Science.4.9.B

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The student is expected to

collect and analyze data to identify sequences and predict patterns of change in the observable appearance of the Moon from Earth.

1666 TEKS header image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Earth and space. The student recognizes patterns among the Sun, Earth, and Moon system and their effects.

Moon phases are the changing appearance of the sunlit part of the Moon as viewed from Earth due to the Moon's position in relation to the sun. 

Image showing how the Moon appears to a viewer on the Earth based on the orientation of the Earth, Sun, and Moon. There are images that show the appearance of the moon at new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent, and new phases.

Fresheneesz~commonswiki, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Students will relate Moon phases to tides in middle school.

regular sequences that can be found throughout nature

Research

Jackson, Julie, and Angela Castro. “A High-Stakes-Test & Intervention: Moon-Phase Models as Viewed From Earth and Space.” Science Scope 34, no. 5 (January 2011): 22–28 http://www.jstor.org/stable/43182978. 

Summary: This article provides a series of questions to guide students to a deeper understanding of the phases of the Moon and the Moon’s relation to the Sun and Earth. This activity can help students to understand better the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon. In this activity, the teacher uses a dark room with a lamp representing the Sun. A student represents the Earth. During this time, the teacher should ask guiding questions about the Earth’s rotation and allows the class to discuss their thoughts. Another student is added to represent the Moon. Asking students what the Moon represents one day allows the teacher to see what misconceptions students have about the Moon and its movement.