In case it isn't clear in the instructions, your debate is going to be over which of these two things is the most important in understanding how the solar system works:
Universal gravitation
Kepler's laws of planetary motion
Sending video presentations can be a little tricky, since they are often too large to upload. If you have some video editing software that can make the videos small enough to send, great. Otherwise, you may need to upload them to a website like Youtube or Google Drive and provide the links.
The two videos are the preferred method to finish this assignment, but if that can't work out for you, I'll also accept an audio presentation, a 200-word essay, or a 10-slide minimum PowerPoint presentation (5 slides for each argument).
Instructions from activity:
The Great Debate
For this activity, you will imagine that you are involved in a debate—only, instead of representing just one issue, you will argue both sides! For this debate, you will consider which issue is most important to understand when studying the formation and motion of the planets and their satellites. Is Newton’s law of universal gravitation or Kepler’s laws of planetary motion more important when trying to understand the formation and motion of the planets and their satellites? You’ll represent both sides of this argument.
You will verbally argue for each position as you would in a traditional debate and will film your final presentation. After that, you will reflect on the points you made during the debate, and see if you can come to a conclusion about which aspect of planetary formation and motion is more important.
Keep in mind that these forces keep planets close to the Sun (so that, at times, life can develop). There is really no right or wrong answer; the point is to get you thinking about the impact that these concepts have on our solar system!
Step 1: Write Your Debate Bullet Points For each position, write at least four bullet points arguing why that aspect of the Sun’s functioning is most important. Think about how nuclear fusion/fission and the law of universal gravitation work and what their implications are for life here on Earth. What would life be like if nuclear fusion did not exist or if the law of universal gravitation did not function? Answering these questions will help you start to think about how these somewhat abstract concepts really do affect our everyday lives.
Step 2: Practice Speaking Your Arguments When you have your bullet points written, practice talking about them in complete sentences and transitioning from point to point. You should aim to speak in support of each position for at least four minutes.
Step 3: Film Each Argument Once you are comfortable speaking your arguments, it is time to film! You can use a smart phone camera or any other device that you’d like. Just make sure that the camera is stable, we can see you, and there is adequate lighting.
Step 4: Reflect After presenting your arguments for each side, take some time to reflect on which concept (nuclear fusion or the law of universal gravitation) is really more essential to us here on Earth. In a word processing document, write at least five full sentences about which concept you believe is most important.
To complete this activity, submit your two four-minute videos and word processing document.