Going Through A Phase: The Changing Patterns of Our Moons Appearance
Summary
Students will use their prior knowledge about the Moon's phases as caused by the positions of the earth, moon, and sun, from the Houghton Mifflin science curriculum. Students will investigate and observe the changing shapes of the Moon as sunlight is reflected away from the Moon.
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Learning Goals
Learning goals
This activity is designed for students to:
- Model changing phases of the Moon
- Recognize that the same side of the Moon always faces Earth
- Apply the knowledge to their daily life
Process skills used in the investigation including: observing, questioning, comparing, predicting, and recording.
This activity is designed for students to:
- Model changing phases of the Moon
- Recognize that the same side of the Moon always faces Earth
- Apply the knowledge to their daily life
Process skills used in the investigation including: observing, questioning, comparing, predicting, and recording.
Context for Use
Grade level – 3; Groups of 4
Class size 22-25; Rural Public School Facility
2-3 lessons (including Lecture/Vocabulary, Classification Activity, Model Building, Experimentation, Application, and Assessment)
The experiment part of the lesson may be conducted indoors using an object that remains the same in shape, but what is observed appears to change shape because we see it from different angles.
This activity is to build upon and enrich their prior knowledge of the Moon and its changes in appearance as we observe it in the sky.
Class size 22-25; Rural Public School Facility
2-3 lessons (including Lecture/Vocabulary, Classification Activity, Model Building, Experimentation, Application, and Assessment)
The experiment part of the lesson may be conducted indoors using an object that remains the same in shape, but what is observed appears to change shape because we see it from different angles.
This activity is to build upon and enrich their prior knowledge of the Moon and its changes in appearance as we observe it in the sky.
Description and Teaching Materials
Materials:
- A sheet of drawing paper folded into eighths
- A sharpened pencil or crayon
- A small lapboard or hard surface to place paper on
- A stool, approximately two-feet tall
- A large object with a handle (mug, pitcher, etc.)
- Science journal
- Smart board/computer
Experiment & Demonstration -
Review with students the moon calendar they took home and recorded their observations of changes over a period of one month.
Discuss what they saw. Did the Moon look the same each night? How did this happen? What kind of changes did they see? The following activity will be used to help students understand what was occurring as they noticed the changes of the moon.
Introduction activity:
- Open classroom web page which includes a free downloaded section of the daily Moon phase. Each day the current moon phase name, percent of fullness, plus the date and current time is displayed. Have students compare this current picture with their monthly calendar.
- Is there a picture they sketched on their calendar that closely resembles the current Moon picture? Discuss the results. Have students write down their observations in the notebook as well. The following activity can help students understand what caused the changes in the Moon.
Investigation:
- Hand out to each student a sheet of drawing paper. Demonstrate how they should fold the sheet of paper, so that when it is unfolded, there are eight equal boxes. Place the opened paper the long way on top of the lap board.
- Have students sit in a circle on the floor. Place the stool in the center of their circle. Each student should sit several feet away, and be placed so that they are directly centered between the two legs of the stool that is facing them. Set the large mug or pitcher on top of the stool.
- In the first box students should draw the mug exactly as they see it from their angle. After approximately 45 – 60 seconds, have everyone move counterclockwise one-eighth of the way around the circle. Students should now be sitting lined up with one leg of the stool. Draw what they see from the new angle in the second box. After the same time frame, students continue to move one-eighth turn and draw in each box until they have moved all the way around the circle and are back to their original place.
- Have students look at their pictures. What do they observe? Have the students explain what has happened (they should notice that they saw the pitcher each time in a different way). Did the mug/pitcher change its actual shape as they moved around the circle? How do the pictures compare? How are they different? How does this relate to the Moon and what they observed each night for a month?
- Discuss what happened and again write down observations in their science journals.
- Review with students the names of the eight phases of the Moon. Can they name those phases on the mug/pitcher drawings? Can they find those drawings on their Moon calendar? Write any final observations in science journals.
