SETON HILL UNIVERSITY
Lesson Plan Template
TOPIC
Name
Subject
Grade Level
Date/Duration
Big Ideas
Essential
Questions
PA/Common
Core/Standards
DETAILS
Miss. Gallen
Earth and Space Science
Fourth Grade
One Class/Sixty Minutes
The moon goes through eight phases every month
Objective
Bloom's
Taxonomy
Webb's Depth of
Knowledge
(DOK)
Formative &
Summative
Assessment
Evidence
ISTE Standards
for Students
Framework for
21st Century
Learning
Accommodation
s, Modifications
SUPERVISING
TEACHERS
SIGNATURE
What are the eight phases of the moon?
Why does the moon go through different phases?
3.3.4.B1
Identify planets in our solar system and their basic
characteristics
Describe the Earths place in the solar system that
includes the sun (a star), planets, and moons
Recognize that the universe contains many billions of
galaxies and that each galaxy contains billions of stars
In a large group, fourth grade students will successfully
identify the phases of the moon two out of three times
In small groups, fourth grade students will describe how
the sun affects the phases of the moon with seventyfive percent accuracy
Formative Assessment: Students will write down the
eight phases of the moon on exit slips.
Summative Assessment: Provide an end-of-unit test on
all aspects of our solar system
6b
Students communicate clearly and express themselves creatively for a
variety of purposes using the platforms, tools, styles, formats and
digital media appropriate to their goals.
Students create original works or responsibly repurpose
or remix digital resources into new creations
Students will digitally create a project showing the
phases of the moon
Extended notes will be provided for Johnathon
Johnathon will be given additional time will be given to
complete assignments
Johnathon will be able to sit in the front of the room for
presentations
Johnathon will only need to present on four stages of
the moon
CK
Seton Hill University Lesson Plan Template Step-by-Step
Procedures
RATIONALE for
the Learning
Plan
Introduction
Explicit
Instructions
This lesson will be taught after the students completely
understand Standard 3.3.4.B1-Identify planets in our solar
system and their basic characteristics. This lesson will provide
the knowledge of Earths position in our solar system before
they start to learn about the moons (specifically Earths
moon).
Activating Prior Knowledge
Have the students identify what they see at night in the
sky
Ask if there are places that you cannot see the moon or
stars
Hook/Lead-In/Anticipatory Set
Watch clip from Bill Nye the Science Guy-The Moon
(0:00-4:07)
Big Idea Statement
There are eight phases of the moon
Essential Questions Statement
What are the phases of the moon?
Why are there moon phases?
Objective Statement
Students will identify the stages of the moon
Students will describe how the sun changes the phases
of the moon
Transition
Students are grouped by the phases of the moon and
called to switch tables
Key Vocabulary
Moon
New Moon
Half Moon
Full Moon
First Quarter
Last Quarter
Waning
Waxing
Crescent
Gibbous
Sun
Phase
Month
Day
Night
Orbit
Rotate
Axis
CK
Lesson
Procedure
Cycle
PreAssessment of Students
Students take a pre-test to determine their knowledge of
the phases of the moon
Modeling of the Concept
Students share what they know about the moon in small
group discussions
o Questions will be written on the board and
students will discuss them with their peers in their
desk groups
o Each student will use a piece of notebook paper to
write down their answer to the questions
o Students will be given five minutes to discuss and
come up with answers
o Each small group will be paired with another small
group to discuss their answers
o The larger groups will be given seven minutes to
share
New Moon and Full Moon
o In a big group discussion, students will be asked to
describe a full moon
o After students successfully identify the full moon,
students will be asked to identify a new moon
o Pictures of a new moon and a full moon will be
posted on the board
Moon PowerPoint
o There will be a short PowerPoint Presentation on
the phases of the moon
o Before the presentation, students will receive six
Oreo cookies
o As the different moons are being discussed,
students will represent the moons on their Oreo
cookies using the filling to show the phase
Phases Research
o Students will be separated by phases of the moon
o The groups will be researching the phase given to
them
o Each group will receive computers and books
about the phases of the moon
o The groups will research the phases and write
down the important information that they find
o The research will be handed in to the teacher to be
reviewed
Bill Nye the Science Guy-The Moon
o Students will finish watching Bill Nye the Science
Guy-The Moon
Moon Foldable
o The research that the students completed earlier
in the day will be returned to the desks
o Students will create a foldable using their research
and their peers research
o Students will be given black paper, moon cut outs,
and a white and yellow crayon
o Students will color and cut out the phases of the
moon on the moon cut outs and glue them to the
black paper
o Students will use the white crayon to write the
information about each stage of the moon next to
the picture
o Students will rotate to each station to complete
the information for each phase of the moon
Reading
Materials
Technology
Equipment
Supplies
Evaluation of
the
Learning/Master
Guiding the Practice
Students share what they know about the moon in small
group discussions
o Do you agree with what your peers say?
o Is this what you see when you look at the moon?
o Why does the moon go through different phases?
o Looks Fors-Changing size, Similar answers, Light
and Dark parts of the moon
Phases Research
o What makes your phase different from the other
phases?
o What do your peers need to know about your
phase?
o Look Fors-Sun, Reflection, Orbit, Cycle, Axis
Moon Foldable
o Does this information seem correct?
o Do you see this when you go outside at night?
o How do the phases change?
o Look Fors-Sun, Reflection, Differences
Providing the Independent Practice
Students will use black circular paper and white paper
and cut out the different phases
The white phases will be glued onto the black circle to
show all eight phases in a row
Transition
Students are grouped by the phases of the moon and
called to switch tables
Computers
White and Black Paper
Oreos
Scissors
Bill Nye the Science Guy-The Moon
White Crayons
Formal Evaluation
The information students collect on the phases will be
y of the
Concept
Closure
Teacher
Self-reflection
collected and reviewed
This grade will go into their classwork grade
Informal Evaluation
Students will be observed while working on their Moon
Foldable
A rubric will be used to evaluate the students on their
foldable
This will be completed as they work on it
Summary & Review of the Learning
Students will use their foldable to share what they
learned in class
Students will be evaluated as they discuss what they
learned
Students will write down the hardest phase they
encountered
Students will discuss as a class how the lesson can be
improved
Homework/Assignments
Students will finish cutting out and gluing their different
phases of the moon
Students will put together their project about the stages
of the moon
