High Leverage Practices within this Unit

Identifying and Leveraging Content

Orchestrating Scientific Discussion
Supporting Inquiry and Application
Assessing Understanding
Analyzing and Revising
Creating/Maintaining Learning Community
TE 802: Guided Lead Teach Plan
Name: Kasia Ciolek
School: Middle School at Parkside
Mentor: Aleta Damm

Subject & Topic: 8th Grade Science

Grade: 8th Grade
Teaching Dates: 11/7/16 - 11/23/16

Overview
8th Grade Astronomy:
Patterns of the apparent motion of the sun, the moon, and stars in
the sky can be observed, described, predicted, and explained with
models. The universe began with a period of extreme and rapid
expansion known as the Big Bang. Earth and its solar system are
part of the Milky Way galaxy, which is one of many galaxies in the
universe.
The solar system consists of the sun and a collection of objects,
including planets, their moons, and asteroids that are held in orbit
Big Ideas
around the sun by its gravitational pull on them. This model of the
(DCIs & CCCs)
solar system can explain tides, eclipses of the sun and the moon, the
lunar phases, and the motion of the planets in the sky relative to the
stars. Earths spin axis is fixed in direction over the short term but
tilted relative to its orbit around the sun. The seasons are a result of
that tilt and are caused by the differential intensity of sunlight on
different areas of Earth across the year.
"7 Dimension 3: Disciplinary Core Ideas - Earth and Space
Sciences." National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core
Ideas. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. doi:

10.17226/13165.

The students will make observations and identify patterns during

the inquiry cycle in order to develop a model of the solar system.
Scientific/Engineering
The model is then used to explain and predict natural phenomena in
Practices
the Earth-Sun-Moon system such as lunar phases, eclipses, and the
tides.

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. (FOCUS LESSON)
Performance
Expectations

Lesson Objectives

MS-ESS1-2. Develop and use a model to describe the role

of gravity in the motions within galaxies and the solar
system.
MS-ESS1-3. Analyze and interpret data to determine scale
properties of objects in the solar system.
Students will explain the cause of the lunar phases in terms
of the Earth-Moon-Sun relationships.
Students will collect data and make observations
using a model of the Earth-Moon system.
Students will identify the patterns in their
observations to develop the model of the lunar
phases.
The activity sequence that is focused on in this lesson is an inquiry
based approach to exploring the lunar phases. The students will use
a TOPE in order to develop a model of the lunar phases. The
teacher will model-coach-fade the technique for collecting data.

Technique - The teacher will show the students how to position the
Activity Sequence Earth and the moon in the simulation. The teacher will model how
to collect the data.
Observation - The students will observe the different areas of light
and dark in their Earth-moon simulation and they will sketch these
images.

Patterns - The students will look for patterns in their simulation that
resemble the phases of the moon.
Explanation - The students will be able to explain the phases of the
moon in terms of the sun as a light source and the amount of
reflected sunlight that is visible from the moon at different positions
around the Earth.
Each week focuses on a specific topic. The 5E model is
used throughout each week. The topics for the astronomy
unit include:
o Formation of the Solar System
o Distances in Space
o Keplers first law and planetary motion
o Phases of the Moon
o Eclipses
The objectives will be addressed by first having the students
engage with the topic through an interactive notebook
sequence and then prior knowledge or preconceptions drawn
out on the first day with a pre question. On the second day
the students will explore the topic by participating in the
simulation in which they will perform the TOPE in order to
Summarized
develop the model of the lunar phases. The third day is the
Storyline
explain day in which the students will read more about lunar
phases and the teacher will use a PowerPoint to guide
discussion in the class. At the end of the PowerPoint the
students will have a quick formative assessment in the style
of a Plickers quiz. Thursday is a review of the lunar phases
and previously covered topics in the astronomy unit and
Friday is a quiz used as a check point in the unit to see
where the students are at with the material. Thursday and
Friday are not a part of the activity sequence that is focused
on.
The next lesson begins the following week and is about
eclipses. The moon phases lessons are an important concept
for the students to master before they can continue on to
look at the causes of eclipses.

Lesson Plans

Lesson 1

Materials
Interactive
notebook
pages.
Class set of
astronomy
textbooks
scissors
glue

Introduction (10 minutes)

Students collect the materials that they need at the front of
class and sit down to begin copying their journal entries from
the board:
Where am I going?
Phases of the moon
How am I going to get there?
I can demonstrate my knowledge of lunar
cycles using interactive notebook pages.
Where to next?
Eclipses of the moon

Commented [1]: Creating/Maintaining Learning

Community

Main Teaching Activities (35 minutes)

Students view the video clip of the moon phases and then
answer the pre-question or warm up question:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oCm1PyMJE4
Students answer a warm up question on post it notes and
stick this to the pre question whiteboard in the back of the
room:
Warm up question: What causes the phases of the
moon?
This question is asked to begin a class discussion
about the Sun-Earth-Moon system and to get the
students thinking about what they already know or
think they already know.
The students then work complete the two interactive
notebook pages as guided by the instructor.
First the students cut and paste the necessary pages
Then the students are instructed to answer the
questions on the first notebook page using the
textbook as a reference.
Lastly the class reviews the answers to the questions
on the interactive notebook page and works together
to complete the last page.
The task supports a think-pair-share strategy
where the students share their answers with

Commented [2]: Identifying and Leveraging Content

In this classroom there is a procedure established in

which the students enter the class each day and write
down their success criteria for the day. These are
statements that help the student to know what they are
doing each day, how they can be successful, and what
they will be doing next.

