Kim Buttars Fleming
Sept 29, 2005
Science – Moon Phases
Length of Lesson: 45 minutes
Grade 6
Content Background: Because I believe we construct new knowledge by building on previous knowledge, and most of what we learn is based on things we already knew before we began, I would want my students to have kept a moon observation journal for 30 days prior to teaching my lesson. I would have had them keep track of what the moon looked like, as well as where it was in the night sky at a particular time each night. I would want them to make predictions as to what they might see next, as well as the reason for what they were observing. In my elementary school, however, we switch rooms for science, and that is a planned activity for one of the other teachers, so for this lesson in particular, I’m just going to assume the students have noticed that the shape of the moon changes during the month, and hopefully they can make more sense of what they observe when they get to Mrs. Peters classroom for the moon portion of their 6th grade science curriculum
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Rationale/Purpose: The Enduring understanding I want students to leave with is that the moon moves around Earth as Earth moves around the sun. This basic understanding will help students make sense of things they observe in their world like the phases of the moon, eclipses, and the changing tides. In particular, this lesson will address what causes the moon to appear to take on a different shape every night. The purpose of teaching my lesson in the following way is to allow students to construct their own meaning by asking their own questions and using the scientific process to make sense of their observations in order to find answers to their own questions.
Goal:1) My goal is for students to understand that the moon itself isn’t changing every night, but instead, the portion of the lit half we can see changes because the moon is orbiting around us, which changes the angle of our vision.
2) Meet state core Objective 2: Demonstrate how the relative positions of Earth, the moon, and the sun create the appearance of the moon’s phases.
Objectives:1) Student will be able to identify the difference between the motion of an object rotating on its axis and an object revolving in orbit.
2) Students will model the movement and relative positions of the Earth, the moon, and the sun., because students learn more from doing an activity than by watching an activity
3) Students will use science process and thinking skills to explore why they see the phases of the moon
4) Students will understand the phases of the moon and be able to explain it in their own words
Preparation: Will need to move the desks back against the walls so we can work in a circle around the light bulb. Have students do this quietly before recess begins. Start class in a circle sitting on pockets on the floor around the light bulb with journals and pencils on the floor in front of you. 9 world globes so we can get a better feel for the rotation in this model, 26 golf balls, silly putty to represent us standing in Utah on the globe, A lamp with a bright bulb Dark room is necessary, record player, paddle ball, hula hoop, tetherball, drill, extension cord – duct tape( to prevent tripping on the cord) How to watch a sunset from schoolrocks.org .
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Time |
Lesson |
Advance/adapt |
management |
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5 min
2 min
3 min
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Introduction: How to watch a sunset Students will have eyes closed as I guide them in an imagination experience of watching the sun set. Students will realize that if we know we are revolving around the sun, as opposed to the sun revolving around us, we are not actually watching the sun set in the west, but are actually doing a backward summersault into the night. Check for understanding – What does it mean to revolve around the sun? How do you think we know that? Do we know that for sure? It’s a good question to ask. I want you to think about it as we study our place in the universe. Overview: Today we’re going to explore the reasons we see the moon as a different shape each night. We’re going to start by making a hypothesis (educated guess) to explain our observations. I’m going to give you a model sun, a model earth, and a model moon and let you do some experimenting on your own to see if you can come up with some data to back up your hypothesis, or to disprove your hypothesis and move you through the scientific process to find answers to something you have observed – the changing phases of the moon. Vocabulary – there are a couple of science words that will help you better explain your ideas – explore
Rotate: Have students
stand and rotate (spin) in place Revolve or orbit: Have
student stand and walk around the light bulb in the middle. This is
how the earth moves around the sun. – but that is for another lesson
altogether – What causes an object to orbit? What keeps it from flying off?
Groups: Group in 3s by starting in one place and dividing every 3 students.
