Claim Testing: Practice
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.4ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING PRACTICE1Unless otherwise noted, this work is licensed under CC BY 4.0. Credit: “Claim Testing Practice”, OER Project, https://www.oerproject.com/PurposeAssessing a claim using Big History’s four claim testers will help you build your claim-testing confidence through practice.Process(If you didn’t complete the History Mysteryactivity earlier in the lesson, watch theshort TED-Ed videoabout Otzi before you begin this activity.)1.Read each of the supporting statements for thisclaim:Otzi was a middle-agedNeolithic man who was murdered.Then, choose the claim tester that you think is the bestfit for that claim. (Some of the claims might seem to fit in multiple claim-tester categories, but just choose one.)Claim: Otzi was a middle-aged Neolithic man who was murdered.Supporting statementCircleone claim testerEarly theories suggested that Otzi was a hunter who died in a snowstorm.IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidenceKey informationClaim testers include:•Intuition—Having a gut feeling, such as when the support for a claim just “seems” right.•Logic—Carefully thinking about a claim to see if it makes sense.•Authority—Accepting a claim from a credible (believable) and trustworthy source.•Evidence—Gathering verified information, such as data, examples, or expert testimony, that supports the claim (for example, when we test a hypothesis in science class).
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.4ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING PRACTICE2Claim: Otzi was a middle-agedNeolithic man who was murdered.Supporting statementCircleone claim testerScientists tested Otzi’s body and determined that he lived about 5,300 years ago.IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidenceOtzi had 61 tattoos on his body that were placed in areas where he probably experienced pain due to injury or advanced age. This led researchers to think that the tattoos were used by healers for pain (a kind of acupuncture).IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidenceThere was a deep wound on Otzi’s hand that indicated he had been in a fight days before his death.IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidence
BIG HISTORY PROJECT / LESSON 1.4ACTIVITY CLAIM TESTING PRACTICE32.How do you think claim testing can help you evaluate the past, present, and future?Claim: Otzi was a middle-aged Neolithic man who was murdered.Supporting statementCircleone claim testerOtzi was on the run because he changed elevation and location frequently in his final days.IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidenceSomeone shot Otzi from a distance with an arrow. The arrow entered his left shoulder and hit an artery.IntuitionLogicAuthorityEvidence