Moon Phase Fun

I love incorporating models into science lessons. With moon phases, this was especially useful to get students to truly understand the phases of the moon. I used three (yes three) different models and had students compare and contrast each model and how that model helped deepen their understanding of the phases of the moon.

First up- Moon on a stick
​With this model, students worked in groups of three to model the phases.

One student played the part of the moon. This student walked around the earth always ensuring that the light side of the moon was facing the sun.

The student playing the earth had to observe what they saw as the moon orbited around them.

The student playing the sun had one job and one job only. Stand proudly as the provider of energy and light. :)

Students switched jobs so each could see the moon from the earth's perspective. When they finished they recorded what they observed on their moon phase sheet.

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Moon Phase Board
The class favorite by far. Prep this beauty by getting some white balls. Paint one half of the balls white. Find a piece of cardboard and cut a hole on one side. I used a bowl to trace the hole and a knife to cut it out. Then, glue the balls around the hole- the white side of the balls should all face the same direction. I used foam balls purchased at a craft store but if I were to do it again, I would use ping-pong balls as they are much easier to paint.  I added a sun to the end of the board that the white balls all faced and walla! Model complete. Students took turns spinning around, observing what happened to the moon at each phase as the moved around. After each observed the phases, they worked together to fill out their phases of the moon worksheet.

The Standard Model
The kids had a blast with this one as well but it was admittedly a bit more tricky to observe. This group had to find a dark space (luckily I have a large closet with an outlet in it.) They took turns operating the model and recorded their observations on their moon model worksheet when they were done.
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https://amzn.to/2M7KZNW

Students got to observe each model. When we were all finished, we discussed how the use of different models deepened our understanding and made arguments about which model was most effective and why.