Download Science Lesson Plan #2 Lunar Phases

Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling EC-­EL ∙ Lesson Plan Format Lesson Title: Why Does it Appear that there are Phases of the Moon? Intern’s name: Marilee Scoones and Lesson date: July 23, Grade Level: 5th Laela Rae 2012 Purpose: • In this lesson we will gain insight into the phases of the moon and why the occur. State Standard (or Common Core Standard) Addressed • 5.1E.1 Describe the Sun-­‐Earth-­‐Moon system. Lesson Outcome • Students will learn to describe the phases of the moon by creating a model of the moon and it’s phases using a Styrofoam ball, a flashlight, and their head. Outcome written in age-­appropriate language • You will create a model of the moon and it’s phases using a Styrofoam ball, a flashlight, and your own head. Assessment • The attached worksheet that pictures the earth and the sun and asks students to cut out different moon phases and glue them in the appropriate areas around the earth according to the position of the sun • Performance and engagement throughout the construction and observation of the lunar models. • Detailed entries identifying and describing the Lunar Phase in a Lunar Observation journal. • Some of the worksheet questions will be modified and included on a unit test. Grade Level • This activity is appropriate for fifth grade students studying Earth and Space science concepts. This activity could also segue into early conversations around our solar system, and introduce other planetary and star concepts. Materials/Room arrangement • Students will work in teams of four, set up a lamp at each station. • Arrange room in a way that leaves plenty of open space for students to walk around in dark settings without obstacles Specialty Supplies (found at craft stores) •
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Styrofoam ball (about the size of a baseball) 1 for every 4 students 1 craft stick for each Styrofoam ball Common Supplies • 1 lamp for each group of four students with a strong light bulb (at least 100 watts) Safety • Students should be allowed “zero tolerance” for throwing Styrofoam balls in the classroom or at each other. • Students should be cautioned against looking directly at flashlight. • Students should be given plenty of space around their station to avoid tripping on objects in the dark Teacher Procedure Prior to lesson, place one craft stick into each Styrofoam ball to serve as a handle • Gather students on carpet • Ask students if they noticed the shape of the moon the previous night. Ask for a volunteer to draw the shape of the moon on the whiteboard • Ask: What are moon phases? Why does the moon have phases? • Explain: to find out why the moon has phases, we are going to be creating our own orbit to model how moon phases are created • Place the lamp in front of you, but don’t turn it on. Explain that this represents the sun. • Hold the Styrofoam ball in front of you, explain that the ball represents the moon and your head represents the sun. • Explain that you are only modeling the experiment the students will be conducting, and in their activity the classroom lights will be turned off and the lamp will be lit in order to provide light like the sun. • Slowly turn in a circle keeping the ball held out in front of you. • Have students make hypothesis about where in the orbit the moon will be at its fullest and at its smallest. Student Procedure • Students will be divided into groups of four and assigned to a station consisting of the lamp and Styrofoam ball • Darken the room • One member of the group will act as the sun and make sure the lamp is turned on and shining directly on the moon • Another student will act as the moon and the earth by holding the Styrofoam ball in front of their head while slowly turning in a circle away from the lamp • The remaining members of the group will draw pictures of how the light is hitting the ball at different points of the orbit. •
Students will switch roles until each student has recorded the different “moon phases” Timing • Introduce the project by discussing observations of moon phases (5 min) • Explain how the moon orbits the earth while the earth orbits to sun by modeling this orbit while keeping the classroom lit (10 min) • Students make hypotheses (5 min) • Students conduct own experiments (20 min) • Assessment, have students write in science journals about their observations and complete attached worksheet. (20 min) Provisions for Individual Students • Match students with special needs to “helping” students who understand expectations. • A simplified version of the worksheet for struggling students. • Have worksheet translated for ELL students. • While most, if not all students, will have success with the construction of this activity, allow all students a reasonably extended amount of time for construction and completion. • Thoughtfully discuss what each component (Styrofoam ball, individual’s head, and flashlight) represent to eliminate student confusion. Extensions • This activity could be extended into a study of Ocean Tides and their relation to the Lunar Cycle. • This activity could also be extended into discussion of calendars (both ancient and modern), and what they are based around (sun, seasons, lunar phases, etc) • This activity could be further expanded into a study of the night sky, and begin to touch on stars, constellations, and planets. A teacher could segue into that topic by discussing how the Moon is not a planet, the differences between planets and moons, moons and stars, etc. • If completed in winter, this activity could be extended at home by assigning a Lunar observation journal and having students record observations about the moon each evening. Name: Moon Phases Directions: Cut out the moons on the bottom half of the page and glue them in their appropriate squares according to what you learned about the phases of the moon.