Teacher Candidate

Alexa Alibayof

Date/Time of
scheduled visit
Name/address of
school
Age/Grade level

N/A

Name of Lesson

Moon Phases

Content
area(s)/development
al
domain(s) addressed
This lesson is:

Content areas: Science/ Math (patterns/cycles)

Developmental domains: cognitive development, language development,

Rationale

When children look up to the sky, they may see the moon as a different shape each
time. This lesson will help children make sense of how that happens and find out what
the moons monthly pattern is.
30 minutes

Timeframe
Objectives
Common Core
Standards

The Weebly School

Kindergarten

An introduction to a new activity

1) Children will be able to explain that the moon looks different throughout the
month and cycles back.
2) Children will be able to organize the phases of the moon in order.
E.C2.2: discover that a model of something is different from the real thing but can be
used to study the real thing.
E.P1.1: describe patterns of daily, monthly and seasonal changes in their
environment. (e. The appearance of the Moon changing as it moves in a path around
the Earth to complete a single cycle)

Language Objectives

Vocabulary: Moon, phases, light, Earth, sun, cycle

Resources/materials
needed (Include
any worksheets
or sources of
evidence for
childrens learning
you
will use during the
activity)
Technology

Phases of the Moon by Gillia Olson, oreo cookies, popsicle sticks, moon phase cards.

Procedures (step by
step)

Whole group
Teacher will start by assessing the childrens knowledge and understanding of the
moons phases. Teacher will ask, when you look into the sky at night what do you
see? What shape is the moon when you look at the sky at night? Does the moon look
the same each time you look up? Then the teacher will explain that the shape of the
moon never really changes. Teacher will say, Every night, the Moon looks different to
us on Earth. But its shape never changes! As it travels around Earth and Earth travels
around the sun, we only see the moons sides. Because of how the sun shines on the
moon in space, we can only see different parts of the Moon each night. These are
called the phases of the Moon. The phases of the Moon happen in a cycle. A cycle is
when something happens over and over again in the same order.
The teacher will Teacher will read the book, Phases of the Moon by Gillia Olson. After
reading the book, the teacher will present an interactive Smart board activity. The
Smart board will have the images of each phase of the moon and the children will
come up and put them in order as a cycle. The children can use the book to help them
do this.
Then the teacher will show that the cream of an Oreo can be used to show the phases

Smart board

Method of assessing
childrens
understanding of
lesson/activity/objecti
ve(s)
(Be sure to include
any
tools,
rubrics/checklists
and/or worksheets
you
will use for
assessment(s)
Plans for
differentiated
instruction/instructio
nal modifications
Follow up/Extension
activities

of the moon. The teacher will demonstrate with a popsicle stick how to take off some
cream to show each phase.
Individual work
At the worktables, each child will have eight Oreos opened up with the cream facing
up and a popsicle stick. Each child will also have a laminated diagram with eight
circles and arrows in between each one in the shape of a circle to demonstrate that
the phases occur in a cycle. Children will carve the cream off each Oreo to
demonstrate each phase. Then children will place the Oreo on the diagram.
They will each have a cup with one Oreo to eat.
Children will put the phases of their eight Oreo cookies in order on their worksheets.
Teacher can use this to assess the childs knowledge of the moon phases. Teacher will
also observe the childrens fine motor skills when using the popsicle to wipe off the
cream. Each child will be asked to explain orally how they made their diagram, and
what each Oreo represents and what all eight Oreos represent.

For children who require an extra challenge, there will be no visual of the moon phase
cycle in front of them. These children will also be asked to name some of the Moon
phases.
For children who require more support, images of the moon phases will be at the
worktables as a reference. These children will have 3-4 phases already done for them.
To extend on this, the children will go outside when its dark on any night of the week
and draw a picture of the moon phase that they see. Then the children will share their

drawings and point to which phase they saw on the Moon Cycle Chart.
Any additional
information that
would
be helpful for the
observer to know

N/A

Observer feedback
on the
lesson plan, including
commendations and
recommendations for
improving activity

N/A