The Moon
http://www.bbcboards.net/michigan-bass-club/369615-moon-phase-calander-2013-a.html
Above shows a calendar of all the moon phases for each day of 2013. Students can be given a calendar like this to find patterns in the moon phases. Some patterns they may see are that the new moon comes around every 29 days or so, that the phases are repeated in a cycle, or that the light moves from right to left across the moon.
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Students can experience the phases of the moon with this special moon phase board.
One student sticks his/her head in the hole while another student (or two) hold the board in place. The head is the earth! The instructor holds a strong flashlight (the sun) at the end of the board where the title is and points it in the direction of the student's head. The student inside the board spins slowly around counterclockwise to see the shading of the balls that represent the phases of the moon. (The flashlight may need to be elevated and tilted so that the light can get by the student's head as he/she tries to view the Full Moon). The "earth" student will place labels around the board corresponding to the moon phase.
By comparing the moon calendar and the moon board, students will be able to see how the moon orbits around the earth in a counterclockwise direction. They will see by matching up the moon's appearance according to the calendar from day to day with how the shadow of the balls on the board appears as the students themselves rotate clockwise versus counterclockwise. They should see that the shadows on the balls only match up with the calendar when they rotate counterclockwise.
This idea is from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/03/ready-edit-teaching-moon-phases-seems-be-one-those-skills-taught-across-grade-l
Eclipse Extension:
Students can also view how an eclipse occurs. the flashlight must be held level at the end with the title, pointing in the direction of the student's head. As the student turns to view what would be the Full Moon, instead they will see a shadow. This represents the lunar eclipse, when the sun, earth and moon are aligned and the moon is in the shadow of the earth. If the student rotates so that his/her head is pointing at the New Moon phase (and the flashlight is still level with the board), the student will see that the light of the flashlight is blocked by the "moon" ball. This represents a solar eclipse when the moon is aligned directly between the earth and sun, blocking the sun's light. It must be explained that eclipses happen rarely because the orbit of the moon is not perfectly in line with the earth's orbit around the sun. See the youtube video below for an explanation of this concept.
One student sticks his/her head in the hole while another student (or two) hold the board in place. The head is the earth! The instructor holds a strong flashlight (the sun) at the end of the board where the title is and points it in the direction of the student's head. The student inside the board spins slowly around counterclockwise to see the shading of the balls that represent the phases of the moon. (The flashlight may need to be elevated and tilted so that the light can get by the student's head as he/she tries to view the Full Moon). The "earth" student will place labels around the board corresponding to the moon phase.
By comparing the moon calendar and the moon board, students will be able to see how the moon orbits around the earth in a counterclockwise direction. They will see by matching up the moon's appearance according to the calendar from day to day with how the shadow of the balls on the board appears as the students themselves rotate clockwise versus counterclockwise. They should see that the shadows on the balls only match up with the calendar when they rotate counterclockwise.
This idea is from: http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/top-teaching/2011/03/ready-edit-teaching-moon-phases-seems-be-one-those-skills-taught-across-grade-l
Eclipse Extension:
Students can also view how an eclipse occurs. the flashlight must be held level at the end with the title, pointing in the direction of the student's head. As the student turns to view what would be the Full Moon, instead they will see a shadow. This represents the lunar eclipse, when the sun, earth and moon are aligned and the moon is in the shadow of the earth. If the student rotates so that his/her head is pointing at the New Moon phase (and the flashlight is still level with the board), the student will see that the light of the flashlight is blocked by the "moon" ball. This represents a solar eclipse when the moon is aligned directly between the earth and sun, blocking the sun's light. It must be explained that eclipses happen rarely because the orbit of the moon is not perfectly in line with the earth's orbit around the sun. See the youtube video below for an explanation of this concept.
