The Moon. The Freedom of the Moon I've tried the new moon tilted in the air Above a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster As you might try a jewel in your hair.

The Moon

The Freedom of the Moon

I've tried the new moon tilted in the airAbove a hazy tree-and-farmhouse cluster

As you might try a jewel in your hair.I've tried it fine with little breadth of luster,

Alone, or in one ornament combiningWith one first-water start almost shining.

I put it shining anywhere I please.By walking slowly on some evening later,I've pulled it from a crate of crooked trees,And brought it over glossy water, greater,

And dropped it in, and seen the image wallow,

The color run, all sorts of wonder follow.-- Robert Frost

S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon, and sun.a. Demonstrate the phases of the moon by

showing the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun.

S6CS5. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific and technological matters.a. Observe and explain how parts are related to other parts in systems such as weather systems, solar systems, and ocean systems including how the output from one part of a system ( in the form of material, energy, or information) can become the input to other parts. b. Identify several different models (such as physical replicas, pictures, and analogies) that could be used to represent the same thing, and evaluate their usefulness, taking into account such things as the model’s purpose and complexity.

S6CS6. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.b. Understand and describe how writing for scientific purposes is different than writing for literary purposes.c. Organize scientific information using appropriate tables, charts, graphs, and identify relationships they reveal.

Big Ideas

• Effects of relative positions

• Characteristics of earth, moon, and sun

• Phases of the moon

• Predictable alignment of the earth, moon, and sun

A Few UnderstandingsThe student will understand that• The sun produces light.• The moon reflects light.• The earth is in orbit around the sun. • The moon is in orbit around the earth.• People on earth can view the moon and the sun.• The moon’s path (orbit) is constant, but what we see from

earth depends on the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun.• The moon’s shape never changes, but how we view the

moon changes.• Moon phases occur in a set order and in a predictable

schedule because of the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun.

• A new moon occurs when the moon is between the earth and the sun.

• A full moon occurs when the earth is between the moon and the sun.

• A shadow caused by the earth interfering with the sun’s light is a lunar eclipse and IS NOT the reason for the moon phases.

Essential Questions• Why does the moon wax and wane?• Are moon phases and lunar eclipses always

predictable?• What causes the “man in the moon” appearance

on the lunar surface?• How was the moon formed? What is its story?• Are moon rocks like earth rocks?

Skills and Knowledge

• Know 4 phases• Know alignment of

earth/moon/sun during phases• Know where to locate moon in

night sky• Know that the reason we see

the moon in phases is different from why we see a lunar eclipse.

• Make a model (2-d and 3-d) depicting alignment

• Label accurately• Write narrative of sequence • Keep a record of position,

time, and phase of moon over a month period of time three times during the year (fall, winter, spring).

• Keep journal entries with data (night map, sketches, times, sky conditions).

• Research local media for information about the moon and its phases

This figure shows the Earth-Moon system looking down on the North Pole of the Earth. The sun, which is not shown, is located towards the bottom of the figure. The first quarter Moon is located at -90 degrees, (position D, above) the full Moon is located at 0 degrees (between positions B and C, above) and the third quarter Moon is located at +90 degrees (position A above).

These 4 moon images show how the moon appears from Earth from the positions

shown in the previous slide.

http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forkids/home/CS_What_Will_Moon_Look_Like.html

• What Will the Moon Look Like Tonight? The moon has a lot of different looks. Pick a date. You can see what the moon will look like then.

• Click on a date or use the + to move the image through the phases and match to the date

Moon Phase Demo

1. Try this little demonstration. You will need a lamp and a small ball (like a tennis ball or a softball). If the lamp has a shade, take it off. Pretend the lamp is the Sun, the ball is the Moon, and your head is Earth. Darken the room except for the lamp.

2. Now, hold the ball straight out in front of you. Stand facing the lamp. The ball will appear dark because the lighted side of the ball is facing away from you. This position represents the New Moon, dark and about to be born.

3. Now, turn just a little tiny bit to your left, still holding the ball straight out. You will see only a thin lighted crescent on the right side of the ball.

4. Now turn to the left a little more until the light is on your right. You will see half the lighted side of the ball. This position represents the First Quarter phase of the Moon.

Images for the Classroom

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/educators/teachers_images.shtml

               On the pages linked below, click on the small image to view the large image. To print a clean copy (without browser information on the page), save the .jpg file (File/Save As) to your disk, and