Elizabeth
Cox
EDD 485
The Moon
The Moon is a very important aspect of our Solar System that is necessary for students to learn about. Students see the Moon on a regular basis, and have their own curiosity about it. Teaching students facts about the Moon, rather than reinforcing myths, will help them to understand more about the Earth’s place in the Solar System. By teaching an abstract topic like the Moon through hands-on methods, students will gain more meaningful understanding that they will carry for years to come.
The following unit is made up of five lessons that will allow students to explore various aspects of the moon
Lesson One: “How do our shadows from the sun change over time?”
This lesson will discuss the motions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun to introduce the idea that the Moon rotates and revolves around the Earth.
Lesson Two: “How do the sizes of and relative distances between the Moon, Earth, and Sun compare?”
This lesson is intended for students to see the relationship between the Earth, Moon, and Sun while allowing students realize the immense size of the universe.
Lesson Three: “How does the type of meteorite affect the appearance of a crater?”
This less will show that the Moon has many indentations called craters that are caused by meteorites. They vary in size and appearance depending on how the meteor strikes the surface of the moon.
Lesson Four: “Why does the Moon look different on different days?”
Students will learn in this lesson that as the Moon rotates around the Earth, the Sun shines on the Moon illuminating different portions of the Moon depending on the position
Lesson Five: “When can the Earth cast a shadow over the Moon?”
When the Moon is directly in line with the Earth and the Moon, at a given angle, the Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon creating a lunar eclipse
Movement of the Earth,
Moon, and Sun
Grade Level: 5th grade
Concept: The Earth rotates as it revolves around the sun. It rotates much quicker than it revolves. The Moon rotates and revolves around the Earth at the same rate. By tracking the movement of the Earth, I will introduce the idea that the Moon moves around the Earth as it moves around the Sun.
Objectives:
Students will make indirect observations of the Earth’s rotation by investigating the movement of a shadow, and the change in the shadow’s appearance.
Students will simulate the movement of the Earth and the Moon.
Students will be able to describe the paths that the Earth and the Moon take as they move.
Standards and Benchmarks:
Content Standard D: all students should develop an understanding of the Earth in the solar system
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses
Materials:
Chalk
A sidewalk or blacktop
The sun
Moon Journals
Engage:
Ask the students if anybody has a window in their bedroom. Ask them if the sun enters their window when they wake up in the morning. Ask the students if the sun stays in that position all day, or if it changes positions.
As a class, we will talk about where the sun is in the sky. I will ask the students if they often see the sun at various positions in the sky, and if they have any ideas about why this might happen.
I will ask the students how we can find out where the sun is in the sky. I will then ask them what we can look at to see if the sun is moving. (Hopefully the students will decide that we could track our shadows, if not I will lead them in that direction).
I will tell the class that we are going to solve
these
questions using the sun. I will present
the question: “How do our shadows from the sun change over time?”
Explore:
Take the students outside, and give them sidewalk chalk. The students will trace a partner’s feet with sidewalk chalk. Once they have completed this, they will trace their partner’s shadows. The students will change roles and repeat the process, as they observe the position of the sun.
After 10-15 minutes, we will stand on the outline of our footprints, and note how the shadows have moved.
Explain:
Since we saw the shadows move, we know that we have one of three things is happening. Either the Earth is moving, the Sun is moving, or both are moving. We will discuss the different possibilities and come to a consensus as I explain how the Earth revolves around the sun. I will introduce the terms rotation and revolution to the class. We will discuss why the shadow moved in a clockwise pattern, and the counterclockwise movement of the Earth in the Sun’s light.
Students will simulate the motions of the Sun, Moon, and Earth as they revolve and rotate around the classroom. Each child will get a turn to move around their group’s table.
Extend and Apply:
Students will apply what they learned about the Earth to the Moon. Students will note the location of the moon in the sky at different times of the day, and on different days. As students continue to fill out their moon journal, they will record how much the moon’s position in the sky changes.
Evaluate:
Students will hand in completed Moon Journal with predictions, and actual results. Verbal assessment will be continuous through the entire activity.
References
Danielle Sullivan, Student
Patricia Hartshorn, Professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn
Scale Model Lesson
Concept:
This lesson will help students to realize the relative sizes of the Earth, Moon, and Sun, and the immense size of our universe.
Objectives:
By creating scale models, students will realize the amount of open space in the universe, and be able to compare the size of Earth, Moon, and the Sun.
