Evaluating Science-based Claims

Learn how to recognize science-based claims and assess their credibility; explore why people resist and deny science; and gain the skills to evaluate science journalism.

Learning objectives

• I can differentiate between science-based claims and nonscience claims.
• I can explain why science is never 100% certain about anything and why this is one of its strengths.
• I can differentiate between a scientific hypothesis and a scientific theory.
• I can explain what makes people vulnerable to pseudoscience and why some people doubt, resist and deny the scientific consensus about some topics.
• I can evaluate science-based claims using plausibility judgments, evidence and the scientific consensus.
• I can recognize common problems with science news coverage.

Essential questions

• How can people know which science-based claims are worthy of acceptance?
• What is science? Why is it a reliable way of knowing things about the natural world?
• What makes people doubt or resist science? Or what makes science misinformation seem “right”?
• How should I decide which claims and pieces of information about science topics to trust?
• Why do people sometimes believe hypotheses that are not supported by evidence?
• How do scientists attempt to identify real associations/causes without falling for false associations/causes?
• Can scientists ever avoid error entirely?

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