1. Our Solar System The Learning Plan Lesson Vocabulary
By the end of this lesson, YOU will be able to:
Identify the 8 phases of the moon.
Explain how the movements of the Earth and moon create different moon phases observed by humans on Earth.
The Learning Plan
BrainPop Video: Moon Phases
Teaches About Moon Phases
Song: Phases of the Moon Rap
Moon Phases Demonstration
Group & Partner Activities
Lesson Vocabulary
Orbit Illuminate
lunar eclipse
Waxing Waning
Crescent Gibbous
New moon
Full moon

2. Essential Question
How do the movements of the Sun, Earth and moon affect the patterns observed by humans on Earth?

3. Notebook Quick Write True or False Is the moon a light source
Notebook Quick Write True or False Is the moon a light source? Explain your answer. Why does the moon look like it changes?

4. BrainPop: Moon Phases

5. BrainPop: Moon Phases
Odds: Are the phases of the moon caused by Earth casting shadows on the moon?
Evens: Why do we always see the same side of the moon?

6. Why does the moon have phases?
The revolution of the Moon around the Earth causes the Moon to appear to have phases.
It takes 29.5 days for the moon to make a complete circuit around the Earth.
NSF North Mississippi GK-8

7. Lunar Eclipses
Lunar Eclipses happen when the sun, Earth and moon are completely lines up in a row, and the Earth ends up blocking the rays of the sun from reaching the moon. (VERY RARE)

8. 8 Phases of the Moon New Moon Waxing Crescent
First Quarter or Half Moon
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last Quarter or Half Moon
Waning Crescent

9. New Moon
The moon is not visible from Earth. The moon is between the Sun and the Earth.
The dark side is facing us.
This phase lasts one night.

10. Waxing Crescent
Waxing means that the bright side is increasing. The right side is the bright side.
Less than one half of the moon is illuminated.
This phase includes any visible moon from a small sliver to almost half.

11. First Quarter or Half Moon
The entire right side of the moon is illuminated.
The moon looks like a half circle.
The illuminated side is increasing.
This phase only lasts one night.

12. Waxing Gibbous
Gibbous means that more than one half is visible, but it is not quite full.
This phase includes the night after the first quarter to the night before the full moon.

13. Full Moon The moon is full and bright. It looks like a large circle.
The illuminated side is facing us.
Only happens one night per lunar phase cycle.

14. Waning Gibbous The moon appears more than half but not quite full.
Waning means that the illuminated side is decreasing.
The left side is the bright side.

15. Last Quarter or Half Moon
Left Half of the moon is illuminated.
The illuminated side is decreasing.
This phase also only lasts for one night.

16. Waning Crescent Less than one half of the moon is illuminated.
The moon will continue to become smaller and smaller.

17. Teamwork Behaviors Everyone Participates Explaining Your Thinking
Completes Tasks

18. Moon Phases Group & Partner Activities
#1 GROUP PROJECT\
Task: Work together to create an accurate visual model of the 8 phases of the moon.
You are able to visually show the phases of the moon any anyway: examples: Using cookies, Using Playdoh, Drawing it, Building it using something, ect.
Be sure to include:
The sun
The earth
The 8 phases of the moon
Labels for each phase

19. Let’s Wrap-Up Share our models & check for accuracy
Discuss the answers to the moon calendar questions

20. Write a letter to the 3rd grader thoroughly explain this phenomenon.
Homework
A 3rd grader has sent you a letter asking you to explain why the moon looks different almost every night.
Write a letter to the 3rd grader thoroughly explain this phenomenon.

21. Awesome Effort!