Benchmarks:
V.4- All students will compare and contrast our planet and sun to other planets in the solar system.
Content Standard D all students should develop an understanding of the structure of the earth system, the Earth's history, and the Earth in the solar system
Materials:
Sun Cut out ( 1 meter in diameter)
Play- Dough
Calculator
Scale Worksheet
Pencils
Long Sidewalk outside
Meter sticks
Tape Measurers
Parent Volunteers
Safety Concerns:
Being careful with the meter sticks, and students wandering without the volunteers.
Engage:
“What is the longest trip that you have ever taken (driving or flying)? How long did it take you to get there? How long do you think it would take for us to fly to California (refer to map)? How long would it take us to fly to China? How long would it take us to fly all the way around the Earth? What if we wanted to go to the Moon? Would it take us as long to drive all the way around the Moon as it would for us to drive all the way around the Earth? What if we wanted to go to the Sun? What is the biggest: the Earth, the Moon, or the Sun?”
As we discuss that the Sun is the largest object, I will present them with the 1 meter cutout that will represent the sun.
“If we shrink the solar system down so the Sun is only one meter big, how big do you think the Earth would be? How big do you think the moon will be?”
After we discuss the different predictions, I will pass out two different colors of clay to each member of each group. Pass out a 1 meter diameter model of the sun to each group, as well as a meter stick.
Tell students that they are going to make models of the Earth and the Moon out of the clay, in comparison to our shrunken down sun. They can use as much clay as they want, combining their clay with their partners if they desire to do so. Give the students about 5-10 minutes to determine how big they would like their replicas to look.
Now tell the students that we are going to go outside and arrange the Sun, Moon, and Earth in the positions they feel that they are our model of the universe. They can place the items anywhere on the sidewalk. I will give them about 5-10 minutes to do this, as I supervise with parent volunteers.
Once they are finished, I will ask them how many of them are sure that they are correct. I will also ask them how far they think the farthest planet (Pluto) would be in our mode. I will then ask them if they would like to find out if they are correct in answering “How do the sizes of and relative distances between the Moon, Earth, and Sun compare?”
Explore:
I will give each student a copy of the scale worksheet (the scale will be rounded to simplify), and have them make an estimation of the size and distances of the objects in the universe. Once they have made their estimations, they use their calculators to find the actual size of the objects in our solar system. I will give them time to try to calculate the scale using their calculators. After about 10 minutes we will regroup, and I will go over how I did the calculations to assure that the procedure is understood, and the results are accurate. Students will discover that their Earth is about 10 milimeters, and that their Moon is .2 of a millimeter. They will also discover that the scaled Earth is roughly 150 meters away from the 1 meter sun. The Moon will be about .4 meters (we can round to .5) from the Earth.
Students will then be given more clay to make accurate models of the size of the planets, and will be taken outside to make a more accurate model of the Earth, Moon and Sun using the measuring tapes.
Explain:
We will compare the size and distance of the models in the engage, and note the difference in our original perceptions. We will discuss how difficult it is to accurately represent a scale model of a solar system. We will also discuss that most of the models of the solar system that they see are inaccurate, and that they need to pay attention to whether the sizes are to scale, or the distances are to scale.
Explain to students that the Earth is about 4 times the size of the Moon, and that the two are about 384,000 km away. We will also discuss that the mean distance between the Sun and Earth is about 150,000,000 km.
The Sun is 1,391,000 kilometers (862,400 miles) in diameter. Earth is 12,742 kilometers (7,900 miles) in diameter.
We will discuss that the point of this activity is to point out how large the universe actually is, and to determine where the Earth and Moon stand in comparison to the sun. We will discuss how far we think it will take for us to get to other planets, and how big the other planets will actually be.
Extend:
Students will look at the website found at: http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system/
This website gives students the opportunity to plug in different diameters of the sun, and the site will calculate the diameter of the different planets. Students will be encouraged to ma. Students who chose to do so can take a walk to see how far other planets will be from our Sun, Moon, and Earth.
Evaluate:
Students will answer essay questions about the approximate difference of the sizes of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. A possible question is “If our solar system had a Sun that was twice as big, how much further apart/larger would the Earth and Moon be?” Students will also be asked to draw a picture, or choose a picture that most accurately represents the relative size and distance of the Earth, Moon, and Sun.
