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5-E Model Place-based Environmental Lesson

Title Phases of the Moon


Ping Pong Ball Moon Poster And Oreo Lab
Purpose/Rationale To teach the class why there are phases of the moon and to
give them a perspective on understanding why it happens
Community To teach them about the difference in perspective. The
Resources and engage their imagination in changing how they view things.
meeting needs of Opening their mind to how things can appear different based
particular on where they are.
population of
students
Virginia SOLs 6.8 The student will investigate and understand the
organization of the solar system and the interactions among
the various bodies that comprise it. Key concepts include

a. The sun, moon, Earth, other planets and their moons,


dwarf planets, meteors, asteroids, and comets;

e. The mechanics of day and night and the phases of the


moon

6.1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of


scientific reasoning, logic, and the nature of science by
planning and conducting investigations in which

J. Current applications are used to reinforce science concepts.

Materials Poster board with Ping-Pong balls with the colors half filled
in. Oreos (and gluten free ones for me). Activity sheet. Hand
sanitation

Safety and Class Does anyone have any allergies to food? Make sure that they
Management Issues use hand sanitation to have their hands washed.

Procedures for Teaching (numbered with time frame) (55 minutes)


1. Watch videos (5 minutes)
Ask them about their prior knowledge about the moon- what do they
know about it
Transition into showing them about the Full Moon- explain how it is a
common misperception for them to think about how the full moon is
Earth blocking the sun rays but really Earth has nothing to do with the
main equation of what happen
2. Show them the globes and the moving around with the flash light (5 minutes)
Have my head lamp ready to go to show them how the shadows effect
our perspective of the moon
Describe the term revolution (moves/ travels around another object)
and rotation (spins on its axis)
Bring it back to what they were learning in the class before about the
year length and the day length- tell them how the different planets
change things- ask them what the length of their day and year for the
planets they presented on
3. Do the Oreo Lab (30 minutes)
Put up a timer on the screen so that they are able to visualize how much
time they have for it. Suggest they take 5 minutes to draw where the sun
and earth is but to not spend too much time on that
4. Work with them on learning the names of the stages (5 minutes)
Have you guys thought of a way to remember when the Crescent is there
verse Gibbous & Waxing verse Waning
5. Have them work on re-writing it (5 minutes)
Take 5 minutes before the end of the class to test your learning ability to
be able to draw this stuff out. Very easily it could end up on your test so
the more you try to test it the better
Engage Video on Harvard graduates unable to answer about the
phases of the moon. Then watch a video that explains the
phases of the moon to show them.

Explore Demonstrate using the poster board. Will have a student use
it while everyone is working on the Oreo lab. Will bring the
poster board around so that they can work on it and have
time to individually do it.
The Oreo lab of looking at the phases of the moon. Ask the
class, what side of the Earth is in the day, what side is in
night? The sun sets in the BLANK and rises in the BLANK-
so if the East side is lit up then it is like would be us in the
morning time.
Give them the poster board to explore the concepts by
allowing their head to be the earth.

Explain ~Before the Oreo lab~


Demonstrate the new moon and full moon. Why is it that full
moon is actually on the opposite side of the earth? Do a
demonstration with my headlamp and two balls to
demonstrate it.
~After the Oreo lab~
One thing to remember is that full and gibbous go together. F
and G are next to each other in the alphabet and they are next
to each other in the moon phases. That means that crescent
and new are next to each other as well. Watch the video on of
wax on wax off of the karate kid and tell them its wax on and
waning off
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=SMCsXl9SGgY
1:17 Instead of wax on wax off, think wax on; Wan off

Elaborate After I talk for a little after the Oreo lab, I will have them
draw the phases of the moon to apply what they are doing
and elaborate by seeing if they can do it by themselves. Also
ask them about the phases of the moon on other planets,
would it be any different?

Formative Seeing if they are able to actually draw the phases of the
moon

Summative None for now- The test could be though to draw this graph on
the test.

Activity Sheet Below.


Learning the Phases of the Moon
Activity Sheet
Name: ____________________

Directions:
Work with your table partner. On a separate sheet of paper, draw Earth and the
Sun with the Suns Rays. Then using 2 Oreos try to arrange them to represent the
different phases of the moon. Yes you may eat them at the end of the class so
dont drop them on the floor.

Hints:
You may want to start with placing the Full Moon and New Moon then
first quarter than last quarter.
You only get 2 Oreos so be smart about how you use them. Think about
what are opposite phases of the moon that would create a whole
moon/Oreo. Example Waxing crescent and waning gibbous

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