Why does the moon change shape?

Preparation

• Colour photographs of the moon and phases in reference books or the internet would be useful to display throughout this lesson.
• Reference books or the internet need to be available for students to complete the last question on the worksheet.
• Provide a chart with the labelled phases of the moon to complete the investigation sheet. Students could also refer to the diagram within the lesson.

Curriculum links

• Australian Curriculum: ACSSU048, ACSHE050, ACSIS053, ACSIS057, ACSIS058, ACSIS060
• NSW Curriculum: ST2-10ES-S, ST2-1WS-S, ST2-4LW-S
• VIC Curriculum: VCSSU056, VCSSU061, VCSIS065, VCSIS069, VCSIS071, VCSIS072
• WA Curriculum: ACSSU048, ACSHE050, ACSIS053, ACSIS057, ACSIS058, ACSIS060

Suggested teaching strategies

Introduction

Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce the concept of the moon changing shape.

Development

• Provide students with printable versions of the student summary and worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet.
• When students study the diagram of the phases of the moon on the student page, ensure they are looking at the moon from the Earth’s position and not the sun’s.

Differentiation

• Students could work in pairs on the observation activity on the investigation sheet. Ask them to predict what they think the moon will look like before they check each night. Explain to the students that the first observation they make of the moon on the first day of the chosen month will not necessarily be of a new or full moon.

Conclusion

• Students should compare and discuss their observations in the table with others in the class.

Assessment

Worksheet answers

1. 24, one, 29, one, one
2. We see the moon because it reflects light from the sun.
3. We see the moon change shape/go through different phases because different amounts of sunlight are reflected off it as it orbits.
4. (a) New moon (b) First quarter (c) Waxing gibbous or Waning gibbous
5. The sliver of light we see is on the left side of the moon in the waxing crescent phase and the right in the waning crescent phase.
6. Because the Earth is between the sun and the moon.

Science as a Human Endeavour question

Some things Galileo Galilei discovered with his telescope were the rings of Saturn, four major moons of Jupiter (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto), the phases of Venus, sunspots and that the moon was not smooth but covered with craters and mountains.

Investigation sheet

Teacher check.