The Moon Phases


Fourth Grade Assessed Standard:

Identify and arrange the phases of the moon in the correct sequence.

2-4 weeks before teaching the unit:
 Print out the lunar calendar below. Assign each student to fill in each night with a drawing. Label the moon phase below the drawing. Bring to school each day and discuss some along the way. At the end of the lunar month, compare theirs to the lunar calendar from brainpop.

http://www.abcteach.com/SolarSystem/moonchart.htm

1) http://www.brainpop.com/science/space/moon/

Instruct by watching the movie on the moon and its phases. At the end of the movie there is a lunar calendar.

Click on each day of the lunar calendar, beginning with day one, the full moon. Draw attention to the picture. Have students compare and/or fill in their calendar as you show each day.

Take the quiz.

Click on the timeline and tie in gravity and Issac Newton.

2) http://www.wonderville.ca/v1/activities/phases/phases.html

This is a second film clip of the moon phases for another day's review


3) Instruct with site below. When it opens, click on the background information and read it. Clicking on
the green button sets the moon in orbit around the Earth. The large picture at the right shows the
phases of the moon as it revolves with the name at the top. The last button allows you to click through
the phases. As the moon revolves, point out how the moon phases are occurring (mastered std)

http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/index.html

3) Go to: http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/moon_phases.html

Point out the lunar calendar - point out the names show and provide copy. Have students label some of their lunar calendar.

Go to What the Moon Looks like today and show some of Cleveland's days.

Show this Lunar Calendar: It is from the author's home in Detroit, Michigan
http://users.ameritech.net/paulcarlisle/MoonCalendar.html

Provide each student with four pieces of black construction paper. Have them fold into half sheets and staple side. They have 8 sheets. Provide yellow or white grease markers, colored pencils or gel markers made to color on black paper OR Provide Yellow Paper and let them cut/paste. Have them draw the phases from the website and label them. Tell them to use this to label the lunar calendars below. Also, if they skip a night, on this website if they click on the third line from the top, Complete Sun and Moon data for one day, they can input their city and date and see the moon's phase on that date. Model this for them.

Advise students to learn the moon phases in sequence. Tell them on XXX day, you will take out your moon phases, shuffle them and place them in order on your desk. Provide reward for students who are able to put them all in order 5 days in a row. When you deem appropriate, hand out another 1/4 black sheet. Instruct to title it, "My Moon Phases Book".

 

Extra Time: Spacey Math - on my Science Page