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Patterns of the Moon

Basics:
Name: Leah Bontrager Time Allotted: 45min.
th th
Grade Level: Middle School (6 -8 ) Subject(s): Science
Intentional Room Set Up: For the beginning of the lesson, students will be gathered on the
reading carpet in front of the teacher chair. The teacher will turn off the overhead lights and plug
in the Christmas lights. The teacher will also turn on the lamp next to the teacher chair. Before
the Oreo activity, students will move back to their desks. Desk are grouped into fours.
Materials Required:
 Branley, F. M. (2015). The moon seems to change. New York, NY: HarperCollins .
 The Moon Phases Poem by Betty Sanchez
o Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/
 http://moonphases11.weebly.com/
 Ball
 Lamp
 Oreos

Michigan Content Expectations: 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.

Objective(s):

 Objective 1: The student will be able to identify each of the moon phases.
 Objective 2: The student will identify patterns in the moon cycle.

Assessment:

 Objective 1 Informal Formative Assessment:

o During the guided practice, students create their own moon phase chart using
Oreos. Students should be able to place the proper moon phase in the correct
location. They will be identifying the names of each of the phases. Students will
only be deemed proficient if they get 7/8 of the moons correct.

 Objective 1 Formal Formative Assessment:

o The independent practice part of the lesson demonstrates the formal assessment.
On their own, students will shade in what each moon phase looks like using a
crayon. Students will be deemed proficient only if they get 7/8 of the phases
correct.
o Intended Data Gathered & Specific Intervention Plan:
 The independent practice worksheets will be collected and recorded.
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 Students that do not obtain proficiency spend one-on-one time with the
teacher to clarify questions.
 Objective 2 Informal Formative Assessment:
o While reading The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn Branley, there is a Ball
and Lamp Experiment. While the teacher models, students are asked what they
notice. Students should notice that as the ball moves away from the lamp, the light
on the ball increases. They should also notice that as the ball move towards the
lamp, it appears to lose light. If students are successful with their observations,
they would considered to be proficient in this assessment.

 Objective 2 Formal Formative Assessment:

o With the independent practice, students flip over the back of their worksheet and
write down one pattern they noticed. Students will be deemed proficient if they
have one clear pattern. These patterns include; when the moon moves away from
the sun, more light appears, when the moon moves towards the sun, light
disappears, there are two crescent shapes, two gibbous phases, etc. Whatever
teacher approves as a pattern.
o Intended Data Gathered & Specific Intervention Plan:
 Worksheets will be collected and recorded. Students that didn’t deem
proficient will meet with teacher to clarify confusion.

Instructional Procedure:

 Anticipatory Set: (Allotted Time: 5 min.)

 Remind students of previous lessons.
i. Remember how we learned about the patterns of the sun? The location of
the Earth makes it either day or night. Well today we are going to talk the
location of the moon. When the moon is moving away from the sun, we see
more light. When the moon is moving towards the sun we see less light.
 Have the “Teacher’s Helper” student pass out a copy of The Moon Phases Poem
by Betty Sanchez to each of the students.
i. The “Teacher’s Helper” is listed on the job board underneath the
whiteboard.
 Go over behavioral expectations:
i. CHAMPS (Conversation, Help, Activity, Movement, Participation,
Success)
ii. “We will be working in Whole Group Instruction (Point to Whole Group
Chart on Whiteboard) and Independently (Point to Independent Work
Chart on Whiteboard).”
1. Ask class, “What are the voice levels for Whole Group
Instruction?” Let students respond. Ask, “What are the voice
levels for Independent Work?” Let students respond. “I expect all
of you to follow these CHAMPS expectations today.”
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 State Purpose and Objective of Lesson: (Allotted Time: 2min.)

 “Today I want you to learn about the different phases of the moon. I also want
you to notice patterns in the moon cycle.”
 “This is important for us to know because the moon isn’t always going to look
the same. After today we will understand why the moon looks different!”
 “In our environment, there are lots of patterns. We notice them with the sun, and
now the moon!”

 Instruction: (Allotted Time: 35 min.)

