Disappearing Gargoyles

Disappearing Gargoyles
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You've heard stories of castles. Knights riding horseback. Magic. Kings and queens...it seems like a made-up world. But hundreds of years ago in the “medieval” time, or Middle Ages, these things really existed!

In the Middle Ages, people built beautiful, intricate buildings made of stone. If you visit places in Europe, you can still see some of these buildings today. One of the most detailed ones is a church in Paris, France, called Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Keep going to check it out!

Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, France

Check out the view from the top of the cathedral...

Discuss: Do you know what these statues are?

They are called gargoyles! They were carved from stone in the Middle Ages when people believed in magic. Many people believe that they were added to buildings to scare away evil spirits, but they also serve a much more practical purpose. They help the water run off the roof, similar to gutters that are on buildings today.

Sometimes, gargoyles are still used today for decoration. Take a look at a new gargoyle. Do you notice any differences between modern gargoyles and the ones created over 700 years ago?

Get a See-Think-Wonder chart to record your ideas.

THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

What did you observe about the old gargoyles? How are the old gargoyles and the new gargoyles different? Record your answers in the SEE column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

How can you explain what happened to the old gargoyles? What made them change? Where did the stone go? Record your answers in the THINK column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

THINK-PAIR-SHARE:

What questions do you have about the gargoyles? What do you wonder about how they have changed over time? Record your answers in the WONDER column of your chart. Talk to your partner about them and then share your ideas as a class. Your teacher will add your ideas to the class chart.

In today's activity, you'll decide which alchemist you most agree with. You'll get a chance to discuss with your classmates and explain your reasoning.

We'll walk you through it, step by step.

Now it's time to do some investigations! During the next five Mysteries, you will gather evidence to support, add to, or change your argument. Have fun, and stay curious!

You've completed the Unit Starter!

Be sure to keep each student's evidence chart accessible. They will add to it after each Mystery.

Teach Mystery 1 next: Are magic potions real?

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Other
Cathedral Notre Dame De Paris by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Viacheslav Lopatin
Gargoyle by Image used with permission from: Kids.Kiddle.Co
Gargoyle at Christ Church Cathedral by Image used under license from GettyImages.com: Roberto Machado Noa
Isolated gargoyle Notre Dame Paris by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Ana Menendez
Mythical Creature Gargoyle on Notre Dame by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Zabotnova
Vector Rain Isolated by Image used under license from Shutterstock.com: Ket4up
Credits

