Exit Slip: September 19th

Tomorrow is autumnal equinox and I find myself thinking about the method Dr. Gerofsky showed us for estimating the path of the sun across the sky. For me, a huge point of interest is that the estimation can be made using some basic knowledge about the tilt of the Earth, our latitude, and our own bodies. This is a fantastic way to show kids that science does not need to be perfect in order to be effective, and that you do not need to purchase expensive equipment to make helpful predictions about the world. Some modifications I would make would include adding some sort of an arts and crafts element that allows the students to set up a stand of some sort with a piece of pipe cleaner or string that shows their curved path prediction. Students could come back to their prediction at various points during the day and see how close they are to the real result. In addition, any students that are having trouble understanding the tilt of the earth could attempt the demonstration without accounting for the tilt and in doing so would find that their prediction is off from the real result by a significant amount. This would allow students to physically see and experience the difference created by the tilt of the Earth.

The other demonstration that has occupied my mind is the sundial Dr. Gerofsky showed us. I really like the idea of having students build a sundial. This has potential to be a fantastic research project that would teach students about the historical use of sundials, how they work, and the fact that they can still be used today. Adding on to the value of a project like this, students could work in an interdisciplinary manner with other students in a metal shop or wood shop to construct the sundials.

Moving beyond the demonstrations, we also worked with colour in the garden and attempted to match a paint chip to something living in the garden. I struggled with this activity and found it difficult. My primary interest was in a pine tree, which from my initial angle appeared mostly green but with a blue and grey tint to it. It was my goal to match the tint and I found that it moved around the pines depending on the angle of the sunlight. It was particularly difficult to match the tint (which is barely visible in the photo) and the best I could do was "Baffin Island Grey". This activity showed me that many the colours we see in nature depend largely on the angle we are viewing them at and it made me consider the fact that many of the classrooms I grew up in may have been colourful, but multicoloured walls do not really inspire the same curiosity or interest that colour in nature does.