{"type":"default","seo":{"title":"Phases of the Moon Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas | HMH","description":"Shoot for the moon with free science and math resources, including activities, labs, and readers.","headercode":"","ogtitle":"Phases of the Moon Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas","ogdescription":"Shoot for the moon with free science and math resources, including activities, labs, and readers.","ogimage":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/int-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/seo/WF1502550_Shaped_2021_Blog-Post_Moon-Phases-Math-and-Science-Activities_Hero_Still.png","seosettings":{"noIndexNoFollow":true,"showGtm":true},"keywords":"","canonical":""},"redirect":[],"entrysettings":{"includeinsearch":false,"showglobalmessaging":true},"globalsettings":{"standardheader":true,"standardfooter":true},"url":"/blog/phases-of-the-moon-activities-and-lesson-plan-ideas-in-texas","id":73268,"title":"Phases of the Moon Activities and Lesson Plan Ideas","slug":"phases-of-the-moon-activities-and-lesson-plan-ideas-in-texas","bodycontainer":[{"type":"copy","headline":null,"richtext":"
National Space Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of May. This day was created to encourage observation of the many wonders of outer space. If your students’ interest in math and science is waxing or waning, the moon, sky, and planets are a great place to spark their interest in STEM learning. By implementing a student-centric curriculum with plenty of hands-on activities, you can ensure that your student scientists remain engaged in their learning.
\n
Science Activities and Resources
\n
Grade 1 Science Leveled Reader
\n
The Sky We Share
\n
People have been observing the sky and its patterns for a very long time. In this Grade 1 Reader, students will learn about how\n people have been studying the sky throughout history and how \nwe still study it today!
\n
You can find lesson ideas on the second page of the reader that include previewing the story to find new words, or reviewing the pictures \nto predict what the story is about.
Hands-On Activity: Observe the Daytime and Nighttime Sky
\n
In this hands-on activity, students can compare objects and observe \npatterns in the sky during the daytime and nighttime. Students will \nrecord observations, make a claim, and describe their evidence and \nreasoning to understand how the sky changes.
In this Grade 5 Reader, Rylie notices that the sun is rising later and later each day, \nshe begins to research the sun’s patterns. When she notices that the \nmoon seems to change shape each night, she turns back to her research \nto learn why.
\n
Once students are done reading, explore further questions about other\n planets’ moons, Earth’s tilt, or the movements of constellations.
Just like Rylie in Searching for Sunrise, your class can \nlearn why the sky’s patterns shift depending on the time of year. Have \nstudents learn about orbits, revolutions, and patterns with these \nactivities:
\n
Track the moon’s phases for a month by filling in the missing phases on the calendar.
\n
Chart the sun by the season and graph your findings.
Study the position of the constellations and their visibility in the sky.
The following labs help middle schoolers physically model\n the movements of the sun, Earth, and moon in relationship to each \nother. Materials suggested for these labs include the following:
\n
Three-inch \npolystyrene foam ball
Pen or pencil
Marker
Masking tape
Light hanging from the ceiling
Model the Apparent Motion of the Sun
\n
For this lab, students will work with a partner to better \nunderstand the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Once they are done modeling\n the Earth’s movements, they will analyze the results.
\n
The View from Planet Earth Part 1: Lunar Phases
\n
Once your students clearly understand the Earth’s orbit, \nthis lab adds the moon’s movements to the equation. Further \nquestions are provided once the students have modeled the rotations.
\n
The View from Planet Earth Part 2: Eclipses
\n
In this activity, students will be asked to model an eclipse, using \nwhat they’ve learned in their previous labs about the orbit of the Earth\n and moon in relation to the sun.
Challenge older students to study the moon from a different angle. In these mathematics lessons about the moon and Earth, your \nclass will practice their geometry and critical \nreasoning skills.
\n
Grades 9+ Geometry Math Activities
\n
Angle Relationships in Circles
\n
This small group activity has students study an image of the moon and\n the Earth and answer questions to build a shared understanding\n of the mathematical components of the picture.
