Do vitamin pills work? Exploring scientific evidence | 14-16 years

A photograph of an orange capsule pill on a yellow background

Source: © Javier Zayas Photography / Getty Images

Analyse data about effects of vitamin C and explore how science can give rise to different viewpoints in this lesson plan with activities for 14–16 year olds.

In this activity, students discuss and explore issues surrounding the well-believed fallacy that taking vitamin C prevents colds. They analyse original data from Linus Pauling’s work in the first part and consider a range of views about taking vitamin pills in the second part.

The lesson is designed to help students recognise that:

Science does not always produce clear-cut answers.
Data may be interpreted in more than one way.
Scientific knowledge can be used when discussing different viewpoints.

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