Current theory says that during the Ice Age, the Black Sea was an isolated freshwater lake surrounded by farmland that was eventually flooded. This lesson has students apply the scientific concepts of theory and hypothesis to the studies being conducted in the Black Sea. They will illustrate maps to explain the flood theory, and hypothesize what specific pieces of evidence might reveal about the theory. Students will conclude by writing plans pretending they are going to lead the next Black Sea expedition and hypothesizing what they might find and what those findings might signify.

Geography, world history

Standard 17: "How to apply geography to interpret the past"

Three to four hours

• Computer with Internet access
• Blank Xpeditions outline maps of Europe, one for each student
• Drawing materials, including colored pencils or crayons

Students will

• discuss the scientific method and define "theory" and "hypothesis";
• discuss the purpose of and theory behind the Black Sea study;
• illustrate maps to show the theory behind the Black Sea study;
• discuss the evidence that the Black Sea researchers might be looking for;
• write hypothesis statements suggesting what certain pieces of evidence might reveal about the Black Sea and the flood;
• read about the researchers' discoveries and list the items they found; and
• write plans pretending they are planning to lead the next research expedition to the Black Sea.

Have students read about the scientific method, or provide your own overview of the scientific method.

As a class, define the words "theory" and "hypothesis." The definitions should be based on what students have read, on the definitions you prefer to use with your geography or science students, or on what students have learned in previous classes.

Students should understand that a hypothesis is like an educated guess, where they have an idea about something but aren't sure. They then conduct experiments to see if their hypotheses can be proven.

Students should also understand that a theory is broader than a hypothesis. Once a hypothesis has been tested and found to be true, it can be used to support an overall theory about the subject being studied. A theory can be developed before or after testing hypotheses.

Provide this example:

Theory: All objects are subject to the force of gravity. Hypothesis: The tides are caused by the moon's gravitational pull on the Earth.

Provide students with an overview of the Black Sea study by having them go to National Geographic's Black Sea feature and read the "Legend" and "Theory" sections.

Discuss these questions as a class: What is the overall theory being investigated in this study? What is the purpose of this study? What evidence led researchers to devise their theory about the Great Flood?

Give students blank outline maps of Europe and ask them to illustrate the maps to show the theory of the Black Sea flood. Have them use different colored pencils or crayons to show the stages of the theorized flooding.

Ask students what they think the scientists would have been looking for on these expeditions. What evidence would have helped them prove their theory? What types of clues might they have been seeking?

Have students read "The Search" section of the Black Sea feature, and ask them to list the following objects on their own paper: an ancient trading ship; wooden beams; freshwater shells; pottery; and an underwater riverbed or submerged shoreline.

Next to each item on their list, ask students to write sentences hypothesizing what would be the significance of finding that item under the Black Sea. Their sentences should be written as testable hypotheses, in the form of statements that the researchers could study further. For example, "Wooden beams are from houses built by the people who lived here before the flood" or "A submerged shoreline indicates that there was once a lake where the Black Sea now lies."

Have students read the 1999 and 2000 Black Sea Dispatches and the CNN article "Ancient Ship Found Well-preserved in Black Sea." As they go through the dispatches and the article, have them list the items the researchers discovered and explain what the researchers felt were significant about those items.

Discuss the research team's findings as a class. What did they discover, and what do these findings suggest about the history of the Black Sea and the famous flood? Did students' hypothesis statements match what the researchers thought about each of the items they located? What further tests might the researchers conduct to test their hypotheses about these items?

Ask students, either individually or in small groups, to pretend they're going to lead the next research expedition to the Black Sea. Have them write plans for their trip that include

• a review of what was found in 1999 and 2000;
• a description of the things they'll be looking for on this next trip; and
• a hypothesis of what the things they find (assuming they can find them) will reveal about the Black Sea and how these findings will support the overall theory.

Have students research flood stories from different cultures. They can begin by re-reading "The Legends" at the Black Sea feature. Ask them to write paragraphs comparing and contrasting these stories and to hypothesize why so many cultures have a story about a major flood.

DeepArch Research Group, MIT: Technology, Archaeology, and the Deep Sea
National Geographic: Ballard and the Black Sea—The Search for Noah's Flood
The Scientific Method