These exercises focus on the Cube Corner Retroreflectors (CCR) on the\n surface of the moon that were used during the Apollo missions for Lunar\n Laser Ranging (LLR) experiments. Have your students use their reasoning\n skills to discover more about the CCRs, LLR, and distance between the Earth and the moon.
Learn more about HMH’s Texas-specific science program.
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Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Get our free administrator’s guide to building a positive school culture, filled with practical advice, real-world examples, and resources for further exploration.
Download our free activities calendar for fun lessons to do with your class, plus engaging ways to commemorate and celebrate events throughout the year.
Get our free administrator’s guide to building a positive school culture, filled with practical advice, real-world examples, and resources for further exploration.
National Space Day is celebrated every year on the first Friday of May. This day was created to encourage observation of the many wonders of outer space. If your students’ interest in math and science is waxing or waning, the moon, sky, and planets are a great place to spark their interest in STEM learning. By implementing a student-centric curriculum with plenty of hands-on activities, you can ensure that your student scientists remain engaged in their learning.
Science Activities and Resources
Grade 1 Science Leveled Reader
The Sky We Share
People have been observing the sky and its patterns for a very long time. In this Grade 1 Reader, students will learn about how
people have been studying the sky throughout history and how
we still study it today!
You can find lesson ideas on the second page of the reader that include previewing the story to find new words, or reviewing the pictures
to predict what the story is about.
Hands-On Activity: Observe the Daytime and Nighttime Sky
In this hands-on activity, students can compare objects and observe
patterns in the sky during the daytime and nighttime. Students will
record observations, make a claim, and describe their evidence and
reasoning to understand how the sky changes.
In this Grade 5 Reader, Rylie notices that the sun is rising later and later each day,
she begins to research the sun’s patterns. When she notices that the
moon seems to change shape each night, she turns back to her research
to learn why.
Once students are done reading, explore further questions about other
planets’ moons, Earth’s tilt, or the movements of constellations.
Just like Rylie in Searching for Sunrise, your class can
learn why the sky’s patterns shift depending on the time of year. Have
students learn about orbits, revolutions, and patterns with these
activities:
Track the moon’s phases for a month by filling in the missing phases on the calendar.
Chart the sun by the season and graph your findings.
Study the position of the constellations and their visibility in the sky.
The following labs help middle schoolers physically model
the movements of the sun, Earth, and moon in relationship to each
other. Materials suggested for these labs include the following:
Three-inch
polystyrene foam ball
Pen or pencil
Marker
Masking tape
Light hanging from the ceiling
Model the Apparent Motion of the Sun
For this lab, students will work with a partner to better
understand the Earth’s orbit around the sun. Once they are done modeling
the Earth’s movements, they will analyze the results.
The View from Planet Earth Part 1: Lunar Phases
Once your students clearly understand the Earth’s orbit,
this lab adds the moon’s movements to the equation. Further
questions are provided once the students have modeled the rotations.
The View from Planet Earth Part 2: Eclipses
In this activity, students will be asked to model an eclipse, using
what they’ve learned in their previous labs about the orbit of the Earth
and moon in relation to the sun.
Challenge older students to study the moon from a different angle. In these mathematics lessons about the moon and Earth, your
class will practice their geometry and critical
reasoning skills.
Grades 9+ Geometry Math Activities
Angle Relationships in Circles
This small group activity has students study an image of the moon and
the Earth and answer questions to build a shared understanding
of the mathematical components of the picture.
These exercises focus on the Cube Corner Retroreflectors (CCR) on the
surface of the moon that were used during the Apollo missions for Lunar
Laser Ranging (LLR) experiments. Have your students use their reasoning
skills to discover more about the CCRs, LLR, and distance between the Earth and the moon.
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-1_The-Sky-We-Share.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-2_Observe-the-Sky.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-3_Searching-for-Sunrise.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-4_The-Night-Moves.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-5_Earth-and-Space-Science.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-6_Angle-Relationships-in-Circles.png\")
![\"\"](\"https://s3.amazonaws.com/prod-hmhco-vmg-craftcms-public/WF1764451_TX_Inline-Banner-7_Triangle-Congruence-Criteria.png\")
