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Science Focus Lesson
Misconceptions 2
Polk County Public Schools
Essential Question:
How can science concepts help to
clarify misconceptions?
Vocabulary:
constellation
ellipse
photosynthesis
phase
tilt
carnivore
orbit
Galileo Galilei was born in 1564 in
Pisa, Italy.
Galileo developed an early explanation
of tides. He was one of the first
scientists to believe in the importance of
collecting evidence to support a theory.
Galileo was best known for his invention
of a powerful telescope that helped to
understand the secrets of the solar
system.
What is the shape of the Earth’s orbit?
The Earth completes one revolution around
the Sun in 365 ¼ days, this is called a year.
The Earth’s path around the Sun is called
its orbit.
Earth’s orbit is NOT a circle, it’s shape is called an ELLIPSE. An
ellipse is like a flattened circle that is longer than it is wide.
Like all planets in our solar system, the Earth is in an elliptical orbit
around our Sun. In Earth's case, its orbit is nearly circular, so that the
difference between Earth's farthest point from the Sun and its closest
point is very small.
Earth’s orbit is in the shape of a flattened circle called an ELLIPSE.
Here is a helpful link http://www.universetoday.com/61202/earths-orbit-around-the-sun/
What causes the seasons?
Earth is tilted on its axis. Because of its tilt,
different parts of Earth have different
amounts of daylight and darkness at the
same time of the year. Sunlight strikes
different parts of Earth more directly in some
places and at a lower angle in other places.
These differences cause Earth’s seasons!
Seasons are opposite in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern
Hemisphere.
On the first day of spring and fall, Earth isn’t tilted either away from or
toward the Sun, day and night are about equal in length.
Seasons are caused by Earth’s TILT and how directly sunlight strikes
the Earth.
Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuiQvPLWziQ
Do the stars and constellations move in the night sky?
A constellation is a group of stars that appears to form
a pattern or picture. The stars in a constellation
appear to be in the same plane because we are
viewing them from very, very, far away. Stars vary
greatly in size and distance from Earth.
As Earth spins, the stars appear to move across our night sky from east to
west, for the same reason that our Sun appears to “rise” in the east and “set”
in the west. If observed through the year, the constellations shift gradually to
the west. This is caused by Earth’s orbit around our Sun. In the summer,
viewers are looking in a different direction in space at night than they are
during the winter.
Stars and constellations APPEAR TO MOVE across the night sky!
Different constellations are visible in different seasons.
Watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXeEAQtC75g
When can the moon be seen?
You can see the Moon in the daytime because it
is big and brightly lit by the Sun. When you look
at the Moon, you are seeing the light which
reflects off it. This is not nearly as bright as the
Sun, but it is up to 100,000 times as bright as the
brightest nighttime star.
During the day, the brightness of the sky washes out the
light from the stars; a region of the sky including a bright
star is only very slightly brighter than a region of the sky
without a bright star, so your eye cannot notice the
difference. However, the region of the sky containing the
Moon is much brighter, so you can see it.
When the moon is in the right location, you can see it reflecting the
sun’s light, even in the daytime!
Here are some moon facts http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/time/moon/facts.htm
What causes the phases of the moon?
The moon rotates on its axis and revolves around
Earth. One rotation and one revolution both take
about 28 days. Because of this, the same side of
the moon always faces Earth.
The shape of the moon looks different from night to night. The changes
in how the moon LOOKS to people on Earth are called phases.
The moon’s shape doesn’t really change, it is always a sphere. What
changes is the part of the moon that reflects light from the Sun to Earth.
The moon doesn’t have any light of its own, the light we see is sunlight
that hits the moon and is reflected to Earth.
The shape of the part of the moon that reflects light to Earth
depends on the moon’s position in its orbit around Earth and the
position of the Sun.
For a better understanding go to http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml
Summarizing
3- List 3 facts about the Earth’s revolution
around the Sun
2- List 2 things that can be seen in the night
sky
1- Explain why the moon can sometimes be
seen during the daytime
Gregor Mendel grew up on a farm
in Austria during the 1800s. He
conducted many investigations on
the hereditary traits of plants and
animals.
Most of Mendel’s work was with
pea plants and then later with
honeybees.
How do plants get energy?
