1. Moon Phases and Star Constellations Our Earth’s Cycle
Presentation should take about minutes to allow ample time for the experiment. There is a fair amount of material so limiting additional details and questions may be needed.
Some information is noted as optional and helps as background info for potential questions or additional information to share as time allows.
Not everything in notes needs to be reviewed, so make it your own and have fun!
Just keep an eye on the clock as the kids love the hands-on activities.
Ask students to sit on the carpet so the activity can be set up at their desks.
You may have to limit questions or the number of students who can answer a question if time runs short.
Ask helpers to:
familiarize themselves with the activity and its goal
set up during the presentation
decide what role they are covering
Thank you for making Amazing Earth possible!
3rd Grade Amazing Earth
January

2. Let’s talk about how they move.
The Earth, Moon & Sun
The movements of the Earth, Moon & Sun impact our planet and our lives.
Let’s talk about how they move.
Earth rotates around its axis
Earth’s axis is tilted
Earth orbits the sun
The Moon orbits Earth
When you say the words below, ask the students what they mean or add the definition to help with understanding:
Rotate – object turns (spins) around an internal axis (center).
Axis – an imaginary line that an object rotates around
Orbiting or revolving – object turns around another object (in a continuous, curving path)
Emphasize or demonstrate with a globe how the Earth is both rotating on its axis while orbiting the sun. There may be a classroom globe or a globe in the activity box.

3. Earth, Moon & Sun Movement Cycles
One cycle is the period of time it takes to complete a repeating pattern
Let’s guess the cycle!
How many days for the Earth to spin one rotation on its axis?
one day = 24 hours
How many days does it take for Earth to orbit the sun?
365 days = one year
How many days for the Moon to orbit Earth?
28 days
These cycles are why we have day and night, changing seasons, and changes in moonlight

4. Why there is Day and Night
Earth rotates around the sun
One side of the Earth faces the sun (day)
One side faces away into space (night)
One day is 24 hours

5. Why there are Changing Seasons
Earth orbits the sun
The tilt of the Earth’s axis affects the amount of sunlight we have every day
When the Earth leans towards the Sun, it’s summer
When the Earth leans away from the Sun, it’s winter
Point out on the picture the Earth leaning and the sun shining during summer and the opposite during winter.
Also point out that the Southern Hemisphere has the opposite seasonal weather – our winter is their summer.
Earth orbits the Sun every 365 days – 1 year

6. Why there are Moon Phases
The moon orbits Earth
How much of the moon we see lit up changes as the moon moves around Earth
There are 8 phases of the moon
The moon orbits Earth about every 28 days
After reviewing the bullet points,
Explain:
When there is no light shining on the moon, it is called a new moon.
When the light slowly begins to shine each night, it grows into a waxing crescent moon, etc.
Waxing means growing or increasing.
Waning means getting smaller.
The following slide has additional images to assist with the explanation.

7. Moon Phases Does the moon make its own light?
No. When we see the moon, we are seeing light from the Sun reflecting off the moon
The moon phase we see depends on where the moon is when orbiting around Earth
After reviewing the bullet points,
Point out the sunlight on the right, how it shines and where the shadows are on the moon in the inner circle.
Then point to the corresponding moon and the name that we see in the sky in the outer circle.
The phases of the moon depend on its position in relation to the sun and Earth. As the moon makes its way around the Earth, we see bright parts of the moon’s surface at different angles.

8. Animated Moon Cycle
This slide will play animation when in slide show mode. It shows the moon phases as the moon orbits the Earth.

9. There are more than 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy
What are Stars?
Giant spheres of super hot gas
Stars are hot and bright from the burning gas
Our Sun is a star
The Sun is an average size star but about 1.3 million Earths could fit inside the sun!
There are more than 100 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy

10. What is a Constellation?
A group of stars that form a pattern
Pattern shape could be an animal, a mythological creature, a person, or an object
There are 88 different constellations
Constellations help people recognize stars and can be used for navigation

11. Star Maps
Star maps can be used to identify stars, constellations, and galaxies
The link should open a star map. You can hit play, change the dates or put in a range of dates to see what constellations are viewable.
Point out the moon and planets in pink as well as some of the constellations.
The students will like seeing this for a minute or two. The location is provided in the bottom left corner of the map. (Hopefully it will default to Reston.)
You can also return to this after the activity.
Click the link. If the information does not automatically project, select the Function and F8 keys TOGETHER. Then select Duplicate.

12. Let’s Make A Model!

13. Oreo Cookie Moon Phases
Write and draw the 8 moon phases in your science notebook
Create this model:
Carefully separate your 4 Oreo cookies so the cream is on one side
Slice the cream into the shapes shown using the toothpick
Slide the toothpick under the cream to lift
Move the cream to the other cookie half

14. Making Constellations
Create these constellations using toothpicks and mini marshmallows
Students will use toothpicks and marshmallows to make physical models of these four constellations.
Updated 1/8/19