Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

They made my son's 5th grade science class watch "An Inconvenient Truth Today"

Posted on 03/22/2007 9:48:42 PM PDT by CaptainMorgantown

I've been a member for awhile but this is the first time I've ever started a thread. This is a vanity, so one of the mods can move it if I've put it in the wrong classification.

My son is a student a Cheat Lake Middle School in Morgantown, West Virginia. For the last several weeks, he has come home saying that his teacher frequently takes time out of class to discuss his personal views on global warming. Today, he said they took two hours out of class to watch Al Gore's pseudoscience documentary "An Inconvenient Truth". I was absolutely stunned.

I have heard of several controversies where they've shown in in public high schools, but I cannot believe that they would show this to 5th graders. There wasn't even a word of advance notice to parents.

I've tried to contact the school's Principal and the the local newspaper. I'm at a loss as to how proceed from here to draw some attention and outrage, and would welcome advice from fellow freepers.


TOPICS: Miscellaneous; US: West Virginia; Your Opinion/Questions
KEYWORDS: globalwarming; vanity
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 last
To: momfirst
I called the school today to ask if it was going to be shown in my child's school. I wanted the Principal but I got someone else who asked why I was calling . I explained my concern over the movie and the fact it had no value in being shown as it terrifies children. I was assured it will not be shown. I think that office must think I am a nut but I feel much better. Maybe they are getting used to my constant calls...lmao
81 posted on 03/23/2007 10:02:30 AM PDT by pandoraou812 ( zero tolerance to the will of Allah ...... dilligaf? with an efg.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 73 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
Morgantown, West Virginia.

A University town. There's problem #1.

82 posted on 03/23/2007 6:06:35 PM PDT by buccaneer81 (Bob Taft has soiled the family name for the next century.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Yaelle

Perhaps a wicked suggestion here...but if a smart video guy...were to take Al's film...and take 98 percent of the content out and add alot of fake bogus accusations (like cows contribute 80 percent of the methane to the world, with horses contributing 22 percent and finally people contributing 12 percent...someone might actually sit there and realize that you can't have 114 percent). Then you remarket the video as Inconvent Truth Number Two. You have a Al impersonator, who goes around and just says..."ACCEPT the truth!"

I'll bet we can sell 500k copies within two months and clear $1.5 million easily as personal profit.


83 posted on 03/24/2007 12:14:15 AM PDT by pepsionice
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
It's a science class. It was a bit inappropriate, because the matter is over their heads. It's also over the teacher's head, and was only presented for political indoctrination purposes. The effect of GW for the near future is too small. Since the average temp of the Earth is ~15oC, and another degree won't matter, of course ice will melt.

I doubt any of the kids can grasp, equipartition of energy, conservation of energy, response surfaces, and the gas law. W/o that, they couldn't grasp the watermellon show. I doubt very much the science teach explained that the temp increase is insignificant, and the effect on the weather is also. It amounts to a 0.35% increase in energy available to all weather systems at the most, in the year 2060. That's nothing.

84 posted on 03/24/2007 10:35:51 AM PDT by spunkets ("Freedom is about authority", Rudy Giuliani, gun grabber)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Michael.SF.
I saw it on a 12 hour flight to Germany, what can I say, I was bored.

It was like watching a Freshman lecture hall presentation, but w/o the opportunity to scope out the room for potential, IYKWIM.

No cuties on that whole plane? But of course the law of averages would place a lot more Grandpas and kids on the flight than in your lecture hall. LOL.

85 posted on 03/24/2007 11:54:16 AM PDT by Yaelle
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Yaelle; CaptainMorgantown
Have any of you seen Gore's film?

My 20-something son talked me into seeing it with him recently. It was interesting. The only part that I felt was really over the top was the polar bear scene. Before I watched the movie I felt that there is data suggesting that global warming could be a real phenomenon, but that it hasn't yet been proven that it is a terrible crisis and that proponents are making predictions that have not been supported scientifically. That is the same way I felt after the movie.

The central points made by Gore in the film centered on a graph showing the temperature and CO2 for the last 650,000 years. The fact that these two variables have risen and fallen together over this whole period is very suggestive, but as I recall the film does not answer the question of whether it has been shown that the temperature depends on the CO2 and not the other way around.

Also Gore makes a big point to show how much higher the CO2 is now than it has been at any time over the last 650,000 years. This is true but after watching the film I wondered if Gore had not exaggerated the amount of increase somewhat by not having the bottom of the graph correspond to zero CO2. I would have to see this part of the film again check if he did this.

Basically I would have no problem with older students watching the film as long as there was some classroom discussion of how the data might be interpreted in other ways. There is nothing wrong with provoking thought and discussion. I would be concerned about younger students being shown the film, or if it was not presented with discussion of alternative interpretations and the reasons why some people are skeptical.

To my thinking it would obviously be wrong to somehow prevent young people from seeing the graph presently by Gore as I don't think the actual measurements are in question. Of course the graph could be presented without the movie.

One thing I did like about the movie was that the graphics were presented in an attractive way that might get young people more interested in a discussion of scientific data.

86 posted on 03/24/2007 12:43:02 PM PDT by wideminded
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
I've tried to contact the school's Principal and the the local newspaper.

You say you've "tried to contact" but you word it as though you were unsuccessful. My goodness, you sound so helpless. My heart goes out to you in your hour of sorrow. My deepest sympathies.

87 posted on 03/24/2007 7:25:17 PM PDT by OldPossum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: wideminded
I’d really like to find a still of that graph. I think what Al Gore says about it and what it actually shows are two different things.
88 posted on 04/03/2007 2:59:05 PM PDT by Excellence (Vote Dhimmocrat; Submit for Peace! (Bacon bits make great confetti.))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 86 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
I've tried to contact the school's Principal and the the local newspaper.

Principals, by and large, are like HR departments . . . they exist to shore up the status quo. As such, they almost never answer phone calls or e-mails. The best way to talk to your child's principal is to do it in person.
89 posted on 04/03/2007 3:02:03 PM PDT by Xenalyte (Anything is possible when you don't understand how anything happens.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
Sue them for equal time to air this rebuttal that aired on British TV a month ago.

The Great Global Warming Swindle


BUMP

90 posted on 04/03/2007 3:06:41 PM PDT by capitalist229 (Get Democrats out of our pockets and Republicans out of our bedrooms.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: CaptainMorgantown
BTW here's where you can purchase the DVD when it comes out in the UK. Beware it probably will be in PAL (Europe) instead of NTSC (USA) format. Some DVD players like Phillips can play both formats.

The DVD


BUMP

91 posted on 04/03/2007 3:18:32 PM PDT by capitalist229 (Get Democrats out of our pockets and Republicans out of our bedrooms.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-8081-91 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson