Pablo Vega

FS 3663.01
Curriculum Project
Lesson Plan
Name: Pablo Vega
Grade Level: 1st Grade
Content Area: Science
Lesson Title: Phases of the Moon
TEKS:
3.1.1.A9 Science:
Distinguish between scientific fact and opinion.
Ask questions about objects, organisms, and events.
Understand that all scientific investigations involve asking and
answering questions and comparing the answer with what is
already known.
Plan and conduct a simple investigation and understand that
different questions require different kinds of investigations.
Use simple equipment (tools and other technologies) to gather
data and understand that this allows scientists to collect more
information than relying only on their senses to gather
information.
Use data/evidence to construct explanations and understand that
scientists develop explanations based on their evidence and
compare them with their current scientific knowledge.
Communicate procedures and explanations giving priority to
evidence and understanding that scientists make their results
public, describe their investigations so they can be reproduced,
and review and ask questions about the work of other scientists.
Objectives: Students will be able to show their understanding of the
phases of the moon.
Preparation (for the teacher): Before children arrive I will have the
supplies set up on their desks. I will have the document camera ready
to model the activity so they may do it on their own. I will need all of
the supplies.
Preparation (for the student): Students will only need the supplies I
provided for them but the will be allowed to use a text to be able to
identify the different phases of the moon and label them accordingly.
Modifications: For my bilingual classroom I will have them in pairs
with their Bilingual Buddy in order for them have support throughout
the lesson.
Instructions:
1. Each student will be given 8 split Oreo cookies and one plate
with the phases of the moon on the bottom of the plate.

Pablo Vega
FS 3663.01
Curriculum Project
2. The student will use their spoon to move the cream off the
cookie to model the correct phase of the moon.
3. After completing eight correct moon phases with their
cookies, the student will label each phase of the moon with
the correct name strip (new moon, full moon, waxing
crescent, waning crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous,
waning gibbous).
4. Once the student has correctly labeled the moons, they may
eat the cookies and take the plate home, where it can be used
to track the moon from their own neighborhood.
Materials/Resources Needed:
One pre-made paper plate with moon phases attached
8 Oreo cookies, split per student
One plastic spoon per student
Questions to Provoke Critical Thinking:

Why
Why
Why
Why
Why
Why
Why

is
is
is
is
is
is
is

there
there
there
there
there
there
there

a
a
a
a
a
a
a

new moon?
full moon?
waxing crescent moon?
waning crescent moon?
first quarter moon?
waxing gibbous moon?
waning gibbous moon?

Ways Students Can Represent Learning:

Students will represent their learning by correctly making their
Oreo moon and correctly labeling their moon.
Ways Students Can Reflect on Learning:
Ways students can reflect on learning is by talking to each other
as they label their moons so as to support each other and
verbally explain why they think thats what it is.
Assessment Strategies:
The teacher will continually walk around and assist students with
the activity. The teacher will be checking for understanding and
making sure that each student is on track with their moon
phases during the activity. The teacher will informally assess
each student as she walks around and a formative assessment
will be noted upon the completion of the activity. Students will be
given a check plus for completing the activity to the best of their
ability, a check for work that is complete, but not to the best of

Pablo Vega
FS 3663.01
Curriculum Project
their ability, and a check minus for work that is below their
working ability.
Connections/Bridges/Extensions:
In science its good for students to be able to visually see what
they are learning. This is especially true for concepts that they
will not be able to visualize on their own. The activity with the
Oreos allows them to think about the phases of the moon and
why they occur. They get to see a visual representation.
To extend this further, students could use a lamp and moon/earth
samples to represent the sun and its shadow on the moon.
Follow-Up Analysis/Reflection:

Did the students have trouble coming up with the names

for the varying phases?
Did the student get to preoccupied with eating the cookies
than paying attention to the actual concept?
Were the students able to verbally explain each phase and
its causes?
Do I need to find a different way of getting to understand
the phases of the moon?