Re: Season misconceptions in newspaper

[Karl Trappe <trappe@PHYSICS.UTEXAS.EDU>]

On first glance, this sounds like a clever ploy that all those who
want to point out errors in adopted science texts ought to adopt.  We
can complain all we want about the errors in texts under adoption,
but the publishers are slow to react..

On the other hand, putting those errors in the public eye then
calling on *children* to identify what the adults have
overlooked...WOW...*That is powerful*...

...Tony French....where are you?...maybe this is the next method for
addressing stupid science errors...I like it...

Just my 2 cents...Karl



> Today (6/21/03) on the front page of the San Diego Union Tribune news=
> paper
>
> <http://subscribers.uniontrib.com/daily.pdf>
>
>  is a great science activity.
>
> (In the digest you will need to search the newspaper web site for the=
>  front
> page on this date)
>
> On the part of the page titled "Midsummer Dream: To See Sun," there i=
> s a
> diagram of the earth and sun (the sun and the earth are about the sam=
> e size
> and the earth is about 2 sun diameters from the sun) and the followin=
> g text:
> "The North Pole is tilted toward the sun in June, which is the closes=
> t the
> Northern Hemisphere gets to the sun each year."
>
> The science activity is to ask your students how many mistakes and
> misconceptions they can find in the statement and the accompanying di=
> agram.
> Then have them rewrite the diagram and text so that it is correct and
> understandable to the readers of the newspaper.
>
> Shades of a private universe!
> <http://www.learner.org/teacherslab/pup/
> <http://cfa-www.harvard.edu/cfa/sed/resources/privateuniv.html>
>
> Larry Woolf
> General Atomics
> San Diego
> CA 92121
> www.ga.com
> www.sci-ed-ga.org

--
Dr. Karl I. Trappe                      Desk (512) 471-4152
Lecture Demonstration Office            Office (512) 471-5411
Physics Department, Mail Stop C-1600    Home (512) 264-1616
The University of Texas at Austin
 Austin, Texas 78712-1081