This is an example where the students are shown a

video clip of the moon phases before they are asked
the pre-question in which they explain what causes the
phases of the moon.
Students may already be familiar with the phases of the
moon but the time lapse video gives the students a
fresh look at a phenomena they have witnessed in their
own lives.

the rest of the class after they have had time to

work independently first and then with a
partner.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
Students reflect in their binders about what they know and
what they learned about the lunar cycle in their binders.

Lesson 2

Materials
Moons for
simulation constructed
from 2
styrofoam
balls painted
half black
and mounted
on a dowel.
Tape marks
on the floor
to mark
student
positions
Student
worksheet

Introduction (10 minutes)

Students collect the materials that they need at the front of
class and sit down to begin copying their journal entries from
the board:
Where am I going?
Phases of the moon simulation
How am I going to get there?
I can collect data and find patterns in my
observations simulating moon phases
Where to next?
Eclipses of the moon
Main Teaching Activities (35 minutes)
The students will be introduced to the activity and 2
volunteers will be requested to help demonstrate how the
observation and data collection will take place.
The students will then form pairs and collect 1 moon per pair.
The students will work to make their observations and collect
their data as the teacher circulates to assist and assess
understanding.
After collecting data, students will return to their seats to
answer the questions on the worksheet.
The astronomy textbooks will be available to allow
the students to research some of their answers in their
pairs.
The class will then review the data and questions on the
worksheet using this as a guide for discussion about the cause
of the moon phases.
The students are asked to think about what evidence
they can use to demonstrate that the moon phases are
NOT caused by shadows from the Earth. Students are
asked to consider the shape of the gibbous moon as
evidence.
After the class discussion the students will be asked to reflect
in their binders for a conclusion.
Conclusion (5 minutes)
Students will reflect in their binders about how they know
that the moon phases are not caused by the shadow of the

Commented [3]: Supporting Inquiry and Application

This is an example of supporting student inquiry. This
activity was designed as an inquiry-based TOPE. The
details of the TOPE are found within this lesson plan.
As students work through the activity and the
questions, the teacher circulates the room to assist
students and help to guide the inquiry-based lesson.

Commented [4]: Orchestrating Scientific Discussion

After the students have had a chance to work through
the inquiry activity they work in pairs to answer the
questions on the worksheet. The class then has a
discussion about the evidence that students have from
their investigation in order to answer the questions.
The discussion is in a whole class format in which the
teacher guides the discussion based on the worksheet
and the student questions and answers.

Earth on the moon.

Lesson 3

Materials
Moon phases
reading
Moon phases
PowerPoint
Plicker
questions

Introduction (10 minutes)

Students collect the materials that they need at the front of
class and sit down to begin copying their journal entries from
the board:
Where am I going?
Phases of the moon reading
How am I going to get there?
I can summarize my reading and participate in
class discussion on moon phases
Where to next?
Eclipses of the moon
Main Teaching Activities (30 minutes)
The students will read their article on moon phases and use
the talking to the text reading strategy to summarize their
reading.
The class will discuss the reading and any questions the
students have finding answers from the text.
The teacher will then use the PowerPoint to guide class
discussion.
Students will be instructed on the key points of the
PowerPoint to take notes on.
The PowerPoint concludes with a moon phases simulation
video and Plickers questions as a formative assessment tool.
Conclusion (10 minutes)
Students will be asked to answer the post question on a post it
note and post this to the post question whiteboard:
What causes the moon phases of the moon?

Assessment of Focus Students

Focus
Objective

Students will explain the cause of the lunar phases in terms of the EarthMoon-Sun relationships.

Assessment Task
What causes the phases of the moon?
Yours

Example of an Excellent Response

Moon phases are caused by the motions
of the Earth and moon as they relate to
the sun. Phases occur as the Earth-facing
side of the moon changes over the course
of 29.5 days when the moon revolves
around the planet. When the angle of

Commented [5]: Assessing Understanding

As a conclusion to this 3 day lesson sequence the
students participate in a Plickers game. This is similar
to clicker questions in class and can be used like a
game. The Plickers format also collects data on each
student and each question.
The students also complete the post-question. The
post-question is the same as the pre-question and this
helps to gauge how the lesson sequence impacts the
students answers.

sunlight reflecting off the moon changes,

humans observe different lighting levels
from the moon.

TE802
content
leader

How do we know that the moon phases

are not caused by the Earths shadow on
the moon?

The gibbous moon provides evidence that

the moon phases are not caused by the
shadow of the Earth on the moon. The
gibbous moon shows a concave shadow.
The rounded Earth would only be able to
cast a convex shadow.

Notes About Improvements to the Lesson Plan:

Consider using a different simulation for the inquiry-based activity on moon phases. The
suggested simulation involves a common light source for each student, the student's head
is the Earth, and a styrofoam ball on a dowel is the moon. This model is preferable
because the perspective of the Earth-Sun-Moon system stays relatively constant since the
Earth perspective is the student's head and the sun is the common light source in the
room.
Note: The room will need to be dark in order to accomplish seeing the phases.
Show the students a video of the simulation first so that they know what they can expect
to see before they begin to collect data.
Add a day in which students use computer simulations in order to see the Earth-SunMoon system. This will help to solidify the model and it shows the students the overall
picture of what is happening in this system. A webquest here would be a good way to
accomplish this.

Commented [6]: Analyzing and Revising

At the end of each lesson plan I add notes of reflection
about future changes that I would make to the lesson in
the future.