USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science

4th

Name: Victoria Winn

Lesson Content
What Standards (national
or state) relate to this
lesson?
(You should include ALL
applicable standards. Rarely
do teachers use just one:
theyd never get through
them all.)

Essential Understanding
(What is the big idea or
essential question that you
want students to come away
with? In other words, what,
aside from the standard and
our objective, will students
understand when they finish
this lesson?)

Science Content Standard:

SC.4.E.5.2: Describe the changes in observable shape of the moon over the course of
about a month
SC.4.E.5.3 Recognize that Earth revolves around the Sun and rotates on its axis in a 24
hour day
SC>4.E.5.4 Relate that the rotation of the Earth (day and night) and apparent
movements of the Sun, Moon, and starts are connected.

Essential question:
How does the moon appear to change throughout the month?
Science concept:
The phases of the moon and how these phases occur
Process skills/science practices:

MW: What one piece will

students walk away with
understanding after engaging
in this lesson?

Observing
Communicating
Making models

Nature of Science:
The world is understandable
Science explains and predicts
Objectives- What are you
teaching?
(Student-centered: What will
students know and be able to
do after this lesson? Include

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Name: Victoria Winn

the ABCDs of objectives:

action, behavior, condition,
and degree of mastery, i.e.,
"C: Given a sentence written
in the past or present tense,
A: the student B: will be able
to re-write the sentence in
future tense D: with no errors
in tense or tense contradiction
(i.e., I will see her
yesterday.)."
Note: Degree of mastery does
not need to be a percentage.)
Rationale
Address the following
questions:
Why are you teaching this
objective?
Where does this lesson fit
within a larger plan?
(Within grade level AND K5 education)
Why are you teaching it
this way?
Why is it important for
students to learn this
concept?

Evaluation Plan- How will

you know students have

I am teaching this objective because it matches up with the 4th grade Earth
Science standards
This lesson fits in with the other 4th grade Earth Science standards and will help
students gain the prior knowledge they need to be successful in future lessons that
relate to space. This lesson fits in with the students learning about the sun and
other planets. In 3rd grade, the students learned specifically about the sun
(SC.3.E.5.2). In the 4th grade, the students will move on to learning about the
characteristics of other planets (SC.5.E.5.2).
I am teaching this lesson this way because it allows students to have different
experiences with learning the content. This includes exploring and gaining some
information before they are taught the logistics behind the content they are
learning. I believe that this is more fun for students and they will be more engaged
throughout. According to Abraham and Birnie (1988), greater achievement and
retention is found when concepts were introduced after experiences. Students
would be gaining knowledge through experiences first and then later learning the
content in this lesson.
It is important for students to learn this content because the moon is something
students see every night and it plays a big role in aspects related to earth (which
they will learn later)
Formative Assessment:
Engage: The assessment probe and card sort will be used as formative

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
mastered your objectives?
Address the following:
What formative evidence
will you use to document
student learning during
EACH phase of the lesson?
What summative evidence
will you collect, either
during this lesson or in
upcoming lessons? Be sure
to include a scoring guide.

What Content Knowledge

is necessary for a teacher
to teach this material?
Be sure to cite all
resources you used to
learn the content

Name: Victoria Winn

assessment. The teacher will be able to look at each individual students probe and
the whole class chart to see what misconceptions students may have. Teacher will
walk around and take anecdotal notes while students are completing card sort.
Teacher will make note of which students correctly sorted the cards and which did
not.
Explore: Students responses to questions (see lesson layout below for questions
and answers) will be used for formative assessment data. Teacher will make note
of students responses and make sure that students are not developing
misconceptions.
Explain: Students responses to questions and their response to the reflection
questions will be used as assessment data for this section. This will help the
teacher identify who may need to be pulled for reteach before the summative
assessment.
Expand/Wrap Up: Students responses on the lunar moon calendar and re-voting of
the probe will be used as assessment data. Students completion of the sort for the
2nd time will also be used as data. Teacher will take notes for all of these tasks.
Summative Assessment:
Students will complete a short summative assessment (appendix D) at the end of
the lesson. This will help the teacher decide who may need to be pulled for
reteach.
Scoring Guide:
o See how test will be scored in appendix E
o Students that score below a 9/12 (75%) will be pulled for small group
reteach.
Students will need to know the different phases of the moon in order to teach this lesson.
Some resources are included below:
Understanding Primary Science by Martin Wenham page 267
The Moons appearance changes in a predictable way
The Moon spins on its axis
The Moon always has the same face towards the Earth
https://stardate.org/nightsky/moon

The Moon has phases because it orbits Earth

The Moon takes 27.3 days to orbit Earth, but the lunar phase cycle (from new
Moon to new Moon) is 29.5 days

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Name: Victoria Winn

http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases.phtml
Moon cycle order: new moon and full moon, first quarter and third quarter
The new moon occurs when the moon is positioned between the earth and sun
At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate alignment, just as
the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite side of the earth, so the entire
sunlit part of the moon is facing us.
The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"),
happen when the moon is at a 90-degree angle with respect to the earth and sun.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWeaQctUp1c
What background
knowledge is necessary for
a student to successfully
meet these objectives?
How will you ensure
students have this
previous knowledge?
Who are your learners?
What do you know about
them?
What do you know about
their readiness for this
content?
What misconceptions
might students have about
this content?

