Kelsey Brown
Grad
e
1st
Length of
Lesson:
Lesson Title:
Investigation Question:
Moon Journalists
Why does the Moon look different throughout the month?
30-40
Minutes/Day
for 4 Weeks
(Relation to the Unit) As the second lesson of the unit Moon Journalists.
will focus on students observing the moon and collecting data for it over 4
weeks. Then, as the final portion of the lesson students will make sense of
their observations by representing it in a calendar.
(Engage) I will read students this poem about the moon and they will
illustrate it as I read it. I will read slowly and at least twice to make sure
they have time to draw it.
Follow The Moon
by Marie Tully
I followed the moon
Or did it follow me
I turned a corner
It was still there you see
I tried to trick it
In the shadows I hid
But the moon kept on watching
That's what it did
A cloud passed before it
Now was my chance
But the stars in the sky
Never could lie
I walked on through the night
The moon followed me home
Or did I follow the moon
I don't quite know
I will ask students share their drawings with their neighbor and tell them
what they drew. I will collect drawings and glance through them to get an
idea what students know about the moon.
(Experience) Students will be recording drawings of the moon in
their moon journals. Every two nights it will be the responsibility of two
students to look out at the moon and draw what they see. The two students
will bring in their drawings the next day and show the class. The teacher
will then have the class draw in what the moon looked like for those nights
based on the drawings the two students brought in. This will continue over
a 4 week period of time.
(Explain) Students will see that the moon appears to change from day
to day. The teacher will show students the moon calendar. The teacher
guides students to recognizing that the moon changes consistently
2
throughout the month. Once students recognize the pattern I can introduce
the moon waxes, wanes and possibly phases vocaublary. We will make a
claim about why the moon looks different throughout the month and base
our evidence in class observations.
Expected Prior Practice-Based Knowledge & Experience Important
for this Lesson:
Practice Based:
Asking Questions and defining problems:
Students should be familiar with asking questions, and defining
basic problems. Specifically, students should be able to make a list
of questions about moon phases.
2. Developing and using models: Students should have prior knowledge
with observing something and drawing what they saw. It may be an abstract
drawing that others have a difficult time understanding but the student
should know what it is. In lesson, the idea is to have students set up a
notebook to record their lessons.
Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information: students will have
had practice working in groups, and talking to the teacher about what they
think. This is important to this lesson because it provides students the
ability to work in groups and teach each other about moon phases
Experienced Based:
The first lesson of the unit will a math lesson. This lesson focuses on
geometric shapes, and is creatively titled The Space Shapes Lesson. This
lesson will have taught students that the moon is spherical.
Standards
Addressed
(NGSS &
NC):
NC: 1.E.1.2
Recognize patterns of observable changes in the Moons appearance from day to day.
NGSS: 1-ESS1-1.
Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.
DESIRED RESULTS
Learning Goal (should be specific and measurable)
Learning SWBAT make observations about the appearance of the moon over a long period of time.
Goal:
Write an example scientific explanation that students should be able to construct based on your
lesson:
Investigat Why does the Moon look different throughout the month?
ion
Question:
Scientific Claim:
The Moon looks different because it follows a pattern of changing called
Explanatio
waxing and waning.
n:
Evidence:
The moon waxes when it gets bigger. The moon wanes when it gets smaller.
The moon changes about the same amount every day.
LEARNING PLAN
For each of the following sections of the lesson, describe the activities that students will participate
in. Make sure you provide enough detail so that 1) someone else could follow your lesson plan, 2) you
provide descriptions of what you will be doing and saying. What questions will you be asking
students? What will you be listening for? What will you do if students arent there yet? What
practices will you incorporate in the various stages of the lessons?
Teaching Plan
Anticipated Student Responses
Engage:
This will be the first lesson of the unit
plan on moon phases. I will read students
I will watch for students to mention any of
this poem about the moon and they will
these misconceptions throughout the lesson.
illustrate it as I read it. I will read slowly
and at least twice to make sure they have
Common Misconceptions:
Teaching
time
to
draw
it.
1. Clouds cover the part of the moon that we
Practices:
cannot see.
Anticipating Follow The Moon
by Marie Tully
2. Planets cast shadows on the part of the
moon that we cannot see.
I followed the moon
3. The shadow of the sun falls on the moon,
Or did it follow me
blocking our view of it.
I turned a corner
4. The shadow of the earth falls on the moon,
blocking our view.
It was still there you see
5. The phases are explained in terms of the
portion of illuminated side of the moon visible
I tried to trick it
from the earth (scientific viewpoint).
See:
In the shadows I hid
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?
But the moon kept on watching
4
doi=10.1.1.553.8655&rep=rep1&type=pdf
Experience:
Explain:
CONSIDERATIONS
What challenges do you anticipate will occur while teaching this lesson? What might you do to
mitigate those challenges? What accommodations and scaffolding may be necessary for struggling
learners? What will you do ensure that talented learners remain challenged?
The moon may not be visible during everyday of the 4 week observations. If this were the
beginning of the month, I would have the students just draw clouds for that day. If this were towards
the end of the observing period, and I felt students were recognizing that the moon was consistently
changing from day to day, I would ask the students to draw what it might have looked like.
Another concern I have is students forgetting to observe. This is why I have two students
observing every night but it is still very likely that both students could forget. I plan to make the job
of observing the moon every night a big responsibility so that students are more intrinsically
motivated to remember and record the moon. If the worst case scenario does occur and both
students fail to record what the moon looked like, I will secretly be doing this every night anyway. I
just explain to students, lucky for the class today I just happened to draw what the moon looked
like because I was so curious. This serves two purposes. One that the class will always have data
just incase and two if students drawings are illegible, or slightly wrong I have the ability to make the
class data set more accurate.
Students are specifically placed in their groups to enhance learning and to draw on the particular
skills of each student to create the most productive groups
Periodically, I will check for student understanding by asking students to put their thumbs up or
down. This signify to me whether I need to pause and explain more or not.
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