Lesson video

Hello, welcome to history here at Oak National Academy.

My name is Mr. Newton, and I will be your teacher today, guiding you through the entire lesson.

Right, let's get started.

Before we begin our story today, I want you to imagine something.

Have you ever found a stone on the ground and picked it up because it looked interesting?

Maybe it was sparkly or smooth, or felt very heavy in your hand.

Now here's a curious question, what if that ordinary looking stone was hiding a secret?

What if it could do something amazing, even though we couldn't see it?

Today we are going to hear about Marie Curie.

She was someone who asked big questions and didn't give up.

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to describe Marie Curie's discoveries and how they changed medicine.

Right, let's get our brains ready for today's learning.

We are going to learn some important words that will help us understand our story about Marie Curie.

We will say each word together.

I will say the first, then it's your turn to say it back to me.

Ready, my turn, laboratory, your turn.

Well done.

A laboratory is a place where scientists do experiments.

It's a special room where people test ideas and learn new things.

Okay, let's do the next word.

My turn, energy, your turn.

Great job.

Energy is power that makes things work.

Your body uses energy to run, jump and play.

A car uses energy to drive along the road and a light uses energy to shine brightly in the dark.

My turn, scientist, your turn.

Excellent, a scientist is a person who learns about the world and carries out investigations.

Scientists ask lots of questions, do experiments and look very closely for answers.

My turn, element, your turn.

Fantastic, an element is a special kind of material found in nature, like gold or oxygen, elements help make up everything in our world, even the air we breathe.

Right, final word, my turn, radiotherapy.

Your turn.

Well done, that was a tricky one.

Radiotherapy is a treatment that uses energy to help doctors fight the parts of the body that make people very sick.

Well done for helping me to repeat those important words.

So let's see if we can spot those words into today's lesson.

Today's lesson is called "Marie Curie, The Woman Who Lit Up Science".

Our lesson is split into three parts.

I'll tell you what each part is about so you know what's coming.

First we'll begin with Marie collects strange rocks.

In this part we hear about Marie when she was working in her laboratory and collecting rocks that didn't look very special at first, but were hiding something interesting.

Then we'll move on to the second part of the lesson, Radium and Polonium.

This is where we'll learn about two very special discoveries Marie made.

She found something brand new inside the rocks, something no one had ever seen before.

Finally, we will finish with how Marie's work helps hospitals today.

And in this part we'll find out how Marie's ideas didn't just stay in the laboratory, they helped doctors and hospitals take care of people and they still help people today.

Right, let's begin the lesson with Marie collects strange rocks.

Before we begin our story, let's take a look at this picture together.

This long line is called a timeline.

A timeline helps us see when people lived, from long ago to more recent times.

Over towards the left where you see the year 800, that's a very long time ago.

And as we move towards the right, towards the year 2000, we get closer to today.

You may have learned about some important people in history before.

A long, long time ago in the year 900, there was Al-Razi.

A bit further along the timeline we can see Nicolas Copernicus.

He lived around the 1500s.

He lived later than Al-Razi, but still a very long time ago.

Then we move closer towards our time and we see Ada Lovelace.

She lived around 1800s, and finally we reach Marie Curie.

Marie Curie lived over 150 years ago.

That means she lived after all these other important people, but she still lived well before us.

So this timeline is showing something important.

People have been learning, discovering and asking questions for hundreds and hundreds of years.

Today we are adding Marie Curie to that story.

Now that we know when she lived, we're ready to find out what she did.

Marie Curie studied strange rocks in her small laboratory because she wanted to discover the invisible energy she thought they might be hiding.

Long ago in a small laboratory in France, Marie Curie leaned over a table crowded with strange, lumpy rocks.

Take a look at a picture on the left.

This is a real photograph from a long time ago.

Can you guess who the Person in the picture is?

Yes, this is Marie Curie.

We can see her sitting in her laboratory.

She's leaning forward and looking very closely at the table.

We can imagine her sorting through her strange and lumpy rocks.

Some were glittery, some were dull, and some were so heavy she needed both hands to lift them.

She collected these rocks like tiny treasures, placing each one gently into jars and boxes as if they were something very special.

As she sorted and studied them, the little stones clicked softly against the glass jars.

Marie wasn't looking for pretty colors, she was searching for secrets.

She had heard that certain rocks could give off a kind of invisible energy, almost like a hidden glow, and she wanted to know which ones held this mystery.

Okay, now we're going to check our understanding of what we've learned so far.

That means we're going to stop, think, and see what we remember.

So here we've got a fill in the blank question and I've given you a sentence and I want you to fill in the blank with the correct word.

Let's read the sentence together.

Long ago in a little laboratory in France, Marie blank studied strange, lumpy rocks.

