Gold Seal Lesson:
Moonlight

Copernicus Education Gateway

Subject:

Science

Grade:

K-4

ICLE Standards:

Earth and Space Science: Develop an understanding of objects in the sky.

Performance Task:

Your task in this activity is to study and observe the moon each night for one full month. Keep a record, including sketches, of what the moon looks like each night throughout the month. At the end of the month, you are to create a model (flip book, calendar, sculpture, poster, diorama, etc.) showing the phases of the moon. Write a short description of your model and write, in your science journal, an explanation of what you observed throughout the month of watching the moon.

Notes to the teacher: You may want to have the students show and explain orally their model to the class; or you might want to connect this exercise to language arts and have the students either write a story involving the moon (could be creative writing) or have the students read a story about the moon (fiction or nonfiction) and write a short book report.

Knowledge / Skills:

Plan and apply real or hypothetical models and constructions to facilitate investigation and learning and the solution to practical problems.  (ela40)

Exhibit good data management skills by collecting, organizing, and graphing data.  (s19)

Identify and comprehend celestial observations (i.e., motions of objects in the sky) such as star paths, planetary motions, satellite motions, and sun motions.  (s50)

Use writing as a tool for learning in formats such as learning logs, laboratory reports, note-taking, and journals.  (ela40)

Rubric:

4 Points  =  Student demonstrates good observation techniques. His/her records indicate that he/she regularly made and recorded their observations as required. The student's model shows a good understanding of the phases of the moon. Student's explanations are clear and complete.

3 Points  =  The student's model indicates that he/she has only limited understanding of the phases of the moon.  Even with coaching, the student's explanation is incomplete and contains slight misconceptions. The student's records indicate that he/she skipped some of the required observations throughout the month.

2 Points  =  The student's model indicates little understanding of the phases of the moon. His/her records show that the observations were not made on a regular basis as required. The records are very sketchy and his/her explanation is unclear and incomplete.

1 Point  =  The student does not or is unable to complete the task. The model, if constructed, is crude and shows a complete lack of understanding of the moon's phases. Observation techniques and record keeping are poor. The explanation is incoherent and shows no understanding of the concept.

Keywords:

EARTH SCIENCE
MOON
SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY
MODELS AND CONSTRUCTIONS

Grades:

Kg [x] - 1 [x] - 2 [x] - 3 [x] - 4 [x] - 5 [] - 6 [] - 7 [] - 8 [] - 9 [] - 10 [] - 11 [] - 12 []

ICLE Application:

D

© 2000 International Center for Leadership in Education
1587 Route 146 - Rexford - NY - 12148
518.399.2776 Fax: 518.399.7607
108