Day 3: the phases of the moon
Objectives:
- Students will be able to identify the cause of the moon's changing appearance.
- Students will classify the visible changes in the moon's appearance as phases (New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter)
- Students will be able to identify the cause of the moon's changing appearance.
- Students will classify the visible changes in the moon's appearance as phases (New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter)
Materials:
- Globe, flashlight, and small ball to act as the moon. Colored paper for moon foldable. The Moon Book, by Gail Gibbons
- Globe, flashlight, and small ball to act as the moon. Colored paper for moon foldable. The Moon Book, by Gail Gibbons
Procedure:
- Do a quick review of the previous lesson. Discuss the sun and the Earth, and then ask "But is there anything that revolves around the Earth?" When the students answer "the moon!" ask about whether or not the moon's appearance changes.
- Discuss the moon's revolving around the Earth, and the length of the lunar month.
- Introduce the idea of phases. Explain that depending on where the moon is, we can see different amounts of it, because it is reflecting sunlight.
- Place the flashlight as the sun. Have a student hold the globe up, as the Earth. Dim the lights, and demonstrate the revolution of the moon around the Earth. At the four critical points, stop and discuss why the moon is invisible (New), why only half of it is visible (First and Last Quarter), and why all of it is visible (Full).
- With lights back on, introduce specific moon phase vocabulary.
- Have students come up and try and place moon according to the phase you call out.
- Hand out Foldable materials. Have students create Foldable according to instructions below.
- Read The Moon Book.. Again, try and utilize this book as a summative assessment as much as possible.
- Instruct the students to begin a moon journal. Every night, they should draw a picture of the moon. After a month, we will return to this and see if we can all identify what phase the moon was in on a specific date.
Differentiation:
- Advanced students may be introduced to the idea of waxing and waning, as well as gibbous and crescent moons.
- Students having difficulties may be required to only focus on why we see the moon as changing, instead of the terminology.
- Advanced students may be introduced to the idea of waxing and waning, as well as gibbous and crescent moons.
- Students having difficulties may be required to only focus on why we see the moon as changing, instead of the terminology.
Assessment:
- Formative: Students come to front of the room and place moon correctly, or can explain what phase it is in. Students understand their foldable and can communicate ideas from it.
- Summative: Students can provide information about the phases of the moon while reading the book.
- Formative: Students come to front of the room and place moon correctly, or can explain what phase it is in. Students understand their foldable and can communicate ideas from it.
- Summative: Students can provide information about the phases of the moon while reading the book.
Resources: For the foldable, simply fold a piece of paper longways (Hot Dog fold), leaving an inch on the side. Cut the top half into four equal flaps. On the outside of the flaps, the children will draw a picture of each moon phase, in correct order (New, First Quarter, Full, Last Quarter). On the inside, they should label the phase, and then draw a diagram of the moon, sun, and Earth, with the correct half of the moon illuminated/darkened and the moon in the correct location. The extra room on the side is for sunlight, so all the pictures should relate to each other. (See template)