Chapter 51 Moon Phases and Modelsbransonscience.weebly.com/.../0/31600635/moonphases_nsta.pdf ·...

T e ac h i n g S c i e n c e T h r o u g h T r a d e B o o k S 305

Moon Phases and ModelsBy Karen Ansberry and Emily Morgan

F rom the time they are very young, children are naturally curious about the Moon. They may wonder about the different shapes of the Moon when they look up at the night sky. In this primary lesson, students discover through direct observations and reading that the Moon’s shape follows a pattern. In the upper-elementary lesson, students explore the reason for this pattern using a model.

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Phases of the MoonBy gillia M. olson, illustrated by Jo Millercapstone Press, 2008iSBn 978-0-7368-9617-7grades k–4

SynopSiSSimple text and photographs introduce Moon phases, including why they occur and what they are called.

The Moon BookBy gail gibbonsholiday house, 1998iSBn 978-0-8234-1364-5grades k–4

SynopSiSThe Moon Book identifies the Moon as our only natural satellite, describes its movement and phases, and discusses how we have observed and explored it over the years.

Trade Books

Copyright © 2012 NSTA. All rights reserved. For more information, go to www.nsta.org/permissions.

n aT i o n a l S c i e n c e T e ac h e r S a S S o c i aT i o n306

Curricular ConnectionsAccording to the National Science Education Stan-dards, the focus of space science in the early years should be on the idea that objects in the sky have observable patterns of movement. By observing the day and night sky regularly, early elementary students can learn to identify sequences of changes and look for patterns in these changes. Specifically, when it comes to the Moon’s phases, students should notice that “the observable shape of the Moon changes from day to day in a cycle that lasts about a month” (NRC 1996, p. 134). The lesson for grades K–3 students is limited to making observa-tions, developing descriptions, and finding patterns; whereas grades 4–6 students use a model to explore the concept that Moon phases are caused by the Moon’s orbit around Earth.

Grades K–3: Moon Monitors

Materials• Large O-W-L chart• Sticky notes• My Moon Journal (p. 309)

EngageShow students the photographs of the Moon from Phases of the Moon without reading the text. Ask them what they notice or wonder about the Moon. Prepare a large O-W-L (Observations, Wonderings, Learnings) chart and keep it posted prominently in the classroom for the duration of the unit. First model your own wonderings about the Moon by writing the following questions on the O-W-L chart under the W (wonderings) section: Does the Moon really change shape? Where does the Moon’s light come from? Does the Moon’s shape follow a pattern? How long does it take for the Moon to go through its changes? Then, invite students to write their own questions about the Moon on large sticky notes to post in the wonderings section of the O-W-L chart.

ExploreAsk students how they might find the answers to some of their questions. Discuss that scientists find answers by making careful observations, doing experiments over and over, communicating with other scientists, and so on. Tell students that they can find out more about the Moon by observing it every evening for a month. Give each student a copy of My Moon Journal. Ask them to look at the Moon each night and draw what it looks like (if it can be seen). In the classroom, keep a daily bulletin board of the Moon phases for a month. Ideally, students should make their own observations of the Moon for at least a month, but Moon calendars can also be downloaded at www.stardate.org.

• note: a common misconception about

the Moon is that the Moon gets larger

and smaller. empty circles on the Moon

Journal student page are provided so

that students can darken the areas of the

Moon that are not lighted. This method of

recording Moon phases takes into account

that the entire Moon is present, even if

some of its surface cannot be seen.

ExplainDiscuss students’ observations throughout the month using some of the following questions: “Was the Moon the same shape each time you saw it?” (no). “Did you see the Moon every time you looked for it?” (no). “Was the Moon in the same place in the sky each time you saw it?” (no). “On a cloudy night, how can you tell if the Moon is still there?” (You can see moonlight behind the clouds.) “Can we ever see the Moon in the daytime?” (yes). “What did the Moon look like on the first night of your journal? On the last night?” (Students should notice that the Moon’s shape is the same on the first night

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Moon Phases and Models




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and the last night of the journal.) “When you look at your journal, do you see any patterns?” (Students may notice a pattern of the Moon changing shape.) During this discussion, students should be able to explain their observations and compare them to the observations of others.

ElaborateRevisit Phases of the Moon, and explain that this nonfiction book might help them make more sense of their Moon observations. Ask students to listen for any answers to the “wonderings” on the O-W-L chart as you read the book aloud. After reading, write the answers in the L column of the O-W-L chart and discuss.