Featured Reviews

“I love the addition of anchor phenomena to place the science within a real world situation! Well done!”
· Lee · Teacher
“I like how the students had to "make a claim" since this is a new concept for most and it is so important in NGSS.”
· Deanne · Admin
“We loved this anchoring phenomenon! A lot of interesting hypotheses to start with. The students were engaged in their ideas and debated backing up their thoughts. It will be a great way to work on our Claim Evidence Reasoning style writing. ”
· Elizabeth · Teacher
“The discussion among my students was exactly what I have been trying to achieve.”
· Andrea · Teacher
“The students were so engaged in this activity. Lots of great thinking!”
· Melanie · Teacher
“The See, Think, Wonder activity turned into a Socratic seminar and was amazing to see. I didn't have to say a word.”
· Molly · Teacher
“Students not only thought through what could have happened but learned great vocabulary!!!!!!”
· Sara · Teacher
“Getting to choose which theory they agreed with and then darting to that corner of the room, and then arguing their points!”
· Kieran · Teacher
“Kids really liked the different characters and noticed them right when they came in the room!”
· Jeremy · Admin
“I really liked having the students pick an alchemist they agreed with. I also liked taking the time for the students to come up with questions. Often as teachers we skip that step because it takes a while and we want to get to the main ideas, vocab and details. However, I appreciate having a guide throughout the unit. It's really interesting because only one student picked Robert (the alchemist's whose idea is what we are aiming for all students to understand through this unit) and he was so worried and wanted to change his idea. However, after doing the first two lessons/mysteries many of the students are starting to lean toward that idea! Very cool to see how the ideas are connecting for them, and I believe it's because the anchor was so wonderful!”
· Mallory · Teacher
“Students were engaged and had lots of ideas and questions!”
· Lisa · Teacher
“Kids loved working together. Great way to discuss possibilities. Everything is so engaging. They are excited to do the labs to find out the answer!”
· Denise · Teacher
“The students really were able to grasp the ideas of decaying materials and have great discussions using the see, think, wonder method!”
· Lauren · Teacher
“The best part was the picture and how the kids could see the deterioration. They also loved the connections with 4-corners and which "scientist" they agreed with.”
· Abigail · Teacher
“a great introduction to start the unit. It prepared the students for what the upcoming lessons would be about”
· George · Teacher
“Four Corners is an AVID strategy we've been practicing. You just did an awesome job of using it during the Unit Starter. Thanks!”
· Beth · Teacher
“The students get to form their own opinions before digging into the unit.”
· Colleen · Teacher
“An anchoring phenomenon that could be returned to frequently”
· Matthew · Teacher
“The four corners with the alchemists! They loved to share out their thinking and get up and moving! ”
· Sarah · Teacher
“They had a lot of fun discussing what could have happened to the statues. ”
· Samantha · Teacher
“The directions were very easy to follow. I liked the connection to science in history. ”
· Becky · Teacher
“The students liked talking to each other about their ideas on why the gargoyles were different. They also used some prior knowledge on erosion in some of their conversations :)”
· Ashley · Teacher
“The level of engagement was out of this world. Getting my class excited to move forward was the best. ”
· Robin · Teacher
“The anchor standard really set the students up for argument thinking in science. This is something that they need to know how to do for our science state test. ”
· Kaela · Teacher
“I loved the discussion that lead students to defend their claim. My students were so engaged and are eager for all the activities so they can prove their classmates wrong:)”
· Kristen · Teacher
“The conversations the students had trying to think about what processes happened to the older gargoyle gave such a fantastic foundation and shared experience to build upon.”
· Sarah · Teacher
“Great chemistry opener to get students thinking about a claim and supporting that claim with evidence. ”
· Ashley · Teacher

Activity Prep

Print Prep
Note: This lesson is part of this unit’s Anchor Layer. If you have the Anchor Layer turned on, we recommend teaching all lessons in the remainder of this unit in order.

The anchor phenomenon for this unit is stone gargoyles that seem to disappear over time. Students generate observations and questions about the phenomenon and create an initial argument to explain what is happening.
Preview activity
Alchemist Claim Posters worksheet 1 per class
Chemical Magic Teacher Guide teacher-only resource 1 per class
See-Think-Wonder worksheet 1 per student
The Alchemist Argument worksheet 1 per student
The Alchemist Argument Evidence worksheet 1 per student
The Alchemist Argument Evidence Answer Key teacher-only resource 1 per class
Prep Instructions

Before starting this lesson, review the unit Teacher Guide for an overview of the Anchor Layer.

The anchor phenomenon for this unit is the process of stone gargoyles changing over time. In the activity, they write an argument supporting the alchemist's claim about why the gargoyles change over time that they most agree with. Students will gather evidence after each Mystery to help them revise their argument at the end of the unit. It is important to encourage students to recognize that even if they don't know the perfect answer yet, they are going to learn a lot throughout the unit and have an opportunity to change or add to their first argument.

Step 1: Setting up your classroom

Set up your classroom by creating a class "See-Think-Wonder" chart (the student version is linked below). We recommend using chart paper, or a space on your board that won't be erased since you will revisit it throughout the unit.

Choose 4 separate spots in your classroom to hang the Alchemist Claim posters. We recommend using the 4 corners!

Step 2: Print out worksheets

Each student needs:

The Alchemist Argument Evidence Answer Key will help you support your students throughout the unit. Students are not expected to have these answers until the end of the unit.

Extend this lesson

Download this Lesson to your device so you can play it offline:
 
Chemistry Anchor Phenomenon: Disappearing Gargoyles

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