Constructivist Science Lesson Plan for the Sixth Grade
It’s Just a Phase…Phases of the Moon, That Is!
By Pam Moeai
Standards (Performance, Knowledge and NETS-S):
Standard I:
Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.
Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
a. Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month.
b. Identify the pattern of change in the moon’s appearance.
c. Use observable evidence to explain the movement of the moon around Earth in relationship to Earth turning on its axis and the position of the moon changing in the sky.
d. Design an investigation, construct a chart, and collect data depicting the phases of the moon.
What concepts do you want students to understand after completing this lesson
• Students will understand why we can’t always see a full moon.
• Students will learn that the sun shines on the moon, just as it shines on the earth. At any given time, half of the moon is in daylight, and it is night on the other half. As the moon rotates around the earth, we see only portions of its daylight half. So each night (or day) of the month, we see a slightly different phase of the moon.
• Students will look for patterns of behavioral change in people or animals as the moon changes from one phase to the next.
Essential Question:
What are the different phases of the moon and how do they affect people or animals?
Criteria for Success (How will you know students have gained the understanding of the concepts?):
Students will learn the eight phases of the moon.
• New Moon -- when the moon is invisible
• Waxing Crescent -- the first thin sliver of moon
• First quarter -- a half moon
• Waxing gibbous -- a ¾’s moon
• Full moon
• Waning gibbous -- back to ¾’s
• Last quarter -- back to half moon
• Waning crescent -- the last thin sliver before the next new moon
Students will see if there are definite behavioral changes in people or animals during the different phases of the moon by looking for patterns.
Students will present their findings to an audience.
Resources (What resources will you and your students use?):
Power Point
Inspiration
Microsoft Office Publisher
Journals
Internet Resources:
• Virtual Phases of the Moon http://www.surweb.org/ls/ls_view.asp?lsid=3347
• Moon Phases http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/java/MoonPhase.html
• The Phases of the Moon http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Phases.shtml
• Oh No! A Full Moon! http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/moon.html
• Label the Phases http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/label/labelmoonphases.shtml
• Charting the Moon Worksheet http://www.explorelearning.com/ELContent/gizmos/ELScience_Deliverable/ExplorationGuides/images/EL_MSES_MoonPhaseB2.gif
• Stardate On-Line Moon Calendar http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/
Management
(How will students share technology resources? How will the lesson be broken up into segments such as the number of hours or days?)
Students will work in groups of two. Students will share a computer and software. This lesson will take approximately one month to gather the data needed to proceed. The students will work about 30 minutes a day on exploring the information. Each student will be responsible for completing each of the charts, as well as recording behavioral changes of family members and pets in a journal for a month. At the end of the month, the two students may compare their results and formulate a plan for sharing their data with the class. Throughout the month the students will be working on individual tasks which focus on learning the actual phases of the moon. As this happens, students should begin to feel more comfortable with using the correct terminology and vocabulary, and will feel as an expert when the two of them present their findings to the class.
Explore:
In this section, students are given time to think, plan, investigate and organize collected information.
The students will work together in groups of two. They will explore the internet sites available to them. The students will make a plan to gather behavioral information about their family members and/or pets. Journals will be given to the students in order to log their data.
Explain:
Students are now involved in an analysis of their exploration. Their understanding is clarified and modified because of reflective activities.
Students will be completing charts throughout the month. They will be logging information into their journals and making observations about patterns they may see about behavioral changes. They will discuss with their partners on a daily basis about anything unusual. They will track each other to make sure that daily entries are being made in their journals.
Elaborate:
This section gives students the opportunity to expand and solidify their understanding of the concept and/or apply it to a real world situation.
The students will work in groups of two or three. Students will complete their month-long data entry and compare their results. They will then make a plan to present their findings to the class. Students will be responsible for explaining the moon’s phases as well as any behavioral changes that occurred.
Evaluate:
Evaluation occurs throughout the lesson, with a scoring guide presented to students from the beginning. Scoring tools developed by teachers (sometimes with student involvement) target what students must know and do. Consistent use of scoring tools improves learning.
Students will be evaluated by their presentations. The students will be involved in creating a rubric with the teacher. This rubric will be designed and given to the students at least two weeks before the presentation is due. Students will be responsible for the content knowledge, charts, journals, and creative presentation design. Students will choose from a variety of software available to them to complete this task.
