Download Motion of the Earth and Moon – Part 2

Grade 3
Lesson:
Reference to English Interconnections
Motion of the Earth and Moon
Lesson
All About the Moon and Earth Day 2
Motion of the Earth and Moon pg. 112
Science Standard(s): Standard 1.2 The Earth, Moon, Sun & Heat
Content Objective(s):
Language Objective(s):
Students will create and demonstrate a model of the
Students will describe the movements and relationship between
relationship between the earth, moon and sun in groups of
the moon, earth and sun using 3 complete sentences while
three.
creating a model of it in groups of 3.
I can create and demonstrate the relationship between the
I can describe the movements and relationship between the
earth, moon and sun in my group of 3.
moon earth and sun while creating a model of them in my
group of 3.
Essential Questions:
Required Academic Vocabulary for Word Wall:
How does Earth’s rotation on its axis affect the apparent
Listen: axis, rotation, revolution, orbit
movement of the sun in the sky?
Speak: axis, rotation, revolution, orbit,
Read:
Write:
Sentence Frames:
I think ____________.
I learned that ________________ (characteristics movement
and relationship between the moon, sun and earth).
Materials:
Additional Lesson Vocabulary:
model, sun, planets, stars, moon, earth, clay, yellow, gray, blue,
 Internet and projector
straws, move, slowly, middle
 Globe
 Straws (2/group of 3)
 Yellow clay
 Blue clay
 Gray clay
 Object to represent the sun (flashlight, yellow ball, etc)
 Cards labeled sun, moon, and earth with pictures
Lesson: Motion of the Earth and Moon
Instructional Time: 30 minutes
Opening: (2 minutes)
T: “ In the last lesson I asked you a question, I am going to ask you again, why does it seem like the SUN, PLANETS and STARS
move across the sky? Think about it, tell your neighbor what you think. Remember to use complete sentences. You can use our
sentence frame and say ‘I think ________’.”
S: will tell their neighbor things like “I think the earth is moving, the stars are moving, the world is turning, etc.”
T: “As I listened to your conversations, you had great ideas. In just a minute you will get the opportunity to experiment with
those ideas.”
Introduction to New Material (Direct Instruction): (8 minutes)
T: “First, let’s talk about the earth. Does the earth move? Thumbs up if you think the earth moves or thumbs down if you think
the earth does not move.”
S: will show thumbs up or down.
T: “Let’s watch a video and then I want you to tell me if the earth moves or not.”
 http://science.discovery.com/videos/100-greatest-discoveries-shorts-earth-moves.html
 Find a video that shows the students the rotation of the earth. Most videos will be in English, so mute the sound and explain it
to the students in the appropriate language.
T: “Now that you have watched the video, everyone shout out together – yes or no – does the earth move?”
S: will respond
T: “Your are right! The earth does move. The earth rotates. Let’s look at the globe. Is the earth straight up or tilted a little? Tell
your neighbor what you think.”
S: will tell their neighbor, “I think it is tilted a little.”
T: “The earth is tilted on its axis. The earth rotates on its axis once every 24 hours. How long is a day?”
S: will raise their hands and respond “24 hours”.
T: “One day is 24 hours long, so the earth rotates on its axis once every day. Look at the globe again. It is on its axis. I am going
to rotate it. I can rotate it really fast or slow. Do you think our earth rotates really fast like this? Or really slow like this?”
 Spin or rotate the globe.
T: “Because the earth rotates every day that is what creates night and day. If the sun is always here, the earth is only receives
light on the side facing the sun.”
T: “That is the movement of the earth. Let’s go back to our original question, why does it seem like the SUN, PLANETS and STARS
move across the sky? Tell your neighbor what you think. Remember to say ‘I think____’.”
S: will tell their neighbor “I think that the earth moves”.
T: “Here is the earth on its axis and it rotates. Is the earth the only thing in the sky? Shake your head yes or shake your head no.”
S: will shake their heads.
T: “Let’s make a list of all the other things in the sky. Raise your hand if you know something else that is in the sky.”
S: will raise their hands and help to make the list.
 Make a list with illustrations and labels on the board of the student responses of the things in the sky.
o Stars
o Moon
o Sun
o Planets
T: “You are right, there are stars, the moon, the sun and planets in the sky. We are first going to talk about the moon and how
the moon moves. While the earth rotates on its axis every day, the moon rotates on its axis and ORBITS the earth every 28 days.
Look at the globe and this ball that represents the moon. While the earth is rotating, the moon is orbiting around the earth.”
 Demonstrate the movement of the earth and the moon at the same time.
T: “Let’s try it a different way. I need two helpers. One of you will be the moon and the other one will be the earth.”
 Choose two students.
T: “You are the earth, what do you do?
S: will respond, “rotate”
T: “Good, you rotate, I want you to stay in the same spot and spin in a circle. Do it slow so you don’t get dizzy.”
S: student #1 will start spinning in circles.
T: “Now you are the moon (referring to student #2), what will you do?”
S: will respond, “walk around the earth and rotate on my axis”
T: “You are right, you will orbit around the earth. Start walking. Remember you will always face the earth because you are
turning so slowly. In fact it takes you the time it takes you to walk around the earth to make one complete turn.”
