The moon

Students using this lesson will access the internet to learn about the phases and other aspects of the moon. There is an activity sheet attached.

A lesson plan for grade 3 Science

By Linda Baker

Learn more

• Phases how do the phases of the moon get their names?
• StarChild about the moon, and how humans have visited the moon
• StarDate allows students to see what phase the moon was in on any given day

Related pages

• Schiele Museum of Natural History and Planetarium: The museum provides an opportunity for visitors to learn about the natural resources of North Carolina and its Piedmont region.
• Discovery Place and the Charlotte Nature Museum: Discovery Place offers hands-on activities in all areas of science for students at both the Discovery Halls and Charlotte Nature Museum.
• Natural Science Center of Greensboro: Features hands-on exhibits, a zoo, and a planetarium as well as a dinosaur exhibit and a Gem and Mineral Gallery.

Related topics

• Learn more about astronomy and science.

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Learning outcomes

Students will:

• Identify and be familiar with the different phases of the moon.
• Interact with the appropriate websites to visualize the moon on particular dates and will then tell the phase of the moon on that date.
• Use other sites to locate specific information about the moon.
• Form opinions from information they have read and must explain and justify their opinion.
• Find that the earth and the moon have some common landforms.

Teacher planning

Time required for lesson

2 hours

Materials/resources

activity sheet

Technology resources

computer with internet access — bookmarked for websites involved in this lesson to allow easy access

Pre-activities

Students should be familiar with accessing and navigating the internet. They should be familiar with the tool bar and bookmarks folder.

Activities

This activity should be used after moon study has begun in the classroom. The teacher will introduce the activity prior to students beginning work. Ideally, the teacher will preview each web site with the class so that they will be familiar with what is expected at each of the four sites. After demonstration, students should be able to work independently according to the activity sheet until all questions are completed.

Assessment

Teachers will collect the activity sheets when students are through. Answers will vary for some questions due to dates, student predictions, and student opinions. Other questions will have concrete answers. It is suggested that the teacher work through this activity sheet prior to using it with a class. Teachers may make out an answer key as they work through the questions. Teachers will discuss the information with the class.

Supplemental information

Attachment: Activity sheet

Students can take a “Moonlight Madness” quiz on the phases of the moon.

Comments

Students really love the interactive site that allows them to see the phase of the moon on a particular date. Sometimes I have the students use their birth date as input. I then have them line up by calling out phases of the moon, i.e. If you were born on a full moon, you may line up. If you were born during a waxing gibbous… The teacher needs to visually verify the answer before the child logs off. This would also make a great graphing activity: “What was the Moon’s Phase the Day you were born?”