Constructivist Science Lesson Plan for the Sixth Grade
It’s Just a Phase…Phases of the Moon, That Is!
By Pam Moeai
Standards (Performance, Knowledge and NETS-S):
Standard I:
Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.
Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
a. Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month.
b. Identify the pattern of change in the moon’s appearance.
c. Use observable evidence to explain the movement of the moon around Earth in relationship to Earth turning on its axis and the position of the moon changing in the sky.
d. Design an investigation, construct a chart, and collect data depicting the phases of the moon.
What concepts do you want students to understand after completing this lesson
• Students will understand why we can’t always see a full moon.
• Students will learn that the sun shines on the moon, just as it shines on the earth. At any given time, half of the moon is in daylight, and it is night on the other half. As the moon rotates around the earth, we see only portions of its daylight half. So each night (or day) of the month, we see a slightly different phase of the moon.
• Students will look for patterns of behavioral change in people or animals as the moon changes from one phase to the next.
Essential Question:
What are the different phases of the moon and how do they affect people or animals?
Criteria for Success (How will you know students have gained the understanding of the concepts?):
Students will learn the eight phases of the moon.
• New Moon -- when the moon is invisible
• Waxing Crescent -- the first thin sliver of moon
• First quarter -- a half moon
• Waxing gibbous -- a ¾’s moon
• Full moon
• Waning gibbous -- back to ¾’s
• Last quarter -- back to half moon
• Waning crescent -- the last thin sliver before the next new moon
Students will see if there are definite behavioral changes in people or animals during the different phases of the moon by looking for patterns.
Students will present their findings to an audience.
Resources (What resources will you and your students use?):
Power Point
Inspiration
Microsoft Office Publisher
Journals
Internet Resources:
• Virtual Phases of the Moon http://www.surweb.org/ls/ls_view.asp?lsid=3347
• Moon Phases http://www.astro.wisc.edu/~dolan/java/MoonPhase.html
• The Phases of the Moon http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/moon/Phases.shtml
• Oh No! A Full Moon! http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/moon.html
• Label the Phases http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/activities/label/labelmoonphases.shtml
• Charting the Moon Worksheet http://www.explorelearning.com/ELContent/gizmos/ELScience_Deliverable/ExplorationGuides/images/EL_MSES_MoonPhaseB2.gif
• Stardate On-Line Moon Calendar http://stardate.org/nightsky/moon/
Management
(How will students share technology resources? How will the lesson be broken up into segments such as the number of hours or days?)
Students will work in groups of two. Students will share a computer and software. This lesson will take approximately one month to gather the data needed to proceed. The students will work about 30 minutes a day on exploring the information. Each student will be responsible for completing each of the charts, as well as recording behavioral changes of family members and pets in a journal for a month. At the end of the month, the two students may compare their results and formulate a plan for sharing their data with the class. Throughout the month the students will be working on individual tasks which focus on learning the actual phases of the moon. As this happens, students should begin to feel more comfortable with using the correct terminology and vocabulary, and will feel as an expert when the two of them present their findings to the class.
Explore:
In this section, students are given time to think, plan, investigate and organize collected information.
The students will work together in groups of two. They will explore the internet sites available to them. The students will make a plan to gather behavioral information about their family members and/or pets. Journals will be given to the students in order to log their data.
Explain:
Students are now involved in an analysis of their exploration. Their understanding is clarified and modified because of reflective activities.
Students will be completing charts throughout the month. They will be logging information into their journals and making observations about patterns they may see about behavioral changes. They will discuss with their partners on a daily basis about anything unusual. They will track each other to make sure that daily entries are being made in their journals.
Elaborate:
This section gives students the opportunity to expand and solidify their understanding of the concept and/or apply it to a real world situation.
The students will work in groups of two or three. Students will complete their month-long data entry and compare their results. They will then make a plan to present their findings to the class. Students will be responsible for explaining the moon’s phases as well as any behavioral changes that occurred.
Evaluate:
Evaluation occurs throughout the lesson, with a scoring guide presented to students from the beginning. Scoring tools developed by teachers (sometimes with student involvement) target what students must know and do. Consistent use of scoring tools improves learning.
Students will be evaluated by their presentations. The students will be involved in creating a rubric with the teacher. This rubric will be designed and given to the students at least two weeks before the presentation is due. Students will be responsible for the content knowledge, charts, journals, and creative presentation design. Students will choose from a variety of software available to them to complete this task.
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