Moon Phases and Patterns Lesson Plan

Kelly Stavrides
Lesson Plan

Goals/Objectives
SWBAT name all the different moon phases and correctly identify the phases of a moon by
looking at a picture.
SWBAT the moon is orbiting around the earth and the moons cycle is 29.5 days long.
SWBAT accurately predict the next moon phases after looking at the first.
Standards
Next Generation Science Standards
ESS1-1
Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
Disciplinary Core Ideas
ESS1.A: The Universe and its Stars
ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
Crosscutting Concepts
1. Patterns
2. Stability and Change
3. Consistency in Natural Systems
Materials and Preparation
Materials
blank calendar template
homework worksheets
flashlight
two balls
aluminum foil
video of moon phases
whiteboard and markers
Students science notebooks
Preparation
1) Make copies of blank calendar templates
2) Make the PowerPoint for the class
3) Prep the equipment needed for the demonstration balls, flashlight, aluminum foil
Learning Environment and Management Issues
This lesson will take place in the main classroom. The students will be sitting at the
regular seats at their tables, unless a student is unable to see the PowerPoint, at which point they
can move to the front. The classroom will be in its normal set up. I am keeping the classroom
in this set up because the students are familiar with it and comfortable within the space. Two
students will pass out the materials needed for the lesson (worksheets).
Any management issues will be taken care of using the reward and consequence system
already in place. If there is conflict between two students, one student may need to be moved:

Moon Phases and Patterns Lesson Plan

Kelly Stavrides

this is also a previously established behavior management system, it allows students who have
problems keeping their hands within their space more space.
Plan
1) Introduction (approx. 20 mins)
Each student will be writing down the objective and the homework for the next day while
the teacher collects the homework
T Who can tell me what we did yesterday?
o Ss We talked about moon phases and what they look like.
o Ss We learned new words for moon phases.
o Ss We figured out what the different moon phases were in our calendars.
Ask questions to probe Ss prior knowledge (T already knows, diagnostic assessment from
first class)
o T Is there a way to tell what phase the moon is in just from looking at the
picture?
o T What information is important to know to identify the phase of a moon?
Show students the video of the moon phases (pbs)
Review the different moon phases and the ideas that the moon orbits the earth and the
cycle is 29.5 days long (taught in previous lesson)
o How does the moon move?
Ss It goes around (orbits) earth
o How long is the cycle? Take a look at your January calendars if you need to
29.5 days
o T Let me see everyones thumbs for these ideas (thumbs up, sideways, or down
for understanding)
2) Body of the Lesson (approx. 50 mins)
Show a picture of the moon on the PowerPoint and ask the Ss how they would identify or
what other information they would need to identify
o Ss You need to know what phase is coming next/came first.
o Ss Maybe the direction the moon is facing can help us?
o T Do you think there is a way to tell what phase it is just by looking? Lets take a
look at our calendars from last time.
Have the Ss fill out some more days on their calendar (the January calendars the Ss have
are completely filled out, they look at the pictures and try to identify what phase the
different days are)
o T gives the students a set of 10 days to identify and look for patterns in
o Ss should work independently, unless otherwise directed
o T circulates room
T do you notice a certain pattern to how the moon changes? Ss Yes!
o T Thumbs up if you see the pattern, thumbs sideways if you sort of see the
pattern, and thumbs down if you are still looking.
o T takes the time to assess whether students have understood the pattern of the
moon.
Two Ss pass out the blank calendars
2

Moon Phases and Patterns Lesson Plan

Kelly Stavrides

o T You now are getting a blank calendar. Im going to give you a few moon
phases to put in the first few days and then I want you to try and figure out what
the next phases might be.
3) Wrap-up (approx. 20 mins)
T What other natural patterns can you think of?
o Ss Seasons, tides, sun, hibernation, etc
o T prompts the students if necessary
o Class discusses what natural patterns they can think of and write them on the
board copy them into their notebooks
Pass out the homework assignment, asking each student to think about one pattern more
in depth
Review the moon phases and what they look like
T What did we do today?
o Ss answer
Assessment of the Goals
The assessment of this lesson will be a mixture of informal and formal. The informal
assessment will consist of teacher observation of the students, specifically how the students
contribute to class discussions and their overall participation. There will be multiple
opportunities to contribute to the discussions. There is a classroom culture of open discussion
and no wrong answers, which encourages students to take risks when taking part in class
discussions. The teacher will also check the students science notebooks to see if they are taking
notes.
The formal assessment will be the completed moon calendar (are the days filled in, are
the mostly filled in correctly, are they complete and legible) and the homework for the next day.
The homework will be to explore patterns more in-depth, and I am using it to check for student
understanding of the idea that patterns are often found in nature.
Anticipating Students Responses
One student response I expect for this lesson is students to say that the activity is too
easy. If some students say this I plan on telling them that it is great they already have the
knowledge to complete the activity in such a timely manner and redirect them to another activity.
They can either try to recreate the moon phase demo from an earlier class or they can fill out
another blank calendar. I might also have the students who finish early help other students.
I expect another response to be that students dont understand what I am teaching them,
that it is too confusing. I plan on spending extra time with these students and making sure that
they are partnered with and working with students who have a good grasp of the material. If the
students do still not understand I will spend time with them the next day during RTII (time in the
mornings) to go over it with them again. Some students will also have modified worksheets.
Accommodations
For students who find the material too challenging

Moon Phases and Patterns Lesson Plan

Kelly Stavrides

Some of the students may find the material too challenging. Some students already have
accommodations that they will be using. For other students who say they have problems I will
ask them to work with their group or partner to try and work it out (for the calendars). I will also
modify some of the calendars for students who struggle with the English language or with
writing; I will modify the blank calendars by filling in more of the moon phases and having the
students have to fill in less and also giving the students a moon phase bank to pick phases
from. For students who still struggle I plan on working with them during RTII time.
For students who may need greater challenge or finish early
If students finish their work early, I will ask them to help students who are struggling in
their group. I will also allow students who finish early to work with the demonstration materials
and try to recreate the demo from an earlier class on their own. I will also have another blank
calendar for students who want to practice more.