Green plants are able to create energy from
sunlight. The process by which plants turn
light into energy is called photosynthesis
Photosynthesis can only begin when sufficient amounts of water are
available, it must have direct sunlight on its leaves, these leaves must
have access to carbon dioxide in the air, and these leaves must be
green.
Green plants turn sunlight into energy in their leaves in a process
called PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
Mr. Greenthumb tells us how plants make energy http://www.ehow.com/video_4774755_do-green-plantsenergy_.html
How do plants get food?
Plants make most of their food through the
process called photosynthesis. Plants make
photosynthesis happen with carbon dioxide,
water and sunlight.
These
three ingredients and a natural substance in plants called
.
chlorophyll create a starch (glucose) that gives a plant the food it needs
to grow.
In order for a plant to grow and thrive, it needs a number of different
chemical elements. They can include nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
and many more depending on the type of plant. These nutrients in the
soil are absorbed through the root systems of plants after they are
dissolved in water.
Green plants MAKE their food in their leaves by combining different
ingredients in a process called PHOTOSYNTHESIS.
For more information go to http://www.biology4kids.com/files/plants_photosynthesis.html
Can a carnivore live in an environment where
there are no plants?
Some animals eat plants and some animals eat other
animals. A food chain always starts with plant life and
ends with an animal. Plants are called producers
because they are able to use light energy from the Sun to
produce food (glucose) from carbon dioxide and water.
Animals cannot make their own food so they must eat
plants and/or other animals. They are called consumers.
Animals that eat only plants are called herbivores.
Animals that eat other animals are called carnivores
This interdependence within a food chain helps to maintain the
balance of plant and animal populations within a community.
Carnivores eat animals that eat plants, ecosystems MUST have an
ample supply of plants in order for all of the animals to survive.
Read more about carnivores http://www.slideshare.net/schippst/the-eating-habits-of-animals-ppt-project
Summarizing
Draw and label a diagram to show how energy
flows from the Sun to a plant to an herbivore
and finally to a carnivore
Guided Instruction:
1. During the phases of the Moon, the Moon
appears to change shape. This change in
appearance is due to the Moon
a. physically changing size and shape.
b. moving closer and then farther away from
Earth.
c. reflecting a different amount of light due to
alignment with Earth and the Sun.
d. turning on its own axis.
The answer is…
The phases of the moon only change the way that the
moon appears. These phases are due to the amount
of reflected light that we can see from Earth based on
the moon’s position in its orbit and the position of the
Sun.
Guided Instruction:
2. The paths of the orbits of planets around the
sun are ________________.
a.
b.
c.
d.
elliptical
circular
semi-circular
identical
The answer is
The Earth’s orbit is an ellipse, a shape like a
flattened circle.
Guided Instruction:
3. Earth revolves around the Sun. Which of the
following changes occur as a result of a tilted
Earth revolving around the Sun?
a.
b.
c.
d.
day and night
the changing seasons
high and low tide
moon phases
The answer is
The Earth’s seasons change during the Earth’s
revolution around the Sun; because the Earth is
tilted on it’s axis the sunlight reaches different
parts of the Earth at different angles. Direct light
result in warmer summer months, indirect light
results in colder winter months.
Guided Instruction:
4. Plants use energy to make their own food.
Where do plants get this energy?
a.
b.
c.
d.
water
soil
Sun
food
The answer is
Plants use the Sun’s energy to undergo a process
called photosynthesis. Photosynthesis allows plants to
create energy and food called glucose.
Summarizing
How can science help us to correct our
misconceptions?
Check Your Understanding
1. As Earth rotates on its axis, the moon orbits
Earth. The combination of these two
movements causes which of the following to
occur?
day and night
b. seasons
c. weather changes
d. phases of the moon
a.
Check Your Understanding
2. A food chain in an ecosystem has several levels.
What level are the herbivores?
the base level
b. the first level
c. the second level
d. the third level
a.
Check Your Understanding
3. What is the name of the part of the root that
allows water and minerals enter?
root hairs
b. epidermis
c. phloem
d. phyla
a.
Check Your Understanding
4. How long does it take the moon to move
completely around Earth so that people on
Earth can see each moon phase once?
a. 365 days
b. 24 hours
c. 29.5 days
d. 1 week
Check Your Answers
1. d
2. b
3. a
4. c
Summary Question
Discuss with your partner…
What was the most interesting science
fact you learned from this mini-lesson?
Why?