Phases of the Moon - Lesson Plan

Title: The Phases of the Moon
Content Area: Science
Grade Level: Second Grade

Education Standards: Students will know that the Earth is one of several planets that orbit the Sun and that the Moon orbits the Earth.

Content Background: The students have started a unit on the solar system. They have been learning about the sun and the stars. They have also learned about how the planets rotate around the sun. The students will now be introduced to the concept of the moon.

Objectives:
The students will be able to:

• Identify the phases of the moon
• illustrate the phases of the moon

Materials:

• computer and projector
• sponges
• white paper
• gray, black, and white paint
• circle pattern
• phases of the moon labels

Procedures:

1. The students will gather together and take the virtual field trip through the moon's phases.
2. The students will discuss the phases as they go, as a whole class, and with their partner.
3. At the conclusion, the students will view the 2 different moon simulations and answer the questions on the concluding page.
4. After students have discussed the trip and the answers to the questions, students will work independently to create an illustration of the moon's phases.
5. Students will trace eight circles going across the white paper.
6. The students will label the eight circles, starting with new moon.
7. Next the students will use sponges and the different colored paints provided to show the moon's phases.
8. Students will then write one fact they learned about the moon's phases on an index card.
9. The students will put their index card into their astronaut's pocket (made at a previous lesson)which contains other facts about the solar system.

Extensions: Students could take home a lunar log and track the moon's phases over a designated period of time.

Inclusion:Students wil special needs could sequence the moon's phases rather than paint them.