Moon Formation Notes Lesson Plan (Direct Instruction)

Teacher:Julie Koshy

Subject/Grade: Earth & Space

Date: Mar. 30, 2016

Standard: S6.C3.PO2. Describe the characteristics, location, and motions of the various kinds of
objects in our solar system, including the Sun, planets, satellites, comets, meteors, and asteroids.
Objective (SWBAT):
Describe the stages of how the moon was hypothesized to have formed.
Sub-objectives, SWBAT (Sequenced from basic to complex):
State the composition of the moons terrestrial mass.
Describe the steps of the moons formation.
Evidence of Mastery: Students write a summary paragraph describing how the moon was formed; a
score of 12/15 will demonstrate mastery.
Key vocabulary: impacts, gravitational pull, mass, crust, Materials: Moon formation PowerPoint, Moon
mantle, and orbit
formation PowerNotes, projector, projector
screen, related images and videos (embedded
in PowerPoint), students lab notebooks,
paper, & writing utensils

Guided Practice

Input Instructional

Opening/Anticipatory Set:
How the Moon was formed can give us an idea of how other planets or celestial bodies formed. The
hypothesis of how the Moon was formed also addresses the similarities and differences between the
Moon and Earth.
Teacher Will:
Present what the current Moon is like as well as
the hypothesis of its formation using the
PowerPoint and asking higher order thinking
questions.

Student Will:
Take notes and answers questions posed by
the teacher.

Differentiation:
Students who have difficulty writing the notes can be given guided notes.
Teacher Will:
Play the videos and describe how to
analyze the images. Ask students analysis
questions about the images.

Student Will:
Take notes according to what the
teacher says. Pay attention to questions and
respond to any and all questions.

Differentiation:
Those who quickly grasp the concept can give students who have difficulty reading
diagrams help.

Practice Independent

Teacher Will:
Assign students to write a paragraph
describing how the Moon was formed.

Student Will:
Write the paragraph independently.

Differentiation:
A student who has difficulty creating sentences on their own and can be given sentences
starters to help them.

Closure/Lesson Summary:
Reflection Card: What can figuring out how the Moon formed help us discover? What else would you
like to know about the Moons formation?