So to help you to fill in that blank, I've given you three words to choose from.

Curie, Carter, Green.

Choose the correct word and fill in the blank.

Pause the video, have a think, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct word was Curie.

Let's see how that sentence should have looked long ago in a little laboratory in France, Marie Curie studied strange, lumpy rocks.

Okay, let's continue.

When Marie was a little girl growing up in Poland, she loved learning and dreamed of becoming a scientist.

What do you dream of being when you grow up?

But unfortunately for Marie, girls were not allowed to study science in Poland.

That feels unfair, doesn't it?

So when she was older, Marie worked very hard and moved to France to follow her dream of becoming a scientist.

The classrooms were cold, the days were long, and she often had very little money, but she didn't mind.

She kept going, even when things were hard.

This was because she loved learning and she loved the feeling that she was getting closer to understanding the world's hidden wonders.

To her, it was like solving a giant puzzle.

Okay, let's have another check for understanding.

On this slide, you will see some sentences about Marie Curie.

For each sentence, you have two choices, true or false.

If a sentence is false, your job is to explain to your partner what was wrong and what the correct idea should be.

Okay, let's have a look at sentence number one.

Marie could study science in Poland.

Hmm, let's think.

Did Marie get to study science in Poland?

You'll turn to your partner and decide together, is this true or false?

Okay, let's look at number two.

Marie gave up when things were difficult.

And sentence number three, little Marie dreamed of being a scientist.

Pause the video, have a quick discussion and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back, let's check those answers.

So sentence number one, Marie could study Science in Poland is false, and that means you needed to explain to your partner what was wrong.

And you might have said something like it was false because women weren't allowed, they weren't allowed to study science in Poland at that time.

Let's look at sentence number two.

Marie gave up when things were difficult, and that sentence was also false.

And here you might have said something like, the sentence is false, she actually kept on going.

Marie did not give up even when it was difficult.

And the final sentence, it's all Marie dreamed of being a scientist and that is true.

Yes, that's right, even as a child, Marie dreamed of becoming a scientist.

Okay, let's continue.

Another scientist, Henri Becquerel, found that when he placed a certain kind of rock near a photograph, a strange mark appeared as if the rock were giving off a tiny bit of invisible energy.

That must have been surprising.

Marie wanted to know why.

Good scientists always ask why.

Okay, let's check our understanding.

What happened when the scientist Henri Becquerel, put the rock near a photograph.

A, strange mark appeared.

B, nothing happened.

C, the photograph disappeared.

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct answer was A, a strange mark appeared on the photograph.

Okay, great, now it's time for task A.

This is a thinking and talking task, so you'll be working with your partner.

On the slide, you can see two pictures.

Each picture links to something that happened in the story.

Your job is to look carefully, talk together and explain what each picture shows.

Right, let's start with the picture on the left.

Take a good look at it.

Here is the question to talk about with your partner.

What strange thing happened when Henri Becquerel put a rock near a photograph?

Think back to the story, what's happened to the photograph?

Now let's look at the picture on the right.

What can you see?

Yes, these are some rocks.

The question here is why did Marie decide to study rocks after hearing about Henri's discovery?

What did Marie wonder about?

What did she want to find out?

Remember, you don't need long sentences and do your best to remember and explain clearly.

Pause the video, have a go at the task, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back, and well done for having a go at that task.

Remember, this task is about sharing thinking, not being perfect.

When we talk about stories and pictures, not everyone will say the exact same thing, and that's okay.

As long as your idea links to the picture and links to the story and you explained your thinking, then you are doing a great job.

Okay, so for the first picture, you may have discussed something like the scientist Henri Becquerel put a rock near a photograph.

A strange mark appeared on the photograph like the rock was giving off invisible energy.

So for the second picture, you could have said that Marie decided to study rocks because Henri's discovery made her think that rocks might have a secret invisible energy that she could find.

Yes, that's exactly the kind of thinking scientists do.

They hear something surprising and want to find out more.

Okay, great.

You've now learned that Marie was curious.

She worked carefully in her laboratory and she wondered if ordinary looking rocks might be hiding something special.

We are now going to start the second part of our lesson called radium and polonium.

This is the part where Marie's careful work begins to lead to new discoveries.

So Marie began to study special rocks that gave off mysterious energy in her busy laboratory.

She spent hours and hours in her laboratory, carefully measuring the tiny signals the rocks produced.

That takes a lot of patience.

Have a look at the picture on the left.

This is a real photograph of Marie Curie working in her laboratory.

Look at how Marie is sitting.

She's very still and looking carefully at the machine in front of her.

Does this look like fast work or slow, careful work?

This picture helps us imagine Marie spending hours and hours in a laboratory working quietly, patiently, and carefully, trying to understand the mysterious energy hiding inside the rocks.

