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The Cause of the Earth's Seasons

After an instructor-led discussion, students use a globe and a lamp to determine the cause of the Earth's seasons. This lesson attempts to correct the common misconception that the Earth is closer to the Sun during the summer in the Northern Hemisphere. Sometimes, in order to correct science misconceptions, it is necessary to confront them head on. This lesson encourages students to voice this misconception at the beginning of the lesson and then attempts to correct it first, by exploring the reason for it, and then by presenting an alternate explanation.

Author(s):
Glenn Simonelli
Date Accepted: 2004-06-07 Grade Group: Upper Elementary (3-5) Benchmarks: S1.2.5 S1.2.6 S1.3.5 S1.3.10 Keywords: earth seasons orbit tilt Microsoft Word: 03_10_04_3.docx PDF Document: 03_10_04_3.pdf