Some or even many students mistakenly believe: 1. That it is winter because it is cold or because of snow, or that it is summer because it is hot (rather than it is cold because it is winter). 2. That we experience seasons because of the Earth's changing distance from the Sun (closer in the summer, farther in the winter), instead of understanding that Earth’s orbit around the Sun is almost a perfect circle. 3.That the Sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day (rather than rising in the southeast in winter and northeast in summer, and setting in the southwest in winter and northwest in summer). 4.That seasons change because Earth’s tilt itself changes (rather than the direction of the axis always remaining pointing towards the North Star as we orbit the Sun).. 5.That the Earth is the center of the solar system (or that the planets, Sun and Moon revolve around the Earth), instead of the Sun as the center of the solar system. 6. That the amount of daylight increases each day of summer (rather than being greatest at the beginning of summer; the timing of the seasons is affected by seasonal lag because of the amount of time it takes for the oceans –and land—to warm up.) This may seem really complicated, but it is really easy if we simplify the reasons to two: The reason for the seasons is the tilt of the earth and the angle of the sun's rays on our "spherical" planet. If we understand the orbit of the Earth around the Sun and we can picture the phases of the moon and understand that shadows occur due to our place in the solar system, the idea that seasons happen because of Earth's tilt and angle of the Sun's rays, is pretty easy. How well can you describe the reason of the seasons to your family? Could you explain this to them in a simple way? After this seasons unit you will be prepared to take on anyone that is misguided by poor information and help them understand the true reasons for the seasons. Your reward for learning this information: Happiness.
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Mrs. TaylorI love science! Everything about the world is interesting and never boring. I love to study plants, animals, insects, and people. My favorite subjects are my students who are the most unique organisms on the planet! Categories |