The laboratory was dusty, the tables were cluttered and the machines clicked softly in the quiet.

But to Marie, it felt like a place full of possibilities.

Anything could happen here.

Okay, let's check our understanding and I want you to fill in the blank.

So let's read the sentence together.

Marie studied special rocks because they gave off a mysterious blank.

And the words you can choose from to put into the blank are energy, color, sound.

Pause the video, select the correct word, and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back, and well done if you knew the correct word was energy.

Marie studied special rocks because they gave off from mysterious energy.

Okay, let's continue.

While working in France, Marie met another scientist named Pierre Curie and the two of them grew very close.

Marie and Pierre got married and began working together as scientists.

And we can see Marie and Pierre in the photograph on the left working together in their laboratory.

Together they became like explorers, searching for treasure inside ordinary lumps of rock.

Imagine finding treasure where no one else thought to look.

One day, after many months of patient work, they found something no one had ever seen before.

A brand new element hidden inside the glowing rocks.

Marie and Pierre discovered two brand new elements, polonium and radium.

They named Polonium after Marie's home country, Poland, 'cause she wanted to remember where she came from.

Look at the picture on the left.

It's a drawing of Marie and Pierre standing together in the laboratory.

Notice how they are side by side.

They're working as a team helping each other.

This picture helps us imagine the moment when Marie and Pierre realized they had found something new, but the surprises didn't stop there.

Soon they were going to realize their new element Radium was very powerful.

Finding it had not been easy.

But finally, after years of patient work, they had collected just a tiny spoonful of pure radium.

So much work for something so small.

One evening when they returned to their laboratory after dark, they gasped in wonder.

There in the darkness, their radium was glowing with a beautiful, mysterious blue, green light.

Can you imagine seeing that glow in the dark?

They had discovered something that no one had ever seen before.

Okay, let's check our understanding.

Marie and Pierre discovered not one, but two new blank, is the blank, A, animals, B, elements, C, machines.

Pause the video, choose the correct answer to fill in the blanks and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct answer was B, elements.

Marie and Pierre discovered not one, but two new elements.

True or false?

Marie Curie worked by herself to discover polonium and radium.

It's that true or false?

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct answer was false.

But why is that false?

I want you to give me a reason to explain why it's false.

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct reason for that being false was that Marie Curie worked with Pierre Curie, they studied the rocks together, discovered the new elements together and returned to the laboratory together to see the glowing radium.

Okay, great, let's move on to task B.

And if you look on the left hand side of the slide, you'll see I've given you three events.

Each of these events are linked to the story of Marie Curie.

However, they're in a mixed up order and I want you to place them into the correct time order.

So starting with the earliest, sort these events into time order, pause the video, Have a go at the task, and then come right back.

Okay, great and well done for having a go at that task.

So let's check those answers together.

So for your first event, which was the earliest event of the story, it was Marie and Pierre got married and began working together as scientists.

The next event in the story was Marie and Pierre studied special rocks that gave off mysterious energy.

And then the final event I gave you was that they discovered two new elements called polonium and radium.

Well done for getting those events into the right order.

Okay, great.

So we began by learning about Marie collecting strange rocks.

Then we moved on to radium and polonium, where we learned about Marie's amazing discoveries and her careful patient work.

Now we are ready for the final part of our lesson, how Marie's work helps hospitals today, and this is where we find out something really important.

Marie's work didn't stay in her laboratory.

It didn't stop when she made her discoveries.

Her ideas traveled into hospitals, where doctors help people every day.

Marie and Pierre shared their discoveries with others and soon, scientists everywhere began to study the new elements.

Science is best when people share with each other what they have discovered.

Soon, scientists everywhere began to understand that the powerful energy inside radium could be used to help people.

Radium had a special kind of energy that could help sick people.

Tiny amounts of this special energy could help fight the parts of the body that made people very sick.

A little bit can make a big difference.

This new idea was a treatment called radiotherapy and it brought hope to people who had never had help before.

Look at the photograph on the left.

This is a machine you might see in a hospital today.

This machine helps doctors use radiotherapy.

Notice the shape of the machine.

It is designed to move carefully and gently around a person lying on the bed.

This picture helps us see how Marie's discoveries didn't stay in the past.

They became part of modern hospitals where people are cared for every day.

Okay, let's check our understanding.

What was the name of the treatment that Marie's discovery helped create?

A, photography, B radiotherapy, C, rock therapy.

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Welcome back, and well done if you knew the correct answer was B, radiotherapy.

Marie's discovery of radium helped scientists learn about special energy that still helps people get better in hospitals today.

People around the world realize how important Marie's discoveries were and she was given special awards for her work.

Also, when many soldiers were hurt during a war, Marie wanted to help.

