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

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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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