Resources:
PBS Online, Resources for Educators, An Educators Guide, www.pbs.org/wgbh/aso/resources/guide/phyact4index
Hipschman, Ron, Exploratorium, 1997, http://www.exploratorium.edu/ronh/solar_system
Hartshorn, Patricia, Professor at University of Michigan-Dearborn
Crater Lesson Plan
<>The Moon has many indentations called craters that are caused by meteorites. They vary in size and appearance depending on how the meteor strikes the surface of the moon.
Objectives:
Students will test different variables to discover the factors that determine the appearance of the craters on the moon’s surface. Students will be able to describe features of the moon, such as craters, and how different craters are formed.
Benchmarks:
Content Standard A- Ability to do science inquiry
Content Standard D- As a result of their activities in grades 5-8, all students should develop an understanding of the structure of the earth system, the Earth's history, and Earth in the solar system
Materials:
Tin Pans (one for each group)
Marbles (3 different sizes)
Flour
Cocoa Powder
Tube from wrapping paper
Newspaper
Worksheet
Pencils
Paper towels
A square block
Safety Concerns:
Flour can get in students’ eyes, and students must be responsible with the cardboard tubes. The flour can be slippery if it spills on the ground.
Engage:
Each group of about 4 students will have a selection of pictures on their desks. They will recognize them as photos of the moon due to their prior knowledge. The tables will also have a tray containing a pan of flour and cocoa powder, marbles, different sized cardboard tubes, and newspaper.
Students will be asked:
“What can you tell me about the pictures?”
“What do you notice about the moon (lead toward dark spots
if answer is not given)?”
“What do you think that the dark spots could be from (do not
use the vocabulary)?”
Now the students will be given pictures that are magnifies pictures of the craters on the moon.
Make a list on the board. Lead students toward the concepts of size, speed, and angle.
Students will choose which size marble to start with. They should know from the engage to drop the marble from the same height each time. They will describe what they observe on their worksheet, and predict what will happen with the other size marbles.
Students will then test the other two size marbles and describe what they observe on their worksheet.
Students will now test how the speed of the marble affects the appearance of the mark in the flour. Once the flour has been smoothed and sprinkled with more cocoa, students will drop one marble of the same size from three different heights. After the first, they will record their observations and make their predictions about what will happen on the other two trials. Students will describe the outcome of each trial.
We will smooth the flour again and add more cocoa to the surface. Students will now use the wrapping paper roll to regulate the speed at which the marble falls. They will test three different angles. After the first they will record their results and make predictions about the other two angles. Students will describe the outcome of each trial.
Explain:
Students will share their results which should show that all of their spots are circular. I will as them if they think that the spots will be circular if we use an object that is not circular. We will test our hypothesis by dropping a non circular object (a block) into the pan of flour. When we see the impact, I will explain to them that almost all of these spots will be circular, and that scientists are not exactly sure why. We will develop the vocabulary to call the spots craters, and to call the falling marbles meteoroids. I will ask them how big they think real meteoroids are, and explain to them that they can be microscopic, or many meters across. I will also as the students what they think the meteoroids are made of, and assure that they know that they are made of rocks and different particles.
We will review that larger meteoroids created larger craters. We will also determine (by looking at our data) that the smaller, slower objects create impacts that are smaller and less complex. I will ask the students why they feel that this is true, and will come to the decision that these objects have small amounts of energy.
I will ask the students if they have ever seen a streak of light in the sky, often called a shooting star. I will tell them that this happens when a meteoroid enters the Earth’s atmosphere, and this is called a meteor.
We will discuss what happens when a meteoroid strikes the surface. As we talk about the different sizes and shapes that the marbles made, will discuss the term meteorite, the meteoroid that has struck the surface.
I will ask the students why they think that the moon has so many more craters than the Earth does. We will discuss some of the differences between the Earth and the Moon (hopefully somebody will point out that the moon does not have an atmosphere, if not, I will lead them in that direction). We will discuss that most objects will burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. I will also point out that there is very little erosion on the Moon, so the craters that are formed on the Moon change very little.
Extend:
Students will use the pictures from the engage and describe what type of meteor caused each crater.
Students will look at examples of different craters, including some that are in the United States of America. One of the craters we will look at is located in Winslow, Arizona. It is 50, 000 years old, and over 4000 feet across. We will also look at the Chesapeak Bay crater which is said to be 35 million years old. Students will be encouraged to research to find out where more craters can be found on Earth.
