Investigation 1 – It’s Just a Phase

November 15, 2007

Materials

Moon phase cards enlarged – 2 new moons.

1 bright lamp with 75 watt bulb Styrofoam ball for each student with a

popsicle stick in the middle. Moon observation chart for each student Rise the Moon - book

Fact or Fiction

What causes the moon to look different each night?

Why does the moon go through different phases?

Today we are going to find the answer!

Read Rise the Moon

Does the Moon really pull the ocean? Where does the Moon’s light come from? Is the Moon only visible at night? I wonder what makes the Moon look

different sometimes? Homework: Moon Survey

What are the moon phases?

New Moon First Quarter (right) – 7 or 8 days Full Moon – 14 or 15 days Last Quarter (left) – 21 or 22 days Pick students to rearrange the cards in the

correct order.

Experiment

The Styrofoam ball is the moon. Your head is the Earth. The sun is the lamp. We will be rotating and moving counterclockwise (pivoting to the

left). Hold ball in left hand. New moon – moon in front of face (face is facing lamp). Waxing crescent - Turn slightly to the left. First quarter – moon on left side of head. Waxing Gibbous – Turn slightly to the left. Full moon – moon in front of face (face is not facing lamp). Waning Gibbous – Turn slightly to the left. Last quarter – moon on left side of head. Waning Crescent – Turn slightly to the left. Call out different positions and have students move to those

locations.

Questions

Where does the moon’s light come from? Some people think that the moon phases

are caused by the Earth’s shadow. How does this model disprove this theory?

Moon

Phases occur because the moon revolves around the Earth, which causes the sun’s light to only reach parts of its surface at different times.

Can see the moon because the sun reflects light on it.

Half of the moon facing the sun is always lighted; but the lighted side does NOT always face Earth.

Moon circles Earth about every 29 days.

Moon Observation Chart

Start Sunday, Sept. 28 Due: Monday, Oct. 27 Color in the part of the moon you cannot

see.