Mia Angelis

November 8, 2017
Observed Lesson Plan
EDU 342—Science Methods

Lesson Title: What Happened to the Moon?

Grade Level: 2nd

State Standards Connection:

• Intended Learning Outcomes: [Standard 1]

The Processes of Science, Communication of Science, and the Nature of Science.
Students will be able to apply scientific processes, communicate scientific ideas
effectively, and understand the nature of science.

• Standard 2
Earth and Space Science. Students will gain an understanding of Earth and Space
Science through the study of earth materials, celestial movement, and weather.

o Objective 2:
Observe and record recognizable objects and patterns in the night sky.
a. Observe, describe, and record patterns in the appearance and apparent motion of the moon in the night sky.

Specific Lesson Objective:

Students will observe and partake in a mini-lesson on the moon phases in the night sky.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ybKF_qEpu8
Students will observe a time-lapse of the night sky and make observations on what
transformations the moon underwent. They will discuss in table groups what they
observed and make predictions as to why think the moon transforms in different phases.
The students will learn about the moon phases, why they occur, and how they happen.
Students will apply their scientific knowledge in their science journals by filling out a
moon phase worksheet, and applying their knowledge by manipulating Oreos into the
correct series of moon phases.

Lesson Purpose:
The purpose of this lesson is to help students explore the night sky, primarily moon
phases, and help them to understand why they occur and how they happen. Through this
lesson students should be able to observe, describe, and record the moon phases in the
night sky.
Vocabulary Focus:
Waxing, Waning, Gibbous, Crescent, Illuminated, First Quarter, Last Quarter, New
Moon, Full Moon

Materials:
• Observation sheet (1 per student)
• Moon phase worksheet – to put in their journals (1 per student)
• Cut outs of moon phases (1 set per table group)
• Moon calendar (1 per student)
• Oreos (4 per student)
• Oreo worksheet (1 per student)
• Crayons / Colored Pencils/ Markers (per table group)
• White board / or chart paper

Anticipated Time Frame:

45 minutes

Engage and Launch: (7-10 minutes longer because of video)

• This year we have had quite the experiences in the sky, haven’t we? What was the
big thing we had this year – no too long ago? (Solar Eclipse) Right! Well after
that I started thinking more about the sky, but particularly the moon. Have you
ever noticed that the moon looks different? Some days it’s huge! Other days
there’s just a sliver… do we know why that is? (Hands will raise, answer 1 or 2
but encourage them to keep these ideas in their minds) I see lots of ideas, but keep
those great ideas to yourself for now. . .
• Now I will play my students a video about the moon phases that guides them
through the moon phases with closed-captioned lyrics and a catchy beat.
https://youtu.be/xBc8QHSsFgE
• Now is when I would transition into Explore and play the time-lapse video for the
students of the moon phases—picking up where we left off in the engage section.

Teacher Role: Asks questions; Assesses prior knowledge

Student Role: Has an interest; Calls upon prior knowledge; Develops a need to know
Explore/Do: (10 minutes)
• Now with all those good ideas in your minds and that quick informational video,
we are going to watch a time lapse of the moon phases. We are going to watch
this video twice, once at the carpet and once back at our seats. Once we are at our
seats you will receive an observation paper and, like every good scientist, you are
going to write down what you observed.
• Once students return to seats and make observations I will ask students to discuss
their observations with their tables about what they observed and wrote down.
• After small tables have discussed I will ask the student to share out what they
observed and I will write the observations on the board.
• After we have talked about the observations I am going to pass out the cutouts of
the moon phases to each small table.
• The small groups will then work for 3 minutes with each other to put the phase
cutouts in the correct order. (This is very fast but since we haven’t defined the
moon phases yet this is just a test of previous knowledge and what they gained
briefly from the videos.)
• This is a good time for me to observe the students table groups, correct off-task
behavior, and assess with open ended questions
• After the 3 minutes are up I will go look at each table group and check the order
of their moon phases.