Hypothesis: I want you to take a few minutes as I’m passing out your supplies, (which I don’t want you to start experimenting with yet) and talk as a group about why you think this happens. I’ll give you a minute to discuss it and write your hypothesis into your science journal. When I can see most of you are finished (about 3 minutes) we’ll share our ideas. Share our theories Experiment I’m going to turn the lights out so you can come up with some ways to investigate and experiment. Use the light bulb as your sun, the globe as your earth, and the golf ball as your moon. You have a little piece of clay to put on the globe so you can see where you will be observing from in your model. You have 15 minutes to explore your hypothesis or come up with a new one. Make sure you keep track of what you are observing in your journal. After 15 minutes, we’ll share our findings. Heads up : come up with a system to record your data – making diagram of your model will also be helpful. Don’t be scrimpy in your journal – scientists record everything!
Orally Report Give each group 2-3 minutes to explain their experiment and their results. Closure: Depending on their theories and what they have discovered during their experiments, guide students understanding towards what causes the phases of the moon by using my own model (using the same tools) to ask questions and get answers that lead to the correct understanding. Explore the various hypotheses and demonstrate flaws in them. Give students another opportunity to test out the correct theory so that they gain hands on understanding of the correct model. Evaluation: Using the words rotate, orbit, revolve, sun, moon, Earth, luminous, angle, rays, reflect, perspective, and cycle, explain to me in a paragraph or so why the moon appears to change shape from night to night. What is really going on?
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I believe good instruction already meets the needs of students who are more advanced or who have other special needs.
For that reason, I would prefer to use this column to explain why I am doing what I am doing to promote the understanding of all students.
I will use clothespins to make sure I give all students equal access to the opportunity of learning through sharing their understanding with others. If they are uncomfortable with this, they can confer with their neighbor.
I think that telling students where we are going and what we will be doing gives them more ownership of the learning process. I also believe that it lets them start activating their schema to see where to store newly acquired information
Give students mental models they can use to help plant these words into their lexicon
Acting them out is even better because we remember a great deal more of what we do that what we hear.
Metacognition – think about how we can help ourselves remember or make sense of something new.
They will already be in a circle and it makes the most sense to do it this way.
Learn to use the science process to find answers to their questions
To see that scientists come up with different ideas as to why things work they way they do, and the importance of experimentation to validate our hypotheses.
Share their frustration and successes. Remember that by disproving a hypothesis, you learn a great deal. (Thomas A. Edison thought: "I didn't fail! I just found two thousand ways that don't work!”
So they can test out the new information – not just take my word for it. I feel this is a more authentic way to tell if they understand than if I give them a quiz or a test. I gave them questions to think about in writing their reflection in their science journal. |
Students will have moved their desks to the outside of the room before their recess. We will gather in a circle on the floor around the light bulb. Lights will still be on.
Students will have eyes closed as they imagine the sunset
I will be guiding the imaginary sunset
Students will answer by drawing a clothespin
Teacher guided – students will be listening and hopefully thinking about what their hypothesis might be.
Integration – students will be active in gaining a deeper understanding of what the words mean by acting them out.
I will be passing out the materials on the outside of the circle – make sure students continue to face each other as they think about their hypothesis
Students will be working in groups of three to make and write a hypothesis I like groups of three, because I don’t have to come up with silly jobs like “scribe” I think 3 really gets everyone to communicate and participate.
facilitate the discussion rather than lead by lecturing Students will work as teams to come up with a plan to test their hypothesis and go to work.
I will be walking around and watching what they are doing. Hopefully I can guide their learning by asking questions like is there a way to determine if the moon is going around the sun or around us, or just holding still. What do you see from your view in Utah? What would need to be happening for us to see a full moon? How about when we see no moon?
Other students should be showing attentive listening. All groups can ask them questions. |
Integration: Language arts with vocabulary and writing a persuasive essay as the evaluation
Math by organizing their data in a way that makes sense – also exploring fractions of a ½