explanations from the Excel spreadsheet:
Mendeleev was fond of card games. He wrote the weight of each element on a separate index card and began to sort them into 'suits' like a pack of cards.