Evaluate:
Students will be assessed verbally throughout the activity.
Once the assignment is completed, students will answer a few essay questions such as “How do different factors affect the appearance of the spots on the Moon?”
References:
Great Explorations in Math and Science (GEMS), Experimenting with Craters, UC Regents, 1993, http://cse.ssl.berkely.edu/AtHomeAstronomy/activity05
Enchanted Learning, Craters-The Moon, 1999, http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Craters.shtml
Phases of the Moon
Grade Level: 5th
Concept: As the Moon rotates around the Earth, the Sun shines on the Moon illuminating different portions of the Moon depending on the position.
Standards and Objectives:
<>Students will observe the moon for one full cycle and record their findings in a Moon Journal. Students will be able to describe how and why the moon appears different on different days of the month.Benchmarks and Standards:
Content Standard D: all students should develop an understanding of the Earth in the solar system
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses
Materials:
Styrofoam balls
Moon Journals
Pencils
Light Source
Safety Concerns Students need to be careful to not look directly into the light source.
Engage:
For four weeks (one full moon cycle) students will be recording the appearance and position of the Moon in their Moon Journals. I will remind them periodically by asking them how the moon looked the previous night.
I will ask the students to draw a picture of the Moon. I will walk around the room to see how the pictures compare, and have students draw their pictures on the board.
I will ask them if they saw the moon look like each of these pictures. I will also draw additional pictures on the board to assure that all of the phases of the moon are represented on the board. I will draw pictures that do not represent a way the moon look, and see if they can tell me which pictures are accurate.
Students will be asked “Does the Moon make its own light?” I will ask the students what is illuminating the Moon. I will ask them why the moon is not completely illuminated each day. I will turn out all of the lights in the classroom and hold a ball in front of me. I tell them that my head is the Earth, and I live right between my eyes. Students will explain how the moon moves around the Earth.
I will then ask students how they could use these materials to determine how we see different images in the sky. Students will also tell me what they will be looking for to determine- Why does the Moon looks different on different days.
Explore:
<>Students will work in partners. Each set of partners will receive a Styrofoam ball on a stick. The lights in the classroom will be turned off. Each student will take a turn rotating the ball around the “Earth,” as the student describes how the light hits the ball in each position. Partners will trade positions so each can see which parts of the Moon are illuminated on different days.
As they simulate the motions, they will be looking at their Moon Journals to compare what they see on the ball to what they saw in the sky. When the light on the ball looks like the picture in their journal, they will record the position of the Moon relative to the Sun. Students will be given 15-20 minutes to simulate the motions and make their observations.
Explain:
Students will share their findings from their exploration. They will answer questions that we discussed in the engage such as “What is illuminating the Moon? Why are different amounts of the Moon illuminated on different days?”
I will show them the picture of the New Moon and ask them where the Moon, Sun, and Earth when the moon looks like this. We will simulate the position in front of the class to show students that we will only see the side of the Moon that the sun is not shining on. I will tell the students that this is called the New Moon phase, and ask them to look at their journals and data from the simulations to tell me what comes next.
We will put a picture of a D shaped sliver of the Moon on the board. I will ask the students where the Moon is in relation to the sun as it moves into this position, and define the shape as a Waxing Crescent. Students will tell me what comes next, and we will discuss the appearance of the Moon in the First Quarter. I will ask which comes next, and we will put the picture of the Waxing Gibbous on the board explaining the vocabulary and position of the Moon, Earth, and Sun. As we move to the Full Moon, students will explain why the Moon is completely illuminated while in that position. We will then discuss the Waning Gibbous, the Third Quarter, and the Waning Crescent.
We will put the rest of the pictures from the Engage in the proper order (New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter, and Waning Gibbous) slowly introducing the vocabulary. Students will explain to me the various positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun for each Moon phases.
Extend/Apply:
Students will continue to write in their Moon Journals, but they will now be making predictions each day at school. We will have a phases of the Moon bulletin board on which students will make daily and weekly predictions by moving different pictures of the Moon into their positions on the proper days.
Evaluate:
Students will be given pictures of the moon and asked to draw a picture of where the Earth, Moon, and Sun are in relation to eachother to make the Earth appear so. Students will be given pictures of the Earth, Moon, and Sun in various positions and asked to draw how the Moon will appear from Earth in the given positions. They will also answer the essay question “Why does the Moon look different on different days?”
