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Is it just me or has anyone found that a lot of the students are clueless about seasons? I had my students do an assignment that the rest of my department did as well, but instead of allowing them to ask friends, I had my students go home and ask people that weren't at the school. The question they had to pose was "what causes seasons?" I had students return with responses from their parents stating that the "weatherman causes season" and "Mother Nature". I know that the television is really important to some students and their families, but this really put me into a minor state of shock. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to correct them or just accept the fact that these people of authority are feeding them information on the causes of seasons other than the fact that the seasons occur due to the Earth's tilt and the amount of direct sunlight each hemisphere is getting as it revolves around the sun...

Mitchell, My first question for you is, do you live in an area of the country where seasonal changes are obvious to students? As for telling students that the adults they talked to are wrong, I don't think that would be a good idea. Another approach is to say to the students that the adults have given several different answers and you and the students are going to investigate to find one definitive answer. I am attaching an article that might help you. Also, if you do a search in the Learning Center you will find a lot more resources to help you. Good luck, Betty

Attachments

The_Reasons_for_the_Seasons.pdf (0.20 Mb)