- Based on the mug/pitcher activity, what do they predict the next month's calendar would look like if they observed and recorded for another month? Discuss their predictions and write ideas in their science journals.
Closing Activity
Using the Smart Board, open Don Fraser's Moon Phases interactive activity (should be able to download from the Smart Board Exchange – if it is not posted on there yet, it should be soon!). Follow directions to have students come to the Smart Board and identify the eight phases of the Moon. Or use "Its Just A Phase" interactive online game.
- A sheet of drawing paper folded into eighths
- A sharpened pencil or crayon
- A small lapboard or hard surface to place paper on
- A stool, approximately two-feet tall
- A large object with a handle (mug, pitcher, etc.)
- Science journal
- Smart board/computer
Experiment & Demonstration -
Review with students the moon calendar they took home and recorded their observations of changes over a period of one month.
Discuss what they saw. Did the Moon look the same each night? How did this happen? What kind of changes did they see? The following activity will be used to help students understand what was occurring as they noticed the changes of the moon.
Introduction activity:
- Open classroom web page which includes a free downloaded section of the daily Moon phase. Each day the current moon phase name, percent of fullness, plus the date and current time is displayed. Have students compare this current picture with their monthly calendar.
- Is there a picture they sketched on their calendar that closely resembles the current Moon picture? Discuss the results. Have students write down their observations in the notebook as well. The following activity can help students understand what caused the changes in the Moon.
Investigation:
- Hand out to each student a sheet of drawing paper. Demonstrate how they should fold the sheet of paper, so that when it is unfolded, there are eight equal boxes. Place the opened paper the long way on top of the lap board.
- Have students sit in a circle on the floor. Place the stool in the center of their circle. Each student should sit several feet away, and be placed so that they are directly centered between the two legs of the stool that is facing them. Set the large mug or pitcher on top of the stool.
- In the first box students should draw the mug exactly as they see it from their angle. After approximately 45 – 60 seconds, have everyone move counterclockwise one-eighth of the way around the circle. Students should now be sitting lined up with one leg of the stool. Draw what they see from the new angle in the second box. After the same time frame, students continue to move one-eighth turn and draw in each box until they have moved all the way around the circle and are back to their original place.
- Have students look at their pictures. What do they observe? Have the students explain what has happened (they should notice that they saw the pitcher each time in a different way). Did the mug/pitcher change its actual shape as they moved around the circle? How do the pictures compare? How are they different? How does this relate to the Moon and what they observed each night for a month?
- Discuss what happened and again write down observations in their science journals.
- Review with students the names of the eight phases of the Moon. Can they name those phases on the mug/pitcher drawings? Can they find those drawings on their Moon calendar? Write any final observations in science journals.
- Based on the mug/pitcher activity, what do they predict the next month's calendar would look like if they observed and recorded for another month? Discuss their predictions and write ideas in their science journals.
Closing Activity
Using the Smart Board, open Don Fraser's Moon Phases interactive activity (should be able to download from the Smart Board Exchange – if it is not posted on there yet, it should be soon!). Follow directions to have students come to the Smart Board and identify the eight phases of the Moon. Or use "Its Just A Phase" interactive online game.
Teaching Notes and Tips
Students need to be reminded that they are to do the best they can to draw only what they see at each position and as exactly as they can, as this is a semi-timed activity. The stool legs are used as a guide to help find proper one-eighth sitting position.
Assessment
Students can be assessed in the following way:
- Science journal (observations, questions, hypothesis, data, and predictions)
- Identify and label the eight phases of the Moon on their calendar.
- Identify and match Moon phase names with the pictures using interactive computer sites
- Science journal (observations, questions, hypothesis, data, and predictions)
- Identify and label the eight phases of the Moon on their calendar.
- Identify and match Moon phase names with the pictures using interactive computer sites
Standards
3.3.3.1.2 – (The Universe) – The sun and moon have locations and movements that can be observed and described.
Students will recognize the pattern of apparent changes in the moon's shape and position.
Students will recognize the pattern of apparent changes in the moon's shape and position.