Misconceptions

We watched a video called A Private Universe and were asked to write out what we think the right answers were before we were given the answers.

The Reason for the Seasons:

• The Earth is tilted and this creates the seasons as it spins around the Sun. The rays of the Sun are more direct during the summer, making it feel warmer. The rays from the Sun are dispersed over a greater area, making them indirect and feel colder in the winter.

The Reason for the Phases of the Moon:

• The Earth blocks the rays from the sun and creates a shadow. *This is a misconception*
• Half of the moon is always lit. The lit side of the moon faces the Sun. We see more or less light as the moon moves around the Earth. 

M&Ms and the Lithosphere

Today we reviewed about the lithosphere. We started by looking at a diagram of the inside of the Earth. The diagram showed the crust, upper mantle, mantle, outer core, and the core of the Earth.

To demonstrate this concept with more depth, we bit into a peanut M&M and drew the result. There was a candy coating (the crust), chocolate (the mantle), and the peanut (the core) to the peanut. I observed that the coating of the M&M was very thin and the chocolate and the peanut are much larger and make up the majority of the M&M, as it is with the Earth. I think I would use this in my classroom to help the students understand the makeup of the lithosphere.