Resources:
Moyer, Richard, Professor at University of Michigan Dearborn
Hartshorn, Patricia, Professor at University of Michigan Dearborn
National Aeronautics and Space Administration. Extreme Exploration: Earth’s Moon. http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/lunar-eclipse.cfm2005
Eclipses
Concept:
When the Moon is directly in line with the Earth and the Moon, at a given angle, the Earth will cast a shadow on the Moon creating a lunar eclipse.
Objectives:
Students will be able to describe the position of the Sun, Moon, and Earth in a lunar eclipse and explain how the eclipse happens.
Standards and Benchmarks:
Content Standard D: all students should develop an understanding of the Earth in the solar system
Most objects in the solar system are in regular and predictable motion. Those motions explain such phenomena as the day, the year, phases of the moon, and eclipses
Materials
Pictures of Eclipses
Styrofoam balls
Light Source
Notebooks
Pencils
Safety Precautions:
Students need to be careful not to look directly into the light source. They will also be warned not to look at a solar eclipse if one happens around them.
Engage:
“We recently learned about the phases of the Moon. Who can remind me why the moon looks different on different days? I am going to show you a picture of the Moon, and I want you to write down in your notebooks what you think is happening to it.”
I will show students a video of a lunar eclipse (found at http://inet-tv.net/), and give them about 5 minutes to describe how the shadow might be cast over the Moon. Students will share their predictions with the class as they answer the following questions: “How do you think the Earth, Moon, and Sun need to be aligned for this to take place? What can we use to simulate the motion of the Earth, Moon, and Sun (students might say the model we used for the phases of the Moon)? What might we need to do differently to decide whether or not the Earth can cast a shadow over the Moon? How will this model show us if and/or how the Earth casts a shadow on the Moon?”
Explore:
Students will get into their groups that they were in for the Moon Phase lessons. Their heads will represent the Earth, the balls will represent the Moon, and the light source will represent the Sun. Students will test different positions to determine where the ball has to be in order for the Earth to cast a shadow on the sun. They will be given about 10 minutes to complete their investigation.
Explain:
“Where did you find that the Earth cast a shadow on the Moon?”
Students will most likely say that they found the Earth cast a shadow on the Moon when the Earth is directly between the Moon and the Sun. I will ask the students “What was different about the position of the Moon when a shadow is on it, and when we see a full Moon?”
I will explain to the students that the shadow only occurs when the Moon is at an angle where the Earth blocks the Sun from shining on the Moon. The Moon is usually directly above or below the plane of the Earth’s orbit. Since the Moon is so much smaller than the Earth (as we learned in the scale model lesson) it can be hidden from the sun depending on the angle at which it is circling the Earth. I will tell students that when the Earth blocks the sun from shining on the Moon an eclipse is taking place. Since the Moon is the object being blocked, we refer to it as a lunar eclipse.
Extend and Apply:
“If the Earth can block the Sun from shining on the Moon, can the Moon block the Sun from shining on the Earth? Can we use our model to determine if it is possible?”
Students will get back into their groups and try to determine whether the Moon can block the shadow of the Sun. I will give them about 5-10 minutes to explore.
“Where did you see a shadow from the Moon? Would people across the country/world be able to see this shadow? What would the people inside the shadow see?”
I will explain to the students that in a solar eclipse, only the people in the shadow can see how the Moon is casting a shadow on the Earth. This happens less often than a lunar eclipse because less of the world can be affected by the shadow. Since the Earth is much bigger than the Moon, it can not cast a shadow across the entire Earth. Since the Sun is the object being blocked we call this a solar eclipse. I will point out to students that it is very dangerous to watch a solar eclipse, and to never look directly at the sun during one.
Evaluate:
Students will be given pictures of different positions of the Earth, Moon, and Sun. They will have to determine whether or not an eclipse is possible in the given positions and defend their argument in writing. They will also have to identify whether the eclipses are lunar eclipses or solar eclipses.
References:
National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Extreme Exploration: Earth’s Moon. 2005 http://solarsystem.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/lunar-eclipse.cfm
Espenak, Frank. Lunar Eclipses for Beginners. www.mreclipse.com
INET TV, Video of Lunar Eclipse. http://inet-tv.net/ke models of other planets out of the clay, and compare the sizes of the planets to eachother