Teacher Role: Makes open suggestions; Questions and probes; Provides feedback;
Assesses understanding and processes
Student Role: Explores resources and materials; Records observations and ideas

Explain/Summarize: (15-18 minutes)

• Following the time-lapse I will create an anchor chart either on chart paper or the
white board that defines the moon phases (with drawings) for the students to use.
• DEFINE THE FOLLOWING TERMS ON THE BOARD FOR STUDENT
TO FILL IN ON THE FOLLOW ALONG WORKSHEET.
New Moon—The moon is facing the same way as the sun, so it looks dark (we
don’t see it). Waxing Crescent—The moon is becoming visible but we only see a
small sliver of it forming a crescent shape on the right side of the moon. Quarter
Moon—The moon is ¼ of the way around the earth so we can see the right half of
the moon clearly (shade the left half). Waxing Gibbous—The moon appears
almost full, only a small crescent on the right side is not seen. Full Moon—We
 can see the entire moon (no shading). Waning Gibbous—The moon begins to
darken, only a small sliver of the right side is shaded. Last Quarter—We can see
a half moon (shade in the right half). Waning Crescent—The moon is almost
back to black (the “new phase”) shade in everything except a sliver on the left
side.
• Students will follow along on their worksheet. They will put the correct name of
what phase is occurring next to the correct drawing of the moon. They can use my
definitions and my drawings as a reference. This will later be taped into their
journal.
• After the completion of their moon phase chart I will pass out the Oreos and the
Oreo worksheet for the students to create and arrange their moon phases in the
correct order.
• After passing out the Oreos I would clearly express that the Oreos are not to be
eaten until I say so and eating the Oreos will result in no participation.
• I will tell students that I allow and encourage them to work in their small group
tables asking questions to each other if they have any before asking me.
• During this time I will walk around and scaffold.
• I will also ask open-ended questions that will help me to gauge understanding

Teacher Role: Ask for clarification and evidence from students; Enhances or clarifies
explanations; Uses students’ experiences as a basis for explaining new concepts;
Assesses understanding and processes
Student Role: Clarifies understandings; Shares understandings from feedback; Forms
generalizations; Seeks new explanations
and clear up any confusion.

Elaborate: (7-10 minutes)

• Students will need to have their moon phase Oreos checked off by me so I can
assess their understanding and correct any errors that the students may have made.
• Once they have been checked off the students will need to draw pictures of their
Oreos on the sheet in the correct place.
• As I close the lesson, I will ask the students questions about the phases such as:
“What phase is this [and I will point to a phase]?” “What moon occurs when we
cannot see the moon at all? New Moon” “What moon phase occurs when we can
see all of the moon? Full moon” My intention is check how much content the
students have mastered.

Teacher Role: Ask questions that make students access recently learned
knowledge/pervious knowledge; Give scenarios to students that incorporate questions
Student Role: Applies new knowledge through the answering of questions; Asks
questions; Asks clarifying questions
Evaluate/Assess (plus home extension): (5 minutes)
• Formative assessments will occur during each phase because I will ask the
students questions to assess their understanding.
• For a summative assessment; however, I will give the students a blank Moon
calendar and I will ask the students to track the night sky for a whole month.
Drawing a picture and labeling the phase that the moon is in. The calendars will
be collected at the end of the month as a performance assessment.
Teacher Role: Observe and assess students, ask open-ended questions
Students Role: Demonstrate an understanding of the moon phase concepts; answer
open-ended questions through their observations, complete summative moon phase
assessment.

Adaptations for Special Needs:

The few ELL students in the class do not share the same first language with other
students; however, they are paired in small table groups that work well in asking
questions and answering questions. My intention is by having the few students spread
amongst the group that their table groups will be of assistance to them and be able to
explain/answer questions in different ways than I would be able to. The science
definitions will be defined clearly on the board for the students to follow along and write
down on their worksheet that will later be transferred to a journal.

Students in special education will benefit from the ability to work in small groups with
their peers. This lesson is rather hands on and open to the different ways that students can
solve a problem. That being said, all the students can share their thoughts and ideas,
nothing is strictly independent besides their extension (tracking the monthly moon
phase), which can be altered into tracking it for the first two weeks, or verbally
explaining what they saw instead of writing it down. Students who struggle with speech
or writing will have the assistance of peers in their group to help them answer the
questions/ place the moon phases in the correct order.

Advance learners have additional options as well. These students can pair off with other
students who may be finishing early, or seem to have a good grasp on what is being
discussed, and ask questions with each other to further their knowledge. If they are
finishing significantly earlier, I will pose further questions to these students about the
night’s sky. Or ask the students to do research on the moon phases as a further extension.
However I don’t want these learners to have extra work, so my judgment of what I would
ask them to do further would come from their fascination with what was taught in
combination with their level of understanding. More than likely I would pose further
development questions.