The Moon:

introduction

In this lesson you (the students) will learn why the moon has phases and how it moves around the earth.

the task

For this lesson you will work in groups and visit various stations around the room. These stations will help you to understand various aspects of the moon and the earth's relationship.

process resources

1. Choose 2 or 3 other students to work with on this assignment.
2. Print out this page or secure a computer for the entire period.
3. visit http://ic-www.arc.nasa.gov/ic/projects/bayes-group/Atlas/size/Moon/ to learn about the size of the moon
4. visit http://kids.msfc.nasa.gov/Earth/Moon/Moon.asp and determine the phase of the moon for today, a week from now, 2 weks from now and 1 month from now.
5. visit the center of the classroom and complete the following worksheets.

        Worksheet One
      Worksheet Two

to top

evaluation

you will be assessed by how well you complete the worksheets that accompany each web site. They will be collected and graded.

to top

conclusion

At the end of this lesson you will have learned the phases of the moon, the size of the moon, and why we see the phases the way we do.

to top

Standards

This lesson addresses two of the science standards. Standard 2 dealing with models and scale, and 6 dealing with spatial relations.

to top

Created by: Richard MacLeish
Alexander Hamilton High School
Elmsford, New York
Created: Oct 2000
Grade Level: 8-9