EvaluateAsk, “How does the pattern of the phases you observed in your Moon journal compare to the pattern of the phases in the book?” (The phases recorded over one month in our journals are in the same order as the phases we saw in the book.) Students should notice that the phases of the Moon occur in a certain order and have names. Ask stu-dents to find one example of each phase on their journal and write its name beneath the picture (full, gibbous, quarter, crescent, new).

Grades 4–6: Moon Modeling

Materials• Moon Survey student page (p. 310)• Lamp with shade removed• Smooth foam spheres (one per student)• The Changing Moon student page (p. 311)

EngageHave students complete The Moon Survey student page and discuss the results of their surveys before they begin the next activity. Ask the following ques-tions as you discuss the surveys: “What are some of the answers you received? Are there any answers

that you think are wrong? Why? What do you think is the correct answer to the question on the survey?”

ExploreNow that students have heard a lot of different ideas people have about why the Moon looks different from night to night, tell them that they can explore this question using a model. You’ll need a lamp and one foam ball for each student.

Darken the room—the darker, the better. Give each student a foam ball stuck on the end of a pencil. Explain that the foam ball is a model of the Moon, the lamp is a model of the Sun, and their heads represent Earth. Before the guided activity below, give students time to explore the model and test different ideas about what causes Moon phases.Next, guide students through the following activity to model how the Moon changes shape:

• With their faces toward the lamp, students hold the balls slightly above their heads so that they have to look up a little to see them. In this posi-tion, students cannot see the lighted side of the ball. Tell them that this is called a new Moon.

• Tell students to move their arms holding the balls slightly to the left while still looking at the balls and holding them a little above their heads. Tell them that when we see this sliver of the lighted side of the Moon, we call it a crescent Moon.

Ask, “Where does the Moon’s light come from?” (The light is coming from the Sun and is reflected off the Moon.) “Some people think the Moon phases are caused by the Earth’s shadow. How does this model provide evidence that this idea is not correct or supported?” (The shadow of my head, which represents the Earth, is not on the Moon in this position. It is behind me.)

Instruct the students to keep turning to the left and soon they will see more of the lighted half of the balls. Tell them that this is called a quarter Moon.



• Have them turn a little more and almost all of the balls will be lit. Tell them that this is called a gibbous Moon.

• Students can keep turning until they see all the lighted half of the balls. Tell them that this is called a full Moon.

• As students continue to turn in the same direc-tion, they will see less and less of the lighted part of the ball. First they will see a gibbous Moon, then a quarter Moon, then a thin cres-cent Moon, and finally they will be back to the new Moon.

• Tell students that this orbit the Moon takes around the Earth is completed in about a month.

ExplainHave students work with partners to repeat the Moon modeling activity and explain to each other the reason we see each phase of the Moon from Earth. Tell students that scientists often use their observations in combination with models to develop explanations of scientific events. Ask, “What expla-nations can we develop from our month of Moon observations and the Moon modeling activity we just did?” (The Moon phases occur in a regular pattern. The orbit of the Moon around the Earth causes the phases.)

ElaborateTell students that in science it is important to check what you have learned through observations and models with what is known in the scientific world. Ask students to compare their ideas and explana-tions about the Moon phases to the information presented in The Moon Book. Read the book aloud, stopping every so often to allow for discussion as you read. After reading the section on eclipses, chal-lenge students to use the foam ball and lamp model to demonstrate lunar and solar eclipses. Then ask, “What Moon phase does it need to be in order for a lunar eclipse to occur?” (full Moon). “What Moon phase does it need to be in order for a solar eclipse to occur?” (new Moon).

EvaluateGive students copies of The Changing Moon student page (p. 311), where they will draw and label two diagrams: Earth, Moon, and Sun with the Moon in the new Moon phase and another with the Moon in the full Moon phase. Using the evidence from the moon modeling activity and their diagrams, they will answer the question, “Why does the Moon seem to change shape?”

Referencenational research council (nrc). 1996. National

science education standards. Washington, dc: national academies Press.

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Moon Survey

Name:________________________________________________

ask three people the following question and record their answers on the lines below:

What causes the Moon to look different throughout a month?

Person 1

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Person 2

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

Person 3

_____________________________________________________________

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W

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