 Help guide the student as he/she walks around the earth to always face the earth. Emphasize multiple times how the moon
makes one complete turn by the time it finishes orbiting the earth by pointing out which wall the moon is facing as it walks
around the earth. Remind the students the moon rotated one time as it revolved around the earth one time.
S: student #2 will walk around student #1.
T: “Everyone turn to you neighbor and tell them what you learned the earth is doing. We will use our other sentence frame. For
example ‘I learned that the earth is revolving on an axis.’ We learned several things. Tell your neighbor two complete sentences
about the movement of the earth.”
S: will turn to their neighbor and say, “I learned that the earth rotates. I learned the earth revolves.”
T: “You’re right the earth rotates and revolves. Now tell your neighbor what you learned about the movement of the moon.”
S: will turn to their neighbor and tell them “I learned that the moon orbits around the earth.” Or “I learned that the moon rotates
slowly on its axis.”
T: “You’re right again. You learned that the moon revolves around the earth. You also learned that the moon rotates on its axis.
Remember the moon takes about 28 days to rotate on its axis and about 28 days to orbit/revolve around the earth. That is why
we never see the far side of the moon. You two sit down.”
T: “We know the relationship between the earth and the moon. We learned that the earth rotates on its axis, the moon orbits or
revolves around the earth and rotates., Now let’s talk about the sun. What relationship does the earth have with the sun? Think
about it, put your hands on your head if you have an idea?”
 Call on a student if they have their hands on their head. If no one knows, then explain the relationship between the earth and
the sun.
T: “Let’s watch another video.”
 Watch a video of the earth revolving around the sun.
 http://www.classzone.com/books/earth_science/terc/content/visualizations/es0408/es0408page01.cfm
T: “The earth revolves around the sun! Let’s act it out again. I need three people this time. One person will be the earth. One
person will be the moon, and the last person will be the sun.”
 Pick three students. Give each student a card to show they are the earth, the moon, or the sun.
T: “Who is in the middle? The sun, the moon or the earth? Tell your neighbor ‘I think ____ is in the middle.’”
S: will tell their neighbor.
 Try out what the students say, but scaffold them to figure out that the sun goes in the middle.
T: “We are learning that the sun stands still in the middle. The earth revolves around the sun. The earth also rotates on its axis.
The moon revolves or orbits around the earth. The moon also rotates on its axis. Tell your neighbor everything you’ve learned
about the movement of the sun, moon, and earth. You can use the sentence frame ‘I learned that____’ to tell your neighbor.
1. The sun stands still in the middle
2. The earth revolves around the sun
3. The earth rotates on its axis
4. The moon revolves or orbits around the earth
5. The moon rotates on its axis.”
Guided Practice: (15 minutes)
T: “Now it is your turn to make your own model of the earth, moon, and sun. I am going to separate you into groups
of 3. You will need to collect the following materials.
1. 2 straws per group
2. yellow clay
3. blue clay
4. gray clay
T: “You will need to make a ball that represents the earth, the moon and the sun. Remember size is important.
Which one would be the biggest? The moon, the sun or the earth?
S: will raise their hands and respond, “The sun.”
T: “The sun will be the biggest. Then what?”
S: will raise their hands and respond, “The earth.”
T: “Good, the sun is the biggest, the earth is the second biggest and the moon is the smallest. After you make the
earth and moon you will need to put the straws through them to represent the axis. Like this.”
 Teacher will show the students how to put the straw through the middle of a clay ball.
T: “When you have all your balls created and the straw through the earth and moon, then you will each get a ball and
demonstrate what happens every day with the moon, sun and earth. As I walk around I want you to tell me what you
are doing. Tell me if you are the sun, or the moon, or the earth. Tell me if you are rotating or revolving.”
 As the teachers says rotate and revolve, demonstrate the action so the students can see it again.
T: “Now it is your turn, here are the groups of three, collect the materials and get started.”
 Have the materials prepared and placed around the room for the students to easily collect.
 Walk around the room as the students work on this project. Keep the students on task and ask them questions.
Closing: (5 minutes)
T: “Good job today. You all made a portion of the solar system! Please tell your neighbor what you learned about the
movement of the earth. Does it rotate or revolve? Would you say ‘I learned that the earth rotates around the sun.’?
Come up with your own and tell your neighbor.”
S: will tell their neighbor “I learned that ______________.”
T: “You learned that the earth rotates and revolves. It rotates every 24 hours and revolves around the sun once a
year. What did you learn about the movement of the moon? Tell your neighbor, ‘I learned that _________’.”
S: will tell their neighbor, “I learned that the moon rotates around the earth” or “I learned that the moon revolves.”
T: “Yes, you know the moon rotates and revolves around the earth every 28 days. What did you learn about the sun?
Raise your hand and tell me, ‘I learned that _________________.”
S: will give a variety of answers, “I learned that ________.”
T: “You learned that the sun is the center, so it stays still! Back to my original question, why does it seem like the SUN,
PLANETS and STARS move across the sky? Tell your neighbor what you think.”
S: might give a variety of answers, “I think it is because the earth is moving.”
T: “It seems like the sun, planet and stars are moving across the sky because the earth is always moving.”
Assessment:
Observation and Questioning while students create their model.
Extra Ideas: