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. 

The further explanation is designed to be a resource for educators that helps them better understand the topic their students are learning. Further explanations may be written at a more complex level than would be expected for students at the grade level.

Diagram of the Sun – Earth – Moon system. The Sun is in the center. The Earth is orbiting around the Sun. The moon is orbiting around the Earth.
Siyavula Education. “Earth, Moon, and Sun system.” Flickr. 3 April 2014, https://www.flickr.com/photos/121935927@N06/13598100735.
Glossary terms and definitions are consistent across kindergarten through high school in the TEKS Guide. The definitions are intended to give educators a common understanding of the terms regardless of what grade level they teach. Glossary definitions are not intended for use with students.

an imaginary line through an object's center of mass around which the object rotates

regular sequences that can be found throughout nature

move or cause to move in a circle around an axis or center (spin in place)

Research

Ashmann, Scott. “A Sun-Earth-Moon Activity to Develop Student Understanding of Lunar Phases and Frames of Reference.” Science Scope 35, no. 6 (February 2012): 32–36. https://www.proquest.com/docview/920350295?sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals.

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