Evaluating Science-Based Claims Lesson with Checkology

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Evaluating Science-Based Claims with Melanie Trecek-King from Thinking Is Power. Checkology lesson with the News Literacy Project.

News Literacy Project Checkology lesson exploring how to use the FLOATER toolkit

From News Literacy Project: “Evaluating Science-Based Claims” boosts students’ science literacy 

“Evaluating Science-Based Claims” teaches students how to evaluate science-based claims using an easy acronym, FLOATER (Falsifiability, Logic, Objectivity, Alternative explanations, Tentative conclusions, Evidence and Replicability), developed by the lesson’s host, Melanie Trecek-King. Trecek-King is a scientist and a teacher at Massasoit Community College in Brockton, Massachusetts. She advocates for science literacy on her website, thinkingispower.com.

About the lesson from Checkology:
FLOATER Evaluate claims with this life-saving toolkit. Falsifiability - It must be possible to think of evidence that would disprove the claim. Logic - Arguments for the claim must be logical and not commit any fallacies. Objectivity - Evidence for the claim must be evaluated honestly, without bias or self-deception. Alternative explanations - Other ways for explaining the observation must be considered. Tentative - A conclusion can change with new evidence. Evidence - Evidence for a claim must be reliable, comprehensive, and sufficient. Replicability - Evidence for a claim should be able to be repeated.

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?
Click here to learn more about the lesson. It’s free with registration!

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