Posted on 09/12/2011 7:21:16 PM PDT by grady
Returning from ball practice tonight, my 5th grader informed me that today, in science class, he learned that carbon dioxide is causing global warming, melting glaciers, etc., etc. My initial reaction was to say "that's a bunch of baloney" but I contained myself. I'm not surprised that they're teaching it, and I'm ok with him hearing about it (it's everywhere nowadays anyway), provided he learns to take in the information with a critical mindset and challenge it. He'll learn more that way anyway.
We discussed the difference between theories and facts, as well as the importance of using the scientific method to get from the former to the latter. I don't want him to simply walk into class and tell the teacher that his dad thinks she's teaching nonsense. Instead, I'd like him to be prepared to challenge the the validity of her lesson by simply asking questions that she'll be unable to answer.
Perhaps he can ask: Does ALL scientists believe that CO2 causes global warming? If not, what do the other scientists think? How do we know global warming is caused by CO2 and not something else? What might prove it's not happening (i.e. current cooling) and has anything like that happened that you know of? Can you explain how the scientific method was applied and supports the theory? Was the earth always the same temperature or has climate always varied?
I don't believe the teacher will be prepared to do anything other than read out of the book. Therefore, I think that if he asks the right questions, and sees that the teacher is unprepared to answer, he might draw his own conclusions as to whether he should believe the hype.
He's a smart kid who's not afraid to respectfully raise such a challenge to a teacher. So, fellow Freepers, this is where I could use your help. How many of you have addressed this before and what suggestions do you have to help my kid put a critical spotlight on this lesson plan? Are there any resources out there I might rely on?
D’oh!
“Does ALL scientists...” = “Do ALL scientists..”
Good job, papa. You are talking to him about the issue and that is the most important thing. Sounds like you are already doing the right thing.
A good grounding in geology along with a history of the political misuse of science during the last 300 years would give him a little prospective.
There's also this book. The Politically Incorrect Guide To Global Warming. http://www.amazon.com/Politically-Incorrect-Global-Warming-Environmentalism/dp/B001JJBOQA/ref=sr_1_22?ie=UTF8&qid=1315880590&sr=8-22
Get thee and your child to a real physicist...not a weatherman with a couple of computer programming classes ( and very little advanced math).
He or she quickly demolish the liberal-level science demonstrated by the climate change priests.
The Earth has both heated and cooled dramatically, LONG before we were ever here. To believe we are the cause of any warming now is highly suspect. Simple as that. Depending on the age of the child, I may avoid the politics of it.
Home School.
D’oh!
“Does ALL scientists...” = “Do ALL scientists..”
You’re worried about the wrong thing...offer a mod a years supply of Purina cat chow to put an “h” in scool.
I agree with the post above....the bias is on every page of the new texts. Tree hugging, New World Order, MultiCulturism....I am using Calvert this year, and we are reading it, but only because I am going through it with him and discussing it. I can understand the mind set of kids today after going through these.
We spend most of the time talking about the “facts” that counter the books!
No, there’s a significant group that believe that the carbon-dioxide count LAGS behind actual warming trends.
Sorry, but I don’t recall where I came upon that.
Ping.
For the life of me, I can’t figure out how this makes sense. I had a tenth grader try to explain it to me, but he was smart enough to say.....”this is how they say it works!” lol
Additionally, ask how long the earth has been here and how long man has been keeping reliable, accurate records of climate changes, and how those two answers can be reconciled on the side of the U.S. changing the current climate trends.
You're well able to come up with the questions ... I'm just pointing to general areas of discourse that never return a cogent answer from a liberal greenie.
In the past the ice was once one mile thick where Chicago is today, ask the teacher what caused those multiple ice ages and what caused those ice ages to end.
D’oh again! And in a post about properly edumacating my kid! Dang.
It’s true — the teacher could be in this position due to ignorance that isn’t her fault — just going along with the curriculum and she has never heard about significant dissent on this matter.
Yes, it makes sense to ask how the scientific community is split on the question of why the earth warms or cools when it does. And do increases of carbon dioxide tend to follow warming or do they tend to precede it (and the same for cooling). Also ask how surface temperature readings are obtained. Are they mostly in large paved areas (e.g. airports) or out in the wilderness? How might being in a large paved area affect a temperature reading? Weather Underground (not the infamous bomber group, but the web site www.wunderground.com) now offers a wide choice of weather stations at many locales. This would be a good way to approach the question of how the area affects the temperature reading. Shoot, it could be the basis of an entry in a science fair.
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