By, Jacquelyn Lesko & Nate Polich
Standard MS ESS1-1. Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons.
Lesson Overview After this lesson, the students will be able to: Model the positioning of the earth with the relation of the sun to represent the four seasons. Explain the occurrences of solar and lunar eclipses due to the specific locations of the earth, sun, and moon. Describe the changing phases of the moon and why they occur.
List of Materials PowerPoint Exploration Worksheets Guided notes Pencils Elaboration science journals Colored pencils Access to projector, computer/internet Foam ball on stick Lamp
Engage Wa7onrIQ&feature=share Wa7onrIQ&feature=share Think-Pair-Share Create a list that describes what you may already know or a description of what you see in relation to the video.
Explore 3 Centers about 5 minutes each (could be longer in an actual middle school classroom setting) Station 1: Lunar Phases ○ Students will explore how the moon’s position changes how much we can see Station 2: Eclipses ○ Students continue to explore the moon to discover what happens when it falls into shadow and casts a shadow on earth Station 3: Seasons ○ Students explore how the earth’s tilt and orbit about the sun affects our seasons on earth
Explore Center #1: Lunar Phases
Explore Center #2: Eclipses
Explore Center #3: Seasons
Explain Have students share their observations from the centers. PowerPoint Many visuals and factual information that explains seasons, moon phases, and solar and lunar eclipses and why they occur. Teacher’s verbal explanations. Guided notes Students follow along with the explanations Check your understanding questions built into guided notes.
Explain: PowerPoint
Explain: Guided Notes
Elaborate 1. What if man established communities on the moon? How might their point of view be different from the point of view of those on earth during a solar eclipse? A lunar eclipse? 2. What if the moon revolved around the Earth’s poles instead of the Earth’s equator? What would the moon’s phases look like? 3. What if the Earth did not have a tilt along its axis? How would that effect the seasons? Students write and/or draw an explanation in their science journals. Students volunteer to share their conclusions with the class, which will stimulate a classroom discussion.
Evaluate Students will be evaluated by: Teacher observations Explorations worksheets Check your understanding questions during explain. Elaboration science journals
Sources /121349/learning-moon- phases.pdf - moon phases worksheet /121349/learning-moon- phases.pdf Wa7onrIQ&feature=share – earth, sun, moon animation Wa7onrIQ&feature=share