2012 - time to teach anything

If I were a science teacher, I would use the movie 2012 to teach about physics. I would use the scene in which Jackson drives his half-blown off limo through the streets of LA to discuss speed, momentum, and velocity. We would also examine how airplanes fly and the effects of gravity on planes as they attempt to take-off in any of the scenes where the family tries to outrun natural disasters on a runway.

A geology unit could examine the statements the movie makes about the earth's crust and what it is capable of. Volcanoes and earthquakes could be examined in terms of what sets them off, what damage they can do, or how their damage might be minimized.

A government class could write a constitution for the people who manage to make it onto the arks. There could be a different constitution for anyone who possibly survived outside of the ark.

Psychology classes could examine human behavior in light of cataclysmic disaster.

Art students could examine what famous works the movie suggests are saved. Students could debate what works they would save. They could also create what type of art work they think such an catastrophic event would generate.

The opportunity for our students to learn is all around us in the things they are naturally interested in. We simply have to provide the means and encouragement for them to investigate.