Nuclear+Technology+and+Radiation

-Katie Diesner

This 11th grade science unit explores Nuclear Technology and Radiation. This unit would be appropriate for an Anatomy and Physiology class, but could be utilized in other secondary science classes as well. Students will first learn the physical mechanisms of nuclear decay and radiation, then begin investigating sources and health effects of high radiation doses, focusing on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Students will be challenged to weigh pros and cons of using nuclear technology based on their understanding of historical events and current scientific research.

This unit was designed to support a history unit exploring the historical and political ramifications of Hiroshima, Nagasaki and the Cold War, and an English unit investigating Kurt Vonnegut's satirical novel, Cat's Cradle, and its analogies to nuclear technology. By lending a scientific perspective to the concepts presented in the Integrated Unit, students are provided with a well-rounded understanding of past and present opinions, facts and events relating to Nuclear Technology and Radiation. media type="custom" key="25381042"

1. Radiation Terminology: NRC Handbook Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 12.1 1. This section of the NRC Handbook is a great reference for both teachers and students. It explains the basics of radiation and uses diagrams and images to support the higher reading level. Not all the information is relevant to the unit I designed, so I would select excerpts for students to read.
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2. Biological Effects of Radiation: NRC Handbook Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 11.8 Same as above; great reference for teachers and selected sections are awesome resources for student use.

3. Natural and Manmade Radiation Sources: NRC Handbook Flesh-Kincaid Reading Level: 13.8 Same as above. The reading level of this is a little higher than the others, but it could easily be scaled down by selecting only the relevant sections and using rewordify.com to lower the reading level.

4. Children of the Atomic Bomb: An American Physician’s Memoir of Nagasaki, Hiroshima and the Marshall Islands, by James Yamakazi Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 10.8 This is a doctor's first-person account of his experiences in Nagasaki and Hiroshima just days after the bombings. Giving insight into both his emotional response and his scientific perspective, this is a great reading for students.

5. Science Matters: Achieving Scientific Literacy, by Robert Hazen, pp. 138-152. Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 10.5 This book is fantastic and the pages listed are great resources for understanding the basics of nuclear technology, fission and fusion. I highly recommend this text for teachers, students and anyone interested in knowing a little about a lot of areas of science.

1. Nuclear Power Pro/Con Reading: Discovery Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 11.1 In the last parts of the unit, students are challenged to formulate opinions about the world's uses of nuclear technology and ultimately, students will debate historical and scientific aspects of this dilemma. This article is great starting point for helping students see both the positives and negatives of nuclear technology.
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2. Radiation Doses in Perspective:EPA Flesh-Kincaid Reading Level: 11.4 This EPA article is short, to-the-point, and includes some graphs to support the data. It's a great resource to help kids begin to understand how radiation is affecting us every day.

3. Nuclear Bomb Consequences: HowStuffWorks Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 12.9 This article is another great reference for teachers and students. Students could read selected excerpts that have a lower level, or the teacher could use a resource like rewordify.com to scale down the reading level.

4. The Necessity of Nuclear Power (excerpt): World Nuclear Flesch Kincaid Reading Level: 15.8 In addition to asking students to formulate opinions about the pros and cons of nuclear technology, one lesson in the unit also asks students to evaluate how an author's tone can sway writing, even in science. This article presents a very one-sided argument and extreme supporting examples to make a point. It is a very challenging read, but I would primarily use it for students who need higher-level differentiation. Selected excerpts could also be used for the rest of the class, but the teacher would need to scaffold this experience with reading and comprehension supports.

5. How Radiation Sickness Works: HowStuffWorks Flesch-Kincaid Reading Level: 11.2 This is a great article for helping both students and educators understand how radiation affects our bodies.

1. Radiation Dose Calculator: EPA This is a really cool, easy-to-use resource that allows users to calculate their annual average radiation doses.
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2. Medical Imaging Delivers Big Dose of Radiation: Scientific American Graphs are incredibly important resources in science, and this colorful visual depiction conveys a lot of relevant information.

3. Radiation Protection Video: Youtube I would only use selected sections of this video, but bits and pieces of it provide helpful illustrations for understanding the physical mechanisms of radiation.

4. Nuclear Detonation Photographs: New York Times This slideshow manages to be terrifying and amazing, all at once. Seriously, take sixty seconds to click through the images- you won't be disappointed.

5. Medical Aspects of Nuclear Radiation: Youtube This video is like a double-edged sword; it provides an explanation of radiation in very simple and helpful way, and it gives viewers a glimpse of filming/mindsets from the 1950s (end of WWII/beginning of Cold War era).