Title of Unit

Curriculum
Area
Developed By

Collaborative Lesson
Phases of the Moon
Grade Level
Science
Time Frame

4th Grade
3 55-Minute Sessions

Keata Anderson

Stage 1: Identify Desired Results

Content Standards
Georgia Performance Standards
S4E2. Students will model the position and motion of the earth in the solar system
and will
explain the role of relative position and motion in determining sequence of the
phases
of the moon.
a. Explain the day/night cycle of the earth using a model.
b. Explain the sequence of the phases of the moon.
c. Demonstrate the revolution of the earth around the sun and the earths tilt to
explain
a. the seasonal changes.
Georgia Literacy Standards for Reading in Science
ELAGSE4RI7: Interpret information presented visually, orally, or quantitatively (e.g.,
in charts, graphs, diagrams, time lines, animations, or interactive elements on Web
pages) and explain how the information contributes to an understanding of the text
in which it appears.
ELAGSE4RI10: By the end of year, read and comprehend informational texts,
including history/social studies, science, and technical texts, in the grades 45 text
complexity band proficiently, with scaffolding as needed at the high end of the range.
Understandings
Overarching Understanding
Students will understand that the
position of the sun and the tilt of the
earth on its axis affects how we see the
moon.
Students will understand the 8 phases
of the moon.

Related Misconceptions

Phases of the Moon are caused by

a shadow from the Earth, clouds,

Essential Questions
EQ: How do I understand the day/night
cycle of the earth using a model?
EQ: How do I understand how the earth
revolves/rotates around the sun and its
effects on how we see the moon?

or the Earth's or Moon's rotation.

The Moon goes around the Earth
in a single day.
The Moon does not rotate.

Knowledge

Skills

Students will know

Students will be able to

The names of each moon phase.

The definition of the vocabulary
terms revolve, rotate, axis
Why the moon appears to go
through 8 different phases

Identify each phase of the moon

Explain why we the moon appears
different during different
phases/times.
Explain the role of relative position
and motion in determining sequence
of the phases of the moon.

Stage 2: Assessment Evidence

Performance Task Description
Goal

Role
Audience
Situation
Product/
Performance
Standards

After the lessons, students will successfully be able to explain the

role of relative position and motion in determining sequence of
the phases of the moon. They will also be able to identify and
name each of the 8 moon phases.
Under the guidance and instruction of the teacher and media
specialist, students will be responsible for creating their own
physical or digital model of the 8 phases of the moon.
4th Grade Students, Teacher, Media Specialist
Students will work in both a classroom environment and the
media center computer lab.
Students will create a graphic organizer to help them learn the
terms for each moon phase, i.e. gibbous, waxing, wanning,
quarter, etc. and use Oreo cookies to create the phases of the
moon.
AASL Standards for the 21st-Century Learner
1.1.7 Make sense of information gathered from diverse sources
by identifying misconceptions, main and supporting ideas,
conflicting information, and point of view or bias.
1.3.1 Respect copyright/ intellectual property rights of creators
and producers.
1.4.4 Seek appropriate help when it is needed.
2.1.2 Organize knowledge so that it is useful.
2.2.4 Demonstrate personal productivity by completing products
to express learning.
2.3.1 Connect understanding to the real world.
3.1.3 Use writing and speaking skills to communicate new
understandings effectively.
3.1.4 Use technology and other information tools to organize and
display knowledge and understanding in ways that others can

view, use, and assess.

Link to AALS Standards:
http://www.ala.org/aasl/sites/ala.org.aasl/files/content/guidelinesa
ndstandards/learningstandards/AASL_Learning_Standards_2007.p
df

Stage 3: Learning Plan

Where are your
students headed?
Where have they
been? How will you
make sure the
students know where
they are going?
How will you hook
students at the
beginning of the unit?

What events will help

students experience
and explore the big
idea and questions in
the unit? How will you
equip them with
needed skills and
knowledge?

How will you cause

students to reflect and
rethink? How will you

Students will use prior knowledge about the different

ways they see the moon and the terms they use to
describe the moon. The students will be given a pre-test
and post-test over the 8 phases of the moon using the
correct terms. At the end of the unit both test results will
be compared to assess their growth.
The lesson will begin with a Youtube Video
https://youtu.be/79M2lSVZiY4 on the Phases of the Moon
Rap by Dr.Lee. The video will be followed by a brief
classroom discussion of the different phases of the moon
and their names. The students will be asked why they
believe the moon appears differently during each phase.
After hearing a lesson and participating in a class
discussion with the teacher with assistance from the
media specialist, Day One will involve the students
creating a graphic organizer that will cover the terms for
the moon phases, new moon, full moon, first quarter,
third quarter, waxing, wanning, crescent, and gibbous.
On Day Two and Day Three, the students will work with
a partner (or by themselves if they prefer) and use a Web
2.0 tool to create their own presentation of the Phases of
the Moon. They must have a model and description of the
moon phases. They will use the storify created by the
media specialist to guide their studies.
(https://storify.com/KeataL/getting-started )

The presentation should include two main sections

including a model of the 8 moon phases and a description
of each phase. The descriptions should include the name
of each phase and why is appears the way we see it in
the night sky. Students should make the connection
between how the Earth revolves around the sun and its
effect on how we see the moon. Students will be given
the opportunity to review the Ethical Use of Information
curated list of resources as a reminder not to plagiarize
their sources. The presentation will be given in front of
the class.
As students work on their assignment, students will be
encouraged to use various sources to validate their
information. The teacher and media specialist will

guide them in
rehearsing, revising,
and refining their
work?
How will you help
students to exhibit
and self-evaluate their
growing skills,
knowledge, and
understanding
throughout the unit?
How will you tailor and
otherwise personalize
the learning plan to
optimize the
engagement and
effectiveness of ALL
students, without
compromising the
goals of the unit?
How will you organize
and sequence the
learning activities to
optimize the
engagement and
achievement of ALL
students?

encourage the students to carefully examine their

sources to identify articles that are factual versus those
that are fiction.
As students perform their research for their
presentations, they will be encouraged to ask
themselves: Is the resource I am using free to use? Am I
avoiding plagiarism? Do I truly understand the different
phases of the moon or do I just have the terms
memorized? Am I approaching my research in an ethical
manner?
Students will be given the option of working in pairs or
alone if they choose. Students will be allowed to select
the Web 2.0 tool of their choice for the presentation
rather than being assigned a tool. Information will be
presented in a variety of formats including discussion,
video, print, and online to reach the maximum number of
students.
The lesson will be sequenced in the following way:
1. Class Discussion on The Phases of the Moon and
Important Terms
2. Creation of the Graphic Organizers
3. Discussion of the Phases of the Moon and Instructions
for the Model/Presentation Assignment
4. Review of the Ethical Use of Information for Students
5. Presentation of the Storify on the Phases of the Moon
for the students to explore
6. Creation of the phases of the moon presentations
7. Presentation of the Phases of the Moom
This lesson was designed to keep students involved and
interested by presenting the information in a variety of
formats.

From: Wiggins, Grant and J. Mc Tighe. (1998). Understanding by Design, Association for Supervision
and Curriculum Development.