Name: Sarah Katlyn Anthony

Class: IMB Lesson Plan

Date: March 19th, 2015
Moon Phases
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Central Focus/Big Idea: The big picture of this lesson is for students to understand the phases
of the moon. Students will be able to discuss, draw, and identify these moon phases by the end of
this lesson.
Subject of this lesson: The subject of my lesson is moon phases.
Grade Level: This lesson is designed for my 4th grade.
NC Essential Standard: 4.E.1 Explain

the causes of day and night and phases of the

moon.
Next Generation Science Standard(s):

ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System

The orbits of Earth around the sun and of the moon around Earth, together with the rotation of
Earth about an axis between its North and South poles, cause observable patterns. These
include day and night; daily changes in the length and direction of shadows; and different
positions of the sun, moon, and stars at different times of the day, month, and year. (5-ESS1-2)

21st Century Skills: Commination is used during the lesson because during the explore part of
the lesson students work and talk with their partner or learn about the phases of the moon. They
also have to explain their results found during the explore stage.
Academic Language Demand
Language Function: Students have to categorize the order of the moon phases from new
moon to new moon.
Analyze

Argue

Categorize

Interpret

Predict

Question

Compare/contras
t
Retell

Describe

Explain

Summarize

Scientific Vocabulary: New Moon, Waxing crescent, First Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full
Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last quarter, Waning Crescent.

Instructional Objective: Students should be able to explain and the phases of the moon and put
them in order from new moon to new moon. Students who do this with 71% accuracy or better on
their summative assessment have mastered the concept.

Prior Knowledge (student): Students should already know the difference between the sun,
moon, and earth and the order that they fall in the solar system.
Content Knowledge (teacher): To teacher this lesson the teacher must know the phases of the
moon and how they look when each phase is occurring. The new moon phase is when little to no
moon shape at al is showing. First quarter moon is when there is almost half of the moon lit up
on the right hand side of the moon. A full moon is when the entire moon is making a perfect
circular shape all the way it up. The third quarter moon is when almost half of the moon is lit up
on the left hand side. They happen in this order during the moon phase cycle.
Accommodations for special needs: Lower students will be paired with higher students during
the partner work in order to experience peer teaching and scaffolding in our classroom.
Materials and Technology requirements: What materials do you (as teacher) and students
need? What resources will be used? If materials are exotic, where can they be found? You need
to be specific with the amount of stuff you will need.

Smart Board
Tablets and devices (30) (between 15-18 some students bring devices from home, 10 class ipads,
5 class desktops)
Notebook paper ( 30 sheets)
Power Point
Summative assessment worksheet (30 copies)

Total Estimated Time: 1 hour

Source of lesson:

http://www.history.com/shows/the-universe/videos/phases-of-the-moon
http://bit.ly/1EHMOGD
https://docs.google.com/document/d/16h_NtjD7OBJqS5kpRcV2GKoKaY5zNai4yZZoKY6uA4/edit
http://bit.ly/19AoHN3c

Safety considerations: Basic classroom management and community - all students should be
respectful and safe in the classroom.

Content and Strategies (Procedure)

Engage: To engage students and get them interested in the material I will start the lesson by
showing them a short 3 minute video on moon phases. The video will be displayed on the
smart board for the whole class to watch. If the smart board happens to malfunction or
the video will not play on the screen I would have students watch the video on their
devices using the Bitly: http://bit.ly/1EHMOGD
Link for smart board: http://www.history.com/shows/the-universe/videos/phases-of-the-moon
Explore: During the explore portion of the lesson students will use their devices to look up the 8
different phases of the moon.

New Moon
Waxing crescent
First Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Full Moon
Waning Gibbous
Last quarter
Waning Crescent

Students will work with a partner. They will use their devices to look up the phases of the moon.
Once they have identified the 8 phases of the moon students will need to record the names of the
phases and draw a picture of each phase on notebook paper, 1 to turn in per group.
Explain: Students will come back together and share the 8 phases of the moon that they
discovered. I will then teach a mini lesson about the moon phases with a power point as a guide.
To check for students understanding I will have students do a retail of the phases when we get to
slide 10. On slide 10; there are pictures of each phase of the moon. I will use the teachers
Popsicle sticks with student numbers on them to select who will tell me about each phase of the
moon is called.
Elaborate: After students have learned the new concept and specific vocabulary about moon
phases they will do a quia quiz on their devices where they have to put the moon phases in order.
There are enough devices in the classroom that each student can do this individually. When
students have put the moon phases in order individually they must raise their hand for me to
come around and check them off for completing the moon phases sort online.
Once students have finished sorting the moon phases they will be given a worksheet to do
individually to test their knowledge on the moon phases. The worksheet has 3 short answer
questions. We covered all the questions during the mini lesson. Then, there are boxes labeled
with different moon phases. They will be expected to draw the moon phase that the box asks for.

Moon phases sort Link: http://bit.ly/19AoHN3

Worksheet: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16h_NtjD7OBJqS5kpRcV2GKoKaY5zNai4yZZoKY6uA4/edit

Evaluate: Formative assessment will be observed by the teacher during the explore portion of
the lesson. I will be observing while students are researching the 8 phases of the moon, recording
them, and drawing a simple picture of each phase. I will also do a formative assessment during
the elaborate part of the lesson when students are putting the moon phases in order on the quia
quiz. The summative assessment will be done during the elaborate stage when student work on
the 7-question worksheet independently. The worksheet will be collected, if students get 71 or
better (5/7) they have grasp the concept, any less the material should be retaught.
To be complete after the lesson is taught as appropriate
Assessment Results of all objectives/skills:
Reflection on lesson:
CT signature/confirmation: _________________________________ Date: ________________