 Direct Instruction & Modeling:
i. Have students stand up and do a yoga pose (They’ve been sitting for a
while and need to stretch!)
1. Ask students to make the warrior pose. “Alright everyone! I’m
going to need you to stand up. We’re going to stretch out our
learning bodies by doing the Warrior Pose. Back up an arms-
length from the people next to you. Have your feet shoulders length
a part. Point your right foot towards the wall. Hold your arms out
and lean towards your pointed foot. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale
Exhale.”
2. “You guys make excellent warriors! Shake out all your wiggles!”
Have student shake, shake, shake for a few minutes and then sit
back down on the rug.
ii. Read The Moon Seems to Change by Franklyn M. Branley
1. Ask students to put on their Level 0 voices.
2. “I want you all to be paying close attention as I read. We are
going to pretend to be the moon and I don’t want you to miss
instructions! Being the moon requires special tasks!”
3. Begin to read book. Once you reach page 10, have students stand
up and spin in circles like the moon. Remind them not too quick,
the moon doesn’t get dizzy!
4. Continue to read until page 20, and then do lamp experiment.
a. The teacher will model the experiment first:
i. Move the lamp towards the center of the group.
ii. Start off by holding the ball in between yourself and
the lamp (Make sure the ball is above your head).
Ask students what they notice.
1. They should notice that the ball appears to
have no light.
iii. Slowly rotate your body and the ball to the left. Ask
what they notice.
1. The students will notice that as the ball
moves away from the lamp more light is
shining on the ball.
iv. Hold the ball with your body in between the ball
and lamp. Ask students what they notice.
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1. They will notice that the ball appears to be

completely covered with light.
v. Slowly rotate to your left, moving towards the lamp
again. Ask what they notice.
1. They will notice that the ball slowly starts to
lose light.
vi. Ask the students what they observed. They should
notice that as the ball moves away from the lamp
more, light is shown, but as the ball moves towards
the lamp less light is shown.
b. Select a student to do the exact same steps you just
modeled (i-vi).
iii. Finish the book.
iv. Ask students what they noticed with shape of the moon and the location of
it.

 Guided Practice:
i. Moon Phases Weebly exploration
1. Place students into pairs.
2. Working together, the students will complete their Moon Resource
Packet.
3. They will log on to a laptop/computer and type in the website
http://moonphases11.weebly.com/
4. There they will print off (or if you would prefer, have them
complete the worksheet online) and complete the steps in the
worksheet.
5. Once students are done, they must be approved by the teacher to
go onto the Independent Practice.
 Independent Practice:
i. Oreo Phases of the Moon
1. Have everyone go to their desks.
2. Pass out eight Oreos to each student. Using their previous Moon
Phase work sheets, students copy the Moon Phases with their
Oreos the best they can.
3. Once they get their phase deigns completed and approved by the
teacher, they may eat their Oreos.

 Differentiated Consideration
 Students that complete their independent practice before others will begin
working on a Star Foldable.
i. Students will turn in their Blank Moon Phase paper and then pick up the
foldable from the teacher.
ii. Explain to the students how to fold the paper (hot dog style first and the
hamburger style second).
iii. The must put as much information about stars that they know on the sheet.
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iv. Once they have completed this foldable, they need to find someone else
who is done and compare what they know about stars with each other.

Closure: (Allotted Time: 3 min.)

 Read the objectives back to the students.
i. Objectives are listed on the whiteboard.
ii. Ask students if they believe they completed and understand the objectives.
 Go over the Moon Phase Chart one more time.
i. Moon Phase Chart is located on the white board.
1. Point at each of the moon phases and ask for students to identify
them.
 “Just like the sun, the moon also has patterns we can recognize. What are some of
the patterns you saw?”
i. Expect students to recognize that when the moon moves away from the
sun, the light appears to get stronger and as the moon moves towards the
sun, the light appears to disappear.

References:

Bontrager, L. (2018). Moon Phases. Retrieved April 05, 2018, from

http://moonphases11.weebly.com/

Branley, F. M. (2015). The moon seems to change. New York, NY: HarperCollins .

Teaching Resources & Lesson Plans. (n.d.). Retrieved September 20, 2017, from

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/