MC	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

What happens when you see the moon's phases change?  The moon appears to change

a.  color.

b.  location.

c.  shape.

d.  distance.

Correct Answer: c

MC	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Why do we see phases of the moon during a month?

a.  We see only the lit part of the moon as it moves around Earth.

b.  Parts of the moon are always in shadow.

c.  Eclipses of the moon occur nightly.

d.  The moon is smaller when it is farther from us.

Correct Answer: a

MC	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Why does the moon appear to move across the sky during the night?

a.  It travels around Earth every day.

            b.  Earth rotates on itsÕ axis.

            c.  It is extremely far away.

            d.  All objects in space are moving.

Correct Answer: b

MC	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

One spring day your teacher takes the class outside and you watch

the sun partly disappear.  You look through a pinhole in a box.  Why did some of the sun disappear?

            a.  The sun often disappears in the spring.

            b.  The moon blocked part of it's light.

            c.  EarthÕs shadow blocked the light.

            d.  The pinhole in the box wasn't round.

Correct Answer: b

I	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Use this diagram to answer the next question.

           Moon                  Earth                                      Sun

 What phase of the moon would you see on this night?

            a.  half moon

            b.  gibbous moon

            c.  new moon

            d.  full moon

Correct Answer: d

I	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Assume your observations of the moon were taken at 10 pm each night for 14 days. Here are your observations:

1. A prediction you could make from your observations would be:

a. You will not be able to see the moon at 10 pm on day 16.

b. Less light will be reflected from the moon each night next week.

c. The moon will go through the same phase in the same order on days 15-28.

d. The moon will be at the same location in the sky in the same order on days 15-28.

2. Use the observations from Question 1. Why does it appear that the moon is moving from west to east?

a. The moon orbits in the same direction as the Earth spins on its axis.

b. The moonÕs orbit is opposite the spin of the Earth.

c. The moon travels the same speed as the Earth spins on its axis.

d. The moon travels faster than the Earth spins on its axis.

3. Use the observation from Question 1. What would account for the light portion of the moon moving across the face of the moon through the cycle?

a. The EarthÕs orbit around the solar system.

b. The SunÕs orbit around the galaxy.

c. The EarthÕs shadow upon the moon.

d. The relationship of the moon with the Sun.

Correct Answers:

1. a

2. a

3. d

E	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Describe how the moon would change if you observed it every night for a month.  Assume it starts as a full moon.

Correct Answer: 

The moon would go from full to 3/4 full, to a half moon, to a quarter moon to a sliver.  It would start getting bigger after that and go to a full moon again.

E	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

What are you seeing when you see a half moon.

Correct Answer: 

One half of the moon is light and bright, the other half is in shadow and dark but not always invisible.

P	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Ancient peoples observed movements of the moon, Earth, and Sun on a daily basis. Imagine you are living in the past and do not have the technology we have today. Ancient peoples found the moon in different locations at the same time each night. Describe what patterns you would observe over one months time to explain this.

Scoring Guide:

MoonÕs location in the sky	Well defined Easy to visualize	General location described	Some description of location
Changes observed Each observation	Changes described well, with details identified	Changes listed Some details identified	Changes identified
Patterns identified	Patterns identified and described with much detail	Patterns described	Patterns mentioned

P	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Moon Watching

Activity Description

Students will watch the moon over several days to help explain itsÕ phases and movement.

Materials Needed

Paper and Pencil

Prior to Assessment

The teacher will need to plan this activity so that it corresponds to several days when the moon rises at a time when 6th graders can be awake and the moon visible.  Some daytime hours will work and early evening or morning hours are also OK.  When the sun is high in the sky, the moon becomes hard to see and students should not be looking at the sun.  A calendar with moon phases will be helpful to planning this activity.  Internet sites such as NASA or weather stations also have moon charts.

Time Needed

If done as homework, 30 minutes of explanation, 30 minutes of summary.  The same if done in class but an additional 15 minutes per observation will have to be added.

Procedure

1.  Explain to students that they will be observing the moon for the length of time you desire (at least a week).  You may want to send home a note to parents to help them remind students if this is a homework assignment or have parents sign the studentsÕ observations every time they make them.

2.  Have students develop a chart to collect data on.  It doesnÕt need to be the same for each student.  Tell them it needs to be complete and accurate.  They might make drawings, note the time, write a journal type entry or draw other objects (in the landscape or sky)

3.  Remind students each day about the assignment or take them outdoors and write observations.

4.  Summarize the assignment on the final day.  Give students summary questions to answer such as:

            a.  What were the names of the phases we saw this week?

            b.  Was the moon waxing (getting bigger) or waning (getting smaller)?

            c.  What kinds of features could you see on the moon?

            d.  What did you notice about the time the moon came up each day?

Scoring Guide

1.  Student makes data chartÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.ÉÉ5 pts

2.  Student makes daily observationsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ..20 pts

3.  Students records accurate and complete observationsÉÉ....20 pts

4.  Student correctly answer questionsÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉÉ.5 pts

P	6^th Grade	Standard: 01
Objective: 01. Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
ILO:

Your science instructor wants you to teach your peers about the phases of the moon. To do this you need to collect data and use that data to predict the future behavior of the moon. Outline your method of data collection based upon observations of the moonÕs behavior over one weekÕs time. Make a chart that shows the daily changes in the moonÕs phases in sequential order.

Scoring Guide:

	3	2	1
Changes in moon phases position in sky	Labeled clearly and recognizable Easy to identify	Recognizable and labeled identifiable	Labeled Attempted
Date and time of each observation	Neatly identified		Found on project
Daily changes in proper sequence	Easily identified by day in proper sequence	Some sequence identified	Evidence of sequence identified