The document discusses the phases of the moon. It explains that as the moon orbits the Earth over 28 days, the angle of illumination changes from our perspective, causing it to appear to go through eight phases from new moon to full moon and back again. These phases include the waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, last quarter, and waning crescent. Diagrams and a modeling activity are provided to illustrate how the changing positions of the Earth, moon, and sun cause the moon to appear to change shape over the course of its orbit.

1. THE HOOK
The Phases of the Moon Rap

2. Phases of the moon

3. LEARNING INTENTION
•To become familiar with the phases
of the moon
•To understand how and why they
appear

4. SUCCESS CRITERIA
•I understand how and why the
phases of the moon occur
•I know the 8 phases of the moon

5. Phases of the Moon
Video

6. Why does the moon
appear to change
shape?
The moon orbits the earth.
It takes 28 days for the moon
to go around the earth once
The only reason we can see
the moon is because it reflects
the light from the sun
Only one half of the moon is
ever lit
As the moon travels around
the earth we see different
amounts of the lit side of the
moon

7. Day 1 - New
moon
The dark side of the moon is
facing the earth

8. New moon
The dark side of the
moon is facing the earth

9. Day 4 – Waxing
Crescent

10. Waxing Crescent
We begin to see part of the
side of the moon that is lit up

11. Day 7 – First quarter

12. First Quarter
Confused!? It’s obviously a half moon but
is called a quarter moon because it has
gone quarter of the way around the earth

13. Day 10 – Waxing
Gibbous

14. Waxing Gibbous
The moon is now in a position where
we can see most of the side that is lit
up

15. Day 14 – Full
moon

16. Full moon
The moon is pretty much opposite
the sun now and so we can see all of
the part that is lit up

17. Day 18 – Waning
Gibbous

18. Waning Gibbous
The moon is now in a position where
we can see most of the lit side of the
moon

19. Day 21 – Last
quarter

20. Last Quarter
The moon is in the last
quarter of it’s way around the

21. Day 24 – Waning
Crescent

22. Waning Crescent
We are starting to lose sight of
the side of the moon that is lit up

23. Day 28 - New
moon
The dark side of the moon is
facing the earth again

25. The Phases of the Moon
The dotted lines represent our line of sight from Earth

26. New Moon
The New Moon occurs when the moon is positioned between
the earth and sun. The three objects are in approximate
alignment. The entire illuminated portion of the moon is on
the back side of the moon, the half that we cannot see.

27. After the new moon, the sunlit portion is
increasing, but less than half, so it is a
WAXING CRESCENT

28. Waxing Crescent

29. Waxing Crescent

30. Waxing Crescent

31. Half Moon Waxing
The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"), happen when the
moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of
the moon illuminated and half in shadow.

32. Waxing Gibbous
After the first quarter, the sunlit portion is still
increasing, but now it is more than half, so it is waxing
gibbous

33. Waxing Gibbous

34. Waxing Gibbous

35. Waxing Gibbous

36. Full Moon
At a full moon, the earth, moon, and sun are in approximate
alignment, just as the new moon, but the moon is on the opposite
side of the earth, so the entire sunlit part of the moon is facing us.
The shadowed portion is entirely hidden from view.

37. Half Moon Waning
The first quarter and third quarter moons (both often called a "half moon"), happen when the
moon is at a 90 degree angle with respect to the earth and sun. So we are seeing exactly half of
the moon illuminated and half in shadow.

38. Waning Gibbous

39. Waning Gibbous

40. Waning Gibbous

41. Waning Gibbous

42. Waning Gibbous
After the full moon (maximum illumination), the light
continually decreases. So the waning gibbous phase
occurs next.

43. Waning Crescent

44. Waning Crescent

45. Waning Crescent

46. Waning Crescent
Following the third quarter is the waning crescent,
which wanes until the light is completely gone

47. New Moon
the new moon occurs when the moon is
positioned between the earth and sun. The
three objects are in approximate alignment. The
entire illuminated portion of the moon is on the
back side of the moon, the half that we cannot
see.

48. Modelling the phases of the moon
You will need:
polystyrene ball, lamp and a retort stand
Working in groups of 3 –
1. One person acts as the earth and the other holds the ball
(moon) and the other holds the lamp (sun).
2. Darken the room and aim the lamp (sun) at the ball
(moon). The student holding the moon walks around the
earth in an anticlockwise direction, holding the same side
towards the earth.
3. Try to identify each of the 8 phases of the moon as they
are seen by the person representing the earth.
4. Stop rotating briefly when each of the phases is identified
so that the positions of the sun, earth an moon can be
recorded on your worksheet.

49. Make your own Phases of the Moon
Flip Book

50. Review
1. How many phases does the moon have?
2. What side of the moon do we see first?
3. What is it called when the moon appears to grow?
4. What is it called when the moon appears to get smaller?
5. How many days does it take the moon to complete a cycle?
6. Name the eight phases of the moon?
7. What is it called when you see more light in the moon (greater than
semicircle and less than a circle)?
8. What is it called when you see less light in the moon
9. What is a natural body that revolves around a planet
10. One of the shapes the moon seems to have as it orbits Earth.
11. How long does it take the earth to make one full turn on it's axis?
12. How long does the Earth's orbit take?

51. Answers
1. eight
2. dark side
3. waxing
4. wane
5. 29 1/2 days or 1 month
6. new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning
gibbous, last quarter, waning crescent
7. gibbous
8. Crescent
9. Moon
10. Phase
11. 24 Hours
12. 365 days