Katie Smith's Electronic Portfolio

Grade Level/ Subject: First Grade/Science & Language

Unit/Theme: Spy on the Sky!/Movement Patterns of the Moon

Period/Time/Estimated Duration: 1 hour to 1.5 hours

Where in the unit does this lesson occur? Middle

Structure(s) or grouping for the lesson: Whole class, small group, 1:1     

 

Resources and materials required for the lesson: “The Moon Book,” by Gail Gibbons; worksheet with the phases of the moon (included below); crayons; pencils; Oreo cookies; plates; popsicle sticks; copies of “The Moon Phases Cards” (included below)

 

Content Standards:

• 1-ESS1-1: Observe, describe, and predict patterns of the sun, moon, and stars as they appear in the sky (e.g., sun and moon appearing to rise in one part of the sky, move across the sky, and set; stars other than our sun being visible at night, but not during the day).

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.1: Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.1: Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about Grade 1 topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.

• CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5: Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.

 

Learning Objective: Students will have a better understanding of the phases of the moon through creation of a physical model.

 

Evaluation and Assesment of Student Learning:

• Before/ Diagnostic/pre-assessment(s): Able to list one fact about the moon. I will be assessing this by having each student share their fact with the class, and confirm or reject the fact.

• During Formative assessment(s)/feedback to learners: Answering questions during read-aloud and completing moon phases model. Assessment will include how accurately they completed the model.

• After assessment(s): Assembling “Moon Phases Cards,” in the correct order, starting with the new moon and ending with the waning crescent. Assessment will include how accurately they arranged the cards.

 

Anticipatory Set:

[Have the Moon Phases video (click here!) playing as the students enter the room.] Welcome class! Today we are going to learn a little bit about the moon and its phases. I want you to create another entry in your journal, and title it, “Cookie Moon.” Write down one fact you know about the moon. Be prepared to share your fact with the class! [Review with students by asking them what facts they wrote down. Allow students to respond.]

 

Explore: 

Today we are going to talk about the phases of the moon! Does anyone know when the best time is to see the moon? That’s right, at night! Here’s a trickier one: can the moon also be seen during the day? Yes, it can be seen during the day! At different times of the month it is easier to see. Does the moon look the same every time you look at it? Right, sometimes you can only see a little white sliver, and sometimes you can see the whole moon. Phases are what we call this change in the moon. We are now going to read a book that tells us all about the phases of the moon! [Pass out phases of the moon worksheet]. We are going to color the phases of the moon while we read, so make sure you are paying attention!

 

[Read the pages about the phases of the moon in, “The Moon Book,” by Gail Gibbons. Ask the following questions during the read aloud:] 

 

• p. 10 – If the moon has no light of its own, why does it appear to be bright in the sky? The moon reflects different amounts of light (from the sun).

• p.10 - How much light of the moon we see depends on the positions of what three things? The Earth, the sun, and the moon.

• p. 11 – Look at the New Moon illustration on p. 11, what do you notice? The moon is a dark circle. [Have students color and label “New Moon.”]

• When the moon gets a little bigger, it is called waxing. Look at the illustration of the Crescent Moon. What do you notice? You can still see the circle, but only a c-shape is lit. [Have students color and label Crescent Moon.]

• Quarter means one of four. Look at the First-Quarter Moon. What do you notice? It is half-lit. [Have students color and label First-Quarter Moon.]

• What is another name for First-Quarter Moon? Half-moon.

• p. 12 – Waxing means to ….? Get bigger.

• What do you notice about the Gibbous Moon? The lit portion of the moon is getting bigger.  [Have students color and label a Gibbous Moon.]

• p. 12 – Point to the next phase of the moon. What do you notice about this phase of the moon? The entire face of the moon we see shines. [Have students color and label the Full Moon.]

• [Reread Gibbous Moon.] We learned that waxing means to get bigger. What did the author tell us waning means? To get smaller.

• Let’s compare the Gibbous Moon we saw before the Full Moon and the Gibbous Moon we see now. What is the same? Both are called Gibbous Moon, and both have the same-sized portion lit up. What is different? One comes before the Full Moon and one comes after. One occurs when the moon is waxing. One occurs when the moon is waning. Before the full moon, it is lit on the right side. After the full moon, it is lit on the left side.  [Have students color and label the Gibbous Moon.]

• [Reread Last-Quarter Moon.] How many quarters around the Earth does the moon orbit in order to be the Last-Quarter Moon? Three-quarters of the way around the Earth. [Have students color and label Last-Quarter Moon.]

• Look at the illustration on Last-Quarter Moon. How much of the moon is covered? Half of the moon. What would be an easier name to remember this moon phase? Half-moon.

• A sliver is a narrow piece or portion. Why does the author say “we see a small sliver of moon”? Because we only see a small portion lit up. [Have students color and label a Crescent Moon.]

• [Re-read New Moon Phase.] How long does it take the moon to go through its entire set of phases? About a month.

• About how long is one month? About 30 days.

• Do we need to re-draw the New Moon? No, because we are back at the beginning of the phases.

 

[Hold up the “Moon Phases Cards” and point out the different phases that the moon goes through, to make sure everyone has it correctly on their worksheet.]

 

Explain:

[Divide students into groups of 3-5 students each. Give each group four cookies, a plate, and popsicle sticks]. Now we are going to make our own mini moon phases! You should have four Oreo cookies and a popsicle stick for each person. DO NOT EAT YOUR COOKIES. First, you are going to twist open your cookies and put both sides down on the table, with the cream side facing up. [Wait for students do finish]. Now, we are going to recreate the eight phases of the moon! You and your group are going to use the eight cookie halves and scrape the cream onto or off your cookies with your popsicle stick to make the cookies look like the shapes you colored on your worksheet. [Students may need to scrape some of the cream off one cookie and add more to another to create their phases]. Place your eight moon phases in the order shown on your worksheet. [Let students work on this for about ten minutes, then when you think they’re almost done, say:] When you think you are done, double-check your moon cookies with the phases on your worksheet to make sure you have your phases in the right order! [Wait for all groups to finish]. Now you are going to present your cookies to the class!

 

Closure:

[Cut up and scramble the “Moon Phases Cards.” Challenge students to put them back in the correct order starting with the new moon and ending with the waning crescent. Through this activity, they will be able to demonstrate their understanding of the phases of the moon by creation of a physical model.]

 

Challenging Early Finishers: Have them write a small book about the phases of the moon. They have to have a page for each phase that includes one sentence and one picture.

 

References:

Moon Phases Lesson Plan. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from http://spaceracers.org/pdf/moon-phases-lesson-plan.pdf

Phases of the Moon Lesson Plan: Position of the Planets. Retrieved November 10, 2016, from https://educators.brainpop.com/lesson-plan/phases-of-the-moon-lesson-plan-position-of-the-planets/