These misconceptions are from the Moon phase assessment probe they will be given.
The phases of the Moon change according to the seasons
Different planets cast a shadow on the moon each night causing a pattern of
different moon phases
The clouds cover parts of the moon we cannot see
The moon changes in sizes and that is what makes it look differently.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Teaching Methods

Step-by-Step Plan
(What exactly do you plan to
do in teaching this lesson? Be
thorough. Act as if you needed
a substitute to carry out the
lesson for you.)
Where applicable, be sure to
address the following:
What Higher Order
Thinking (H.O.T.) questions
will you ask?
How will materials be
distributed?
Who will work together in
groups and how will you
determine the grouping?
How will students
transition between
activities?
What will you as the
teacher do?
What will the students do?
What student data will be
collected during each
phase?
What are other adults in

Name: Victoria Winn

Lesson Implementation
I will be using the 5Es during this lesson
Students will be explicitly learning the three legs of science while they are completing the
activities in the lesson.
Time
Who is
Each content area may require a different step-by-step format. Use
responsibl whichever plan is appropriate for the content taught in this lesson.
e (Teacher For example, in science, you would detail the 5 Es here
or
(Engage/Encountering the Idea; Exploring the Idea;
Students)? Explanation/Organizing the Idea; Extend/Applying the Idea;
Evaluation).
Prior:
Make enough copies of worksheets that will be used in lesson
Label a piece of chart paper with the 8 different names from
the Moon phase probe
5
Obtain all materials (see materials section) and prepare for
mins
Students/
each activity
Teacher
Cut out Moon phases index cards
Engage:
Students will complete the Moon phase probe (see appendix
A)- not reflection questions at bottom.
Students will go up and cast their vote for which student is
correct by using blue sticky note and placing it under the
name they agree with (NOS-science explains and predicts).
Teacher- let students know that by the end they will know who
is correct. Also tell students that engaged in one of the NOS,
30
Student/
science explains and predicts. Tell them that they did this
mins
Teacher
when they were predicting which student was correct when
they voted using the sticky notes.
Give students Moon phase index cards (Appendix B) in mixed
order and ask students to put them in correct order (this will

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
the room doing? How are
they supporting students
learning?
What model of co-teaching
are you using?

25
Mins

Student/
Teacher

Name: Victoria Winn

be used to assess prior knowledge). Students will leave these

cards on their desks (will return to later in the lesson)
Explore:
Hand out Styrofoam balls to students (1 per student), have
students push a pencil about halfway through their ball
(Process skills-making models).
Place students into groups of 4
Before students go off into groups, ask students these
questions:
o Questions to ask students: (students possible
responses are italicized)
o We are modeling (Process skill= making models) the
Sun-Earth-Moon system, so in our system, what will
represent the sun? The projector
o What about the Styrofoam ball? The Moon
o What do we represent? The Earth
Students will take turn in their group standing up in front of
the light of the flashlight. Students will also take turns holding
the flashlight.
Activity: Teacher will handout worksheets with the following
questions (Appendix F), questions being asked are bolded
students possible responses are italicized. Students will
answer these questions right on the worksheet and clue into
science notebooks (Process skills- observing and
communicating). Teacher should go over the vocab work
ILLUMINATED before students begin their worksheet.
o Face the flashlight and hold your moon in the light of
our sun so you can see the glow around the edge of
your moon. How much of the moons surface that
is facing you is illuminate? None
o Rotate 90 degrees to your left. Make sure your moon is
still in the light of the sun. Looking at your moon,
how much of your moon is illuminated? Half of the
side facing me is illuminated. Which side of your
moon is illuminated? The right side.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
o
o

o
10
Mins

Student/
Teacher

5
Mins

Students

10
mins/
ongoi
ng

Students/
Teacher

Name: Victoria Winn

Rotate another 90 degrees to your left. Looking at

your moon how much is illuminated? All of the side
facing me
Rotate another 90 degrees to your left. Looking at
your moon, how much of your moon is
illuminated? Half of the side facing me is illuminated.
Which side of your moon is illuminated? The left
side.
Rotate 90 degrees to your left. How much of the
moons surface that is facing you is illuminate?
None, were back where we started

Explain:
Go through the phases of the moon cards (appendix B) and
ask students to:
o Describe the illumination (Process skillscommunicating)
Then supply the students will the correct vocabulary for each
phase of the moon:
o New Moon
o 1st Quarter
o Full Moon
o 3rd Quarter
o New Moon
Students will work in pairs to complete reflection questions at
the bottom of their Moon phase probe (appendix a)
Expand:
Give students the Lunar Month calendar for the month that
we are in (appendix c). Discuss with students what phase the
moon is currently in and what they can apply to this calendar
from what they learned in the lesson. Ask students:
o What phase of the lunar cycle is the moon in today?
o On what day is the New Moon?

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
o
o

Name: Victoria Winn

When do the 1st and 3rd Quarter moons occur?

