Phases of the Moon
Subject: Earth Science
Grade Level(s): Grade 3
Big Idea(s): Phases of the Moon, night sky observations, solar system
What you need: paper plates, oreos, popsicle sticks,phases of the moon song
Setting: classroom at desks, students in partnerships
Time Needed: 90 minutes (not including making the phases of the Moon plate)
Summary:
Objective: Students will be able to make and label the phases of the moon.
Anticipatory set: Activate students’ prior knowledge: What do you know about the moon and how it changes during the month?
Modeling by teacher: Phases of the moon song
Guided instruction: Model how students will make each oreo cookie to look like a phase of the moon
Independent Practice and Experimentation: students carve their oreo cookie and place it on the appropriate moon on their plate
Closure: Students sketch and label their moon phases in their science journal
Once their moon phase page is checked for accuracy, they may eat their moon phase (oreo!)
Learning Goals / Objectives:
Earth science standards:
ES4 Objects in the sky move in regular and predictable patterns. s a basis for understanding this concept:
ES4b Students know the way in which the Moon’s appearance
changes during the four-week lunar cycle.
ES4d Students know that Earth is one of several planets that
orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits Earth.
Students will be able to identify, construct, draw and label the phases of the Moon by making the complete lunar cycle with Oreo cookies.
Setup:
The previous lesson, students need to prepare (cut and paste) a phases of the moon plate- see attached document. Prepare baggies with oreos split apart with 7 halves with frosting and one without. Provide a popsicle stick to carve the phases.
If possible, students observe the Moon in the sky during the day and night for a period of 4 weeks. They record the appearance of the Moon and analyze the data to discover a sequence of changes, the lunar cycle. Students learn the names of the Moon phases and how to predict the next step in the sequence. Concepts are reinforced through simulations, readings, a video, and writing.
Anticipatory Set:
Think to yourselves/then share about something you observed at night while looking at the moon or in class studying the moon phases.
Share with a partner.
Sing the phases of the moon song (see attached song)
As students are singing the phases of the moon song, they are pointing to their plate that they made the prior day with the phases of the moon
Explain how to make the oreos look like each phase of the moon
Give explicit directions! =)
Instructions / Activities:
- 1. Divide the cookies so all 8 phases of the lunar cycle are represented. With your elbow partner, choose which lunar cycle plate you will use, the other partner gets to choose which lunar phase they want to make on an oreo.
Assessment:
In their science notebooks, students sketched their oreo phases of the moon and labeled the phases
Wrap-up / Closure:
After their science notebook was checked, they could eat their “phases of the moon”. Students took turns choosing which phase of the moon they would like to eat by telling their partner, “I would like to eat the full moon.” and stating which specific moon phase they would like to eat.
Tags: Grade 3
Categories: Earth Science