Eight Lunar Phases, Lunar Rotation and Revolutionary Periods

Eight Lunar Phases, Lunar Rotation and Revolutionary Periods

Course(s)/Subject(s): Investigating Matter and Energy

Grade Level(s): 8

Key Words: science, technology, lunar phases, slide show

Developer(s) Name: Anne Murray

School: Irving MS

Approximate Time Frame: 90 minutes

Materials/Equipment Needed: ClarisWorks 4.0 or 5.0
Internet Access
Computer Lab (15 stations)
Completed Lab: "It's Just A Phase"
Floppy Disks (students will have to bring one and
format it for the computer lab)

Description of Lesson (includes context):
This will serve as one possible assessment tool to measure students' knowledge of the lab "It's Just A Phase." Students will create a ClarisWorks' slide show presentation in pairs to show their knowledge of the eight lunar phases and lunar rotation and revolutionary periods by creating a ten page (minimum) slide show document. Each lab pair will have to successfully download lunar images from the Internet and copy and paste them into a slide show and/or create individual draw documents to visually display their knowledge of the illuminated portions of the moon throughout a month.

LESSON OUTLINE

1. What is the objective of this lesson?

FCPS POS Standards: Standard 1, Standard3, Standard 5

FCPS POS Benchmarks: 8.3.1, 8.3.2, 8.3.3, 8.5.1
FCPS POS Indicators: 8.3.1-4, 8.3.2-1, 8.3.2-2, 8.3.2-3, 8.2.3-2, 8.3.3-2, 8.3.3-4,
8.5.1-1, 8.1.13-1, 8.1.13-3

VA SOL(s) (including Computer/Technology): SOL 6.10, SOL PS.1,

Other:

EVIDENCE

2. What will we examine as evidence of students' knowledge and/or skill?

Product(s): ClarisWorks slide show (10 page minimum)

Performance(s): Each pair will present their slide show to the class.

Other:

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DIRECTIONS

3. What exactly will the students and teacher do during the lesson?

Directions to students for proceeding with the lesson:
1. Create a 10 page slide show to show your knowledge of the moon and its eight lunar
phases. Use the instruction sheet given in the lab on how to correctly log in
to the computer, format a disk, and create a slide show.
2. The first page of your slide show will serve as a title page. On this page you willneed
to include a downloaded picture of the moon from the Internet, a title of your slide
show presentation,the lab pair's names, date and period number. You must include a
brief paragraph of text which explains the moon's rotation and revolution period and
the why the moon looks different to us on earth during eachmonth.
3. The second page through the ninth page will need to include each lunar phase of the
moon from the beginning of its cycle to the end along with a correct title of that phase.
This may be done by drawing a picture of thephase with the ClarisWorks' toolbox or
by cutting and pasting lunar images of the phases from the Internet sites given by your
teacher. When using images from these sites, remember to cite the source of the image
on each page.
4. On the final page of the slide show, use the Virtual Reality Moon Phase Pictures site to
find the way the moon looked on the day you were born and the moon phase for your
partner's birthday. Download the images and paste them into your slide show. Write a
caption for each image which identifies the date, the moon phase and the student whose
birthday the phase represents. (Cite the source of the image.)
5. If time remains, you and your partner may add a lunar trivia page with questions and
interesting images you found at the sites. You could also draw or create your own
images to add to the end of the presentation

Directions to teacher/administrator using the lesson?
1. Prior to this lesson, the eighth grade lab "It's Just A Phase" needs to be completed by
all students.
2. Schedule a computer lab for two consecutive days and conduct a reminder discussion
with the students regarding the ethical use of the Internet and how to cite sources used
from the Internet.
3. Check Internet sites (see attachment) the day before the lesson to make sure these sites
are current and active for students to use. These sites can be bookmarked the previous
day or, students can type in the addresses for experience:
Internet sites to find special dates
http://btc.montana.edu/ceres/html/birthdayphases.html
http://tycho.usno.navy.mil/vphase.html
For lunar phase information use these Internet sites:
http://www.calvin.edu/~lmolnar/moon/index.html
http: www.badastronomy.com/bad/misc/moonphases.html
4. Type up instructions for students to use on how to format disks and cite Internet
sources correctly. A direction sheet will also need to typed on how to create aslide
show from a ClarisWorks word processing document with the toolbox, and how to
download images from the Internet and copy and paste them into their documents.

APPROPRIATE ACCOMMODATIONS/MODIFICATIONS

4. What options in presentation(s) and/or response(s) are suggested in order to provide the opportunity for all students to demonstrate achievement of the

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benchmark(s) and indicator(s)?

For special populations, such as LD or ED students, limit the lesson to teaching only one way of creating the images of the lunar phases. With these students it is preferable to use the Internet images from the given sites and teach them to copy and paste them into their slide shows. Extensions could include more pages and information which students could research from the sites given, or students could be given permission to try a lunar phase search with guidance. The task for students was originally conceived as a tour guide for the moon, and this would definitely be an optionif more time could be allotted.