Etc.

Wrap Up:
Students will reevaluate their probe from the beginning of the
class. Students will go up to board and revote on who is
correct using green sticky note.
Have students recheck their card sort from the beginning and
see if they are in the correct order. If not, resort them.

What will you do if

Evaluate:
Students will take summative assessment on the phases of
the moon (appendix D)
See assessment portion of lesson plan for formative
assessment information.
a student struggles with the content?

What will you do if

a student masters the content quickly?

Meeting your students

needs as people and as
learners

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to the interests and cultural
backgrounds of your students?
I think that this lesson can connect to different cultural backgrounds because in different
cultures the moon represents different things. I think that students would be fascinated
to learn about the moon in a way that is different from their culture. I think that this
lesson also connects to the interests of the students because the moon is sometimes a
big topic on the news (such as the supermoon). I think that the students would be
interested to learn more about this natural phenomenon.

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Name: Victoria Winn

If applicable, how does this lesson connect to/reflect the local community?
Tampa, Florida is home to the Museum of Science and industry (MOSI). This museum
offers many different programs that connect to what the students are learning in this
lesson. MOSI has a planetarium where students can view the night sky and the moon.
The also have programs like Sky Safari where students can sign up to sleep outside and
view the night sky.
How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
challenge during this lesson (enrichment)?

How will you differentiate instruction for students who need additional
language support?

Accommodations (If
needed)
(What students need specific
accommodation? List
individual students (initials),
and then explain the
accommodation(s) you will
implement for these unique
learners.)
Materials
(What materials will you use?
Why did you choose these
materials? Include any
resources you used. This can

Flashlights- enough for 5 groups

Worksheets/supplies in the appendix region of this lesson plan
Stick notes- blue and green
Styrofoam balls- enough for each student to have 1
Pencils

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
also include people!)

Name: Victoria Winn

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th
Appendix A: Moon Phase Probe and Reflection

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Appendix B: Moon Phase Index Cards

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Appendix C: Lunar Month Calendar

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Appendix D: Summative Assessment

Moon Phases Assessment

1. In the picture to the right, what phase of the moon is
shown?
A.
B.
C.
D.

full moon
new moon
first quarter
third quarter

2. In our Sun-Earth-Moon model, what represented the Sun?

A.
B.
C.
D.

the flashlight
myself
the Styrofoam ball
none of the above

3. What causes the Moon to change its appearance?

A. as the moon orbits Earth, Earths shadow covers the Moon
B. clouds block part of the Moon from our view
C. as the moon orbits around Earth, we see different views of the Moons sunlit side
4. Order the moon phases in the correct order
A.
B.
C.
D.

New Moon, Full Moon, 1st Quarter, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
Full Moon, 1st Quarter, New Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
New Moon, 1st Quarter, Full Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
1st Quarter, New Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon, Full Moon

5. What did the Styrofoam ball represent in our model?

A.
B.
C.
D.

the flashlight
myself
the Styrofoam ball
none of the above

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

Appendix E: Scoring of Summative Assessment

Moon Phases Assessment
1. In the picture to the right, what phase of the moon is
shown? (2 Points)
A.
B.
C.
D.

full moon
new moon
first quarter
third quarter

2. In our Sun-Earth-Moon model, what represented the Sun? (2 Points)

A.
B.
C.
D.

the flashlight
myself
the Styrofoam ball
none of the above

3. What causes the Moon to change its appearance? (2 Points)

A. as the moon orbits Earth, Earths shadow covers the Moon
B. clouds block part of the Moon from our view
C. as the moon orbits around Earth, we see different views of the Moons sunlit side
4. Order the moon phases in the correct order (2 Points)
A.
B.
C.
D.

New Moon, Full Moon, 1st Quarter, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
Full Moon, 1st Quarter, New Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
New Moon, 1st Quarter, Full Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon
1st Quarter, New Moon, 3rd Quarter, New Moon, Full Moon

5. What did the Styrofoam ball represent in our model? (2 Points)

A.
B.
C.
D.

the Sun
the Earth
the Moon
none of the above

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

10 Total Points
Appendix F: Worksheet for Explore Activity
Moon Exploration Activity
1. Face the flashlight and hold your moon in the light of our sun so you can see the glow
around the edge of your moon.
How much of the moons surface that is facing you is illuminated? ____________
Draw what this looks like:

2.Rotate 90 degrees to your left. Make sure your moon is still in the light of the sun
Looking at your moon, how much of your moon is illuminated? _____________
Which side of your moon is illuminated? ___________
Draw what this looks like:

3.Rotate another 90 degrees to your left.

Looking at your moon how much is illuminated? ____________
Draw what this looks like:

USF Elementary Education Lesson Plan Template

Name: Victoria Winn
Grade Level Being Taught: Subject/Content: Science
4th

4. Rotate another 90 degrees to your left

Looking at your moon, how much of your moon is illuminated? _____________
Which side of your moon is illuminated? ___________
Draw what this looks like:

5. Face the flashlight and hold your moon in the light of our sun so you can see the glow
around the edge of your moon.
Draw what this looks like:
How much of the moons surface that is facing you is illuminated? ____________