Movie

Today we watched a movie that talked about the years of science people go through since grade school yet even Harvard grad students and faculty still have misconceptions about basic topics.

Dr. Klett gave us questions that the movie asked and we had to say what we thought and then found out the correct answer

1. What are the causes of seasons:

My original answer - I think the seasons are caused by the way the Earth orbits around the sun. The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's axis away or toward the sun as it goes through its path around the sun.

After it was explained answer - The seasons are caused by the tilt of the Earth's rotational axis away or toward the sun as it travels through its year-long path around the sun. Winter has indirect rays so the angle is different so its rays are spread out over a greater surface. In the summer the rays are direct and more concentrated in one area.
direct: straight on rays
indirect: the only difference is the angle

2. Why do we have different phases of the moon:

My original answer - I believe it has something to do with the way the sun is hitting the moon.

After it was explained answer -The revolution of the moon around the earth makes the moon appear as if it is changing shape. The moon phases are produced by the alignment of the moon and the sun.

M&M activity

 The peanut m&m activity is an easy, fun way to show students how the m&m is a small model of the earth. The hard color coating represents the earth's crust. The crust is thin, solid, and made of rock. The chocolate in the middle represents the mantle. The mantle is a thick layer, half solid and half liquid. And lastly, the peanut represents the core. The (inner) core is a solid ball believed to be made up of mostly iron and nickel.

This is a great visual for everyone, but especially elementary age kids who might not fully grasp the idea of layers. Due to the rise of peanut allergies this could be a problem, however, a hard boiled egg may be a good substitute. The shell being the crust, the white representing the mantle, and the yolk would be the core!