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Interactive Science | Moon Phases-Finally Making Sense Of Them
| The moon phases ranks as one of the most misunderstood topics in all of science (the seasons and why the sky is blue also rank up there). What causes the moon phases to change- is it clouds?
Earth’s shadow? No, and no.
This activity will transform your classroom into a giant sun, earth, and moon model. An earth will hang in the center of your room and a sun will glare from the side. Then 4 moons will be put around the earth, one representing each major phase, representing the moon’s revolution around earth. By observing the model, students will understand the moon phases before you explain anything.
FREE Teacher Notes preview
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Teacher Notes
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►A strong set of
Teacher Notes (shown left), including:
- 7 pages of details, discussion, and information. Illustrated with images to keep you clear.
- Divided into 4 easy-to-follow sections: Materials per student, Additional Teacher Materials, Beforehand, and Procedure.
- 5 teacher/student dialogues, based on actual classroom
discussion, which gives you a truer feel for the lesson.
- 5 recommended links that provide you with more information and
images, and would a great follow-up activity for students.
- 11 Accessories- things you can choose to include to
lengthen and deepen the activity.
►A one-page
Quick Notes document that outlines the lesson. Use this to see just what the essential elements are, or if you find the regular Teacher Notes too descriptive.
►A stunning 15-slide
PowerPoint (shown right) that lays out in a 3-point list what causes the moon phases, then reinforces this repeatedly as it it leads your class through each of the 4 main phases.
►3 variations of a
Student Handout (partially shown above). Choose the one that best suits your need.
►A 3-page document that explains how to
transform your classroom into a mini inner solar system (using globes, a shop light, and tennis balls).
►31
pictures you can use to reinforce concepts.
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PowerPoint
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The Gift Of Curiosity
Do you know how lucky you are to be a science teacher? Imagine you woke up tomorrow morning and you suddenly had become an English teacher and had to come up with something for your students to do. Your mind is probably not exploding with exciting things to do. Ok, calm down, you’re a science teacher again. Remember what you dreamed of doing when you first decided to become a science teacher? Was it worksheets? Long lectures? That doesn’t even deserve an answer.
Science teachers get to use human curiosity to our advantage, and it can take us anywhere we want to go. Here’s a fun demonstration idea: gift-wrap a box as beautifully as you can with ribbons and bows. Then start class one day by putting the package in front of your classroom and try to teach a normal lesson while attempting to ignore it. Your students will go nuts wondering who it’s for and what’s in it. It’s mean, but fun!
Keep this gift box handy for when you get questions like “why are we spending so much money on space exploration?” Basic human curiosity. It drives everything we do, and it gets to the root of what science really is- looking around, noticing, and wondering why things are.
Teaching Tips
Do you love saving time and energy (and who doesn’t)? Check out our
Teaching Tips page. In it you’ll find ways to improve and speed up how you do things. A new tips appear regularly, so be sure to check back often.
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