- Grade Focus
- Grade 4
- Age Level
- 9
- Subject
- Science
- Technology Integration Activity
- Digital Ethics, Discovering the Internet, PowerPoint Presentations, Video Productions
- Estimated Time of Completion
- 2 -3 class periods
Introduction
This lesson encourages students to explore the phases of the moon and what causes them. Students use hands on materials to re-enact the process and then use digital tools to create a presentation to explain this process to their peers.Prerequisite Experience
Students should have experience with using a flip video camera or a digital camera. Students should also be familiar with Photo Story, PowerPoint an Inspiration or Kidspiration.Teacher Prep Time
1 hour to collect materials, prepare presentation, plan cooperative groupsProject
Students are given 3 digital options to present their material. They may choose to create a narrated flip video, a narrated Photo Story or PowerPoint or a diagram through Inspiration.Assessment/Grading
RubricTime Management Tips
Students should be given a time parameters or maximum number of slides for their final presentations. They may also need monitoring when working on presentation to keep on track.Lesson Plan Details
Engage
Students will view the current moon phases calendar at
http://www.moonconnection.com/moon_phases_calendar.phtml
Students will be asked why the moon looks different at different times of the month?
Explore
Students will be reminded of the following concepts discussed in previous lessons:* the difference between revolution and rotation
* the Moon does not generate its own light but reflects the light from the Sun
* the moon rotates as it revolves around Earth while the Earth orbits the Sun
Given a flashlight and a Styrofoam ball taped to a ruler, and two colored markers students will work in teams of four to attempt to re-enact the rotation and revolution of the moon to explain the reason for the different moon phases seen from Earth. Students will be assigned the roles of Sun, Earth, Moon and an observer. Students should take turns in each role so that each can be the observer. They can then compare what they observed happening in order to explain their theory.
Explain
As a class, students will explain and compare their theories discovered in their re-enactment. Students can use Pixie and the Promethean Board to present their findings for each phase to the class.Elaborate
Students will view the following video clip entitled "Moon Phases" from Discovery Ed:Students will then re-evaluate their own theories compared to the new information acquired.
Evaluate
After making any necessary revisions to their own experiment, students will be have the following options to present their final re-enactment and explanation the eight lunar phases:• use a flip camera to video their own re-enactment of the lunar phases and produce a detailed script to accompany it
• use a digital camera and Photo Story or PowerPoint with a detailed script to accompany it
• use Inspiration to create a diagram and a detailed script to accompany it
Presentations will be graded using a rubric created in Rubistar.