So she used science to bring special machines to hospitals, helping doctors save many lives.

She used her knowledge to care for others.

Marie Curie's discoveries changed medicine in a lasting way.

By finding radium and learning how it's invisible energy worked, she opened the door to treatments that still help millions of people today.

Her work showed the world that careful science can save lives and her discoveries continue to shine in hospitals all around the globe.

Okay, let's check our understanding.

Why was Marie Curie given special awards for her work?

A, because people around the world followed her to hospitals.

B, because people around the world liked her collection of rocks.

C, because people around the world saw her discoveries were important.

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you the correct answer was C, because people around the world saw her discoveries were important.

True or false, Marie Curie's discoveries still help people in hospitals today.

Is that true or false?

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew the correct answer was true, but why was that true?

I want you to gimme a reason for why that was true.

Pause the video, have a think and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back and well done if you knew that the reason that was true was because Marie learned about special energy from rocks, scientists used what she discovered to create a radiotherapy, a treatment that helps fight the parts of the body that make people very sick.

Okay, great, now we're going to do task C.

This task helps you retell the story of Marie Curie in your own words.

You can choose option one or option two.

Both options use the same sentence starters, so listen carefully.

Sentence starters are the beginning of a sentence that help us know what to say next.

Let's read the sentence starters together.

Henri Becquerel found that blank.

So you need to complete the blank and fill in the rest of the sentence.

This sentence starter helps you remember the strange discovery that Henri made.

Okay, let's have a look at the next sentence starter.

Marie and her husband Pierre Curie discovered blank.

This one helps you to remember what Marie and Pierre Curie found after studying the rocks, and the final sentence starter, Marie's discoveries helped people because blank.

And now this sentence is helping you to explain why her work mattered and how it helped people.

Great, so if you choose option one, you will use the sentence starters to write sentences that retell Marie's story.

You don't need to write long sentences, short, clear ideas are perfect.

If you choose option two, you will use the same sentence starters to create a poster of Marie's story.

You can write the sentence starters, add pictures or drawings and show the story in a visual way, with pictures and drawings.

Your poster should help someone else understand Marie's story just by looking at it.

Remember, your sentences might sound a little bit different from someone else's, and that's okay.

You can use your own words as long as your work links back to the story, you are doing the right thing.

Pause the video, have a go at the task and then come right back.

Okay, welcome back, and well done of having a go at that task.

Let's look together at some answers you may have written for option one.

And remember, these are just example ideas.

They're not the only right answers.

So for the first sentence starter, you could have written something like Henri Becquerel found that a mark appeared on a photograph when a special rock was near it.

Marie Curie was inspired by this and wanted to find out why.

That is a really clear explanation and shows you understood why this discovery mattered.

Okay, let's have a look at the second sentence starter.

Marie and her husband Pierre Curie discovered new things in the rocks.

They found polonium and radium.

Good, that's excellent remembering.

You used a sentence starter to help you retell the story in the correct order.

Let's have a look at a third sentence starter.

Marie's discoveries helped people because scientists used what she learned to help doctors care for sick people with radiotherapy.

Good, that's a very strong explanation.

It shows you didn't just remember what she discovered, but why it was important.

You linked Marie's work to helping people today, which is the big idea of this part of the lesson.

Okay, now, if you chose option two, let's look together at some of the examples of posters you may have created.

Remember, posters don't all look the same, and that's a good thing.

So the first part of the post was about Henri Becquerel and you might have written or drawn that a special rock was placed near a photograph and a strange mark appeared.

And that tells me you remembered the important moment that started the whole story and well done for showing that clearly, with pictures or short sentences.

Next, you could have drawn Marie and Pierre Curie working together.

You could have written something about them finding polonium and radium inside the rocks.

And the final part of the poster, you could have drawn a hospital or doctors helping people.

And you could have then explained that Marie's discoveries helped people because scientists used what she learned to create treatments that help sick people today.

Okay, great, let's sum up today's lesson, Marie Curie, the woman who lit up science.

And in this lesson, we have learned that Marie Curie collected strange rocks to discover their secrets.

She traveled from Poland to France to study science.

Henri Becquerel's discovery made her curious about the invisible energy found in rocks.

Marie worked in her laboratory with her husband, Pierre, and they discovered new elements, polonium and radium.

Radium helped scientists learn about special energy, and this led to treatments such as radiotherapy that helped doctors care for sick people.

Marie was a change maker, whose work continues to save lives in hospitals around the world.

Well done everyone.

And today we followed the story of a woman who asked questions, stayed curious and didn't give up.

Even though Marie lived a long time ago, her ideas are still helping people today.

Next time you ask a question, try something tricky or wonder how something works, remember Marie Curie, because curiosity can light up the world.

I'll see you again soon.