Lesson 2 | Earth’s Moon
Lesson 2 | Earth’s Moon
|Student Labs and Activities |Page |Appropriate For: |
|Launch Lab |28 |all students |
|Content Vocabulary |29 |all students |
|Lesson Outline |30 |all students |
|MiniLab |32 |all students |
|Content Practice A |33 |[pic] |
|Content Practice B |34 | [pic] |
|School to Home |35 |all students |
|Key Concept Builders |36 |[pic] |
|Enrichment |40 |all students |
|Challenge |41 | [pic] |
|Assessment | | |
|Lesson Quiz A |42 |[pic] |
|Lesson Quiz B |43 | [pic] |
| | | |
| | | |
|[pic] |Approaching Level |[pic] |On Level |[pic] |Beyond Level |[pic] |English-Language Learner |
Teacher evaluation will determine which activities to use or modify to meet any student’s proficiency level.
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 27
Name Date Class
LESSON 2: 15 minutes
Why does the Moon appear to change shape?
The Sun is always shining on Earth and the Moon. However, the Moon’s shape seems
to change from night to night and day to day. What could cause the Moon’s appearance
to change?
Procedure
1. Read and complete a lab safety form.
2. Place a ball on a level surface.
3. Position a flashlight so that the light
beam shines fully on one side of the
ball. Stand behind the flashlight.
4. Make a drawing of the ball’s
appearance in the Data and
Observations section below.
5. Stand behind the ball, facing the
flashlight, and repeat step 4.
6. Stand to the left of the ball and repeat
step 4.
Data and Observations
Think About This
1. What caused the ball’s appearance to change?
2. Key Concept What do you think produces the Moon’s changing appearance in
the sky?
28 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each statement on the lines provided. You must include the terms
below in your answer or response.
maria phase waning phase waxing phase
1. When does the waxing phase of the Moon occur?
2. Define phase.
3. Describe maria.
4. When does the waning phase of the Moon occur?
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 29
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
A. Seeing the Moon
1. Unlike the Sun, the Moon does not emit its own .
2. The Moon seems to shine because it light from the Sun.
B. The Moon’s Formation
1. Scientists hypothesize that formed from rock that was
in a ring around Earth. This ring formed when collided
with an object about the size of Mars.
2. Craters form when objects into the surface of another
object.
a. Light-colored streaks called extend in all directions
from some craters.
b. On Earth, wind, water, and plate tectonics have erased craters. The
has no wind, water, or plate tectonics.
3. Large, flat areas on the Moon are called . They formed
after most impacts on the Moon’s surface had stopped; lava flowed up through the
Moon’s crust and solidified, covering many craters and other features and then
solidifying.
4. are light-colored areas on the Moon’s surface.
C. The Moon’s Motion
1. The amount of time it takes the Moon to revolve once around Earth is
the amount of time it takes the Moon to make one
rotation. One revolution of the Moon around Earth takes
days.
2. The side of the Moon always faces Earth. The
side of the Moon cannot be seen from Earth.
D. Phases of the Moon
1. A(n) is the lit part of the Moon or a planet that can be
seen from Earth.
a. Phases of the Moon change because of the of the
Moon around Earth.
b. A(n) —the sequence of moon phases—takes 29.5 days
to complete.
30 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
Lesson Outline continued
2. More of the Moon’s near side is lit each night during the .
a. After the first week of the lunar cycle, the Moon’s entire
half is lit.
b. This phase is called the phase.
c. During the second week of the lunar cycle, when the Moon’s near side is
completely lit, it is at the moon phase.
3. Less of the Moon’s near side is lit each night during the .
a. During the third week of the lunar cycle, only the
half of the Moon is lit.
b. This phase is called the phase.
c. At the end of the lunar cycle, you cannot see any of the lit side of the Moon,
which is called the moon phase.
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 31
Name Date Class
LESSON 2: 10 minutes
How can the Moon be rotating if the same side of the
Moon is always facing Earth?
The Moon revolves around Earth. Does the Moon also rotate as it revolves around Earth?
Procedure
1. Choose a partner. One person
represents the Moon. The other
represents Earth.
2. While Earth is still, the Moon moves
slowly around Earth, always facing the
same wall.
3. Next, the Moon moves around Earth
always facing Earth. Record your
observations below.
Data and Observations
Analyze and Conclude
1. For which motion was the Moon rotating?
2. For each type of motion, how many times did the Moon rotate during one revolution
around Earth?
3. Key Concept How is the Moon actually rotating if the same side of the Moon
is always facing Earth?
32 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Directions: Use the diagram of the lunar cycle to answer each question on the lines provided.
1. Viewed from Earth, how does the Moon’s appearance change during the first week?
2. Viewed from Earth, how does the Moon’s appearance change during the second week?
3. Viewed from Earth, how does the Moon’s appearance change during the third week?
4. Viewed from Earth, how does the Moon’s appearance change during the fourth week?
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 33
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Directions: On each line, write the term from the word bank that correctly completes each sentence. Some terms
might be used more than once or not at all.
atmosphere craters cycle emits
lava maria Moon object
rays reflects ring rock
rotation waning water waxing
You are able to see the Moon because it (1.) light from the
Sun. Scientists hypothesize that the Moon formed when a huge
(2.) struck Earth. Vaporized (3.)
formed a(n) (4.) around Earth. As the ring cooled, the
(5.) formed.
The Moon’s surface has remained the same for several billions of years because it has no
(6.) or (7.) . It does, however, have
(8.) that formed from space objects that crashed into the
Moon. Light-colored streaks of blasted material called (9.)
stretch outward from some craters. Another feature found on the Moon are large dark, flat
areas called (10.) . These formed after most impacts on the
Moon’s surface had ceased; (11.) flowed up through the
Moon’s crust and solidified, covering many of the Moon’s craters and other features.
Highlands are another of the Moon’s features. These older areas are covered with craters and
were too high for the (12.) that formed maria to reach.
The Moon has a lunar (13.) with several phases. The Moon’s
(14.) and revolution are similar in time, so the same side of the
Moon always is seen from Earth. A lunar cycle lasts four weeks and includes
(15.) and (16.) phases.
34 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
For this activity, you will need a large bowl or roasting pan, flour, a small stone or marble,
and a meterstick.
1. Place the pan on a flat area of the ground outside. Put about 1 inch of flour in the pan.
2. Drop the stone or marble from five different heights onto the flour. Measure the
different heights with the meterstick.
3. Observe the crater that forms in the flour each time. Use the meterstick to measure the
height before each drop. After each drop, shake the pan to smooth out the surface of
the flour.
4. Record the heights from which you dropped the stone or marble in the first column of
the table. Record the diameter of each crater that formed in the second column.
|Height of Drop |Diameter of Crater |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
5. What is the relationship between the height of the drop and the diameter of the crater
that formed?
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 35
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Key Concept How does the Moon move around Earth?
Directions: On each line, write the term or phrase that correctly completes each sentence.
|The Moon |
|1. Reflection: I can see the Moon because light from the Sun |
|. |
|2. Formation: The giant impact hypothesis states that |
| |
|. |
|3. Surface: Three features found on the Moon are , |
|, and . |
|4. Craters: The craters that formed on the Moon have hardly changed because |
|. |
|5. Maria: These large, dark, flat areas on the Moon resulted from |
| |
|. |
|6. Highlands: Two special features of highlands are that they are |
|and |
|. |
|7. Revolution: It takes days for the Moon to make one revolution |
|around . |
|8. Rotation: It takes days for the Moon to rotate once on its |
|rotation axis. |
|9. Revolution and Rotation: The Moon makes one rotation on its axis in the same time that it |
|makes . |
|10. Face: Because of the Moon’s period of rotation and period of revolution, the same side of the |
|Moon . |
36 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Key Concept How does the Moon move around Earth?
Directions: Complete the chart by answering each question in the space provided.
|The Moon |
|Period of Rotation |Period of Revolution |
|1. How long does it take for the Moon to |4. How long does it take for the Moon to |
|complete one rotation? |complete one revolution? |
| | |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|2. Which side of the Moon is seen from Earth? |5. What causes the Moon to revolve around |
| |Earth? |
| | |
| | |
| | |
|3. What are four surface features seen on the | |
|Moon? |6. Why does the same side of the Moon always |
| |face Earth? |
Directions: Use information from the chart to write a summary about how the Moon moves around Earth.
7.
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 37
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Key Concept Why does the Moon’s appearance change?
Directions: Answer each question in the space provided.
|The Moon’s Cycle and Phases |
|Question |Answer |
|What is meant by a Moon phase? |1. |
|What causes the phase of the Moon |2. |
|to change? | |
|What is a lunar cycle? |3. |
|How long is one lunar cycle? |4. |
|When does the waxing phase occur? |5. |
|When does the waning phase occur? |6. |
Directions: Complete the chart by drawing what each Moon phase looks like as seen from Earth.
|First Quarter (Waxing) |Full Moon (Waxing) |
|Last Quarter (Waning) |New Moon (Waning) |
38 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Key Concept Why does the Moon’s appearance change?
Directions: Write the letter from the diagram that answers each question on the lines provided.
1. In which position would a person on Earth see a full moon?
2. In which position(s) would a person on Earth see a moon in the waxing phases?
3. In which position(s) would a person on Earth see a moon in the waning phases?
4. In which position would a person on Earth see a third quarter moon?
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 39
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
The surface of the Moon is different from
the surface of Earth. The Moon has little or
no water on its surface. Volcanic activity
ceased long ago. No wind, erosion, or
atmosphere are present. Yet the surface of
the Moon has at least four interesting
features.
Terrae
The surface of the Moon has areas of
low elevation, high elevation, and craters.
The areas of high elevation are called
highlands. You see these as the bright areas
of a full moon. They are also known as lunar
terrae, the Latin word for “land.”
Craters
The highlands are covered with impact
craters made by meteorites. Because there is
no blowing wind, flowing water, or shifting
tectonic plates on the Moon, impact craters
rarely change. There are two ways they can
change, even if slightly—through human
activity and by another cosmic hit. Some
craters are as large as 1,000 km across. These
were violent impacts that greatly affected
the topography of the Moon.
Maria
The Moon may be geologically inactive
now, but it has not always been inactive.
Looking up at a full moon, you can see
smooth, dark areas. These markings lead
some to see a face, or “the man in the
Moon.” These are areas of low elevation that
were filled by lava flows. There is some
speculation that lava flows filled some
enormous impact craters. The impacts would
have been violent enough to crack the
Moon’s crust and release lava over its
surface.
When Galileo first identified the surface
characteristics of the Moon, he and other
scientists of the day thought they were
looking at land (terrae) and that the smooth
lowlands were large seas. That is why we
have the name maria (MAHR ee uh; singular
mare), meaning “seas.”
Footprints
Though the Moon has never had native
inhabitants, it has many archaeological
treasures. There are flags, plaques, rover
tracks, footprints, and food bags left by
astronauts on its surface. Archaeologists
want to preserve the rover tracks and the
first human footprints on another world by
designating the landing site as a National
Historic Landmark.
Applying Critical-Thinking Skills
Directions: Respond to each statement.
1. Explain how early astronomers could mistake the maria for seas.
2. Compare the cratered surface of the Moon to the surface of Earth. Explain why the
Moon has so many craters and why very few would be observable on Earth, even if
Earth were bare.
3. Hypothesize why human artifacts on the Moon might need to be protected.
40 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Phases of the Moon
The Moon is always being illuminated by the Sun on half of its surface, except during
lunar eclipses. Because the Moon revolves around Earth, we see different amounts of this lit
half as the Moon moves in its orbit. These different amounts of light are known as moon
phases. The phases of the Moon are cyclical because its revolution around Earth is cyclical.
The circles below represent the phases of the Moon. Shade them according to the
amount of light observed at each phase, beginning with the new moon phase, which is
given for you. Imagine that the Sun’s rays are coming from the left side of the diagram.
Directions: Answer each question or respond to each statement on the lines provided.
1. Explain why an observer on Earth sees a complete moon phase cycle in one month.
2. Predict when the next full moon will occur if the last full moon occurred March 15.
3. Decide In which phase is the Moon not visible from Earth? Justify your answer.
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 41
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Multiple Choice
Directions: On the line before each question or statement, write the letter of the correct answer.
1. Why can we see the Moon?
A. It reflects sunlight.
B. It goes through phases.
C. It produces its own light.
2. What causes the Moon to revolve around Earth?
A. Earth’s gravity
B. the Sun’s gravity
C. the Moon’s lack of gravity
3. What causes the Moon to change phases?
A. its small diameter
B. its rotation on its axis
C. its movement around Earth
4. The Moon’s phase is waning when it changes from
A. first quarter to a full moon.
B. last quarter to a new moon.
C. first quarter to a new moon.
5. Because the Moon’s periods of rotation and revolution are the same, it
A. rotates backwards.
B. never really moves.
C. keeps the same side always facing Earth.
Matching
Directions: On the line before each definition, write the letter of the term that matches it correctly. Each term is
used only once.
6. the lit part of the Moon or a planet that can be
seen from Earth
7. formed when objects from space crashed into the
Moon
8. large, flat dark areas on the Moon
9. light-colored areas on the Moon’s surface
A. craters
B. highlands
C. maria
D. phase
42 The Sun-Earth-Moon System
Name Date Class
LESSON 2
Earth’s Moon
Completion
Directions: On each line, write the term that correctly completes each sentence.
1. on the Moon’s surface formed as the result of impacts
of objects from space.
2. Elevated areas on the Moon’s surface that are light in color are
called .
3. The large, dark, flat areas on the Moon are called .
4. A(n) is the lit part of the Moon or a planet that can be seen
from Earth.
5. The Moon’s periods of and are
the same.
Short Answer
Directions: Respond to each statement on the lines provided.
6. Explain why the Moon is visible from Earth.
7. State what causes the Moon to revolve around Earth.
8. Describe the effect of the Moon’s revolution around Earth in terms of how we see the
Moon.
9. Describe what happens when the Moon is waning.
The Sun-Earth-Moon System 43
-----------------------
Launch Lab
Content Vocabulary
Lesson Outline
MiniLab
Content Practice A
Full moon
Second week
Third week
First quarter
Last quarter
Earth
First week
Fourth week
New moon
Content Practice B
School to Home
Did you know?
When NASA’s astronauts traveled to the Moon, they brought back samples of rocks.
The rocks were extremely dry, because the surface of the Moon does not have any
water of its own. However, when meteorites and comets hit the Moon and form
craters, they release water. That water collects in the shadowy parts of the Moon’s
surface near its north and south poles.
Key Concept Builder
Key Concept Builder
Key Concept Builder
Key Concept Builder
Enrichment
Challenge
Lesson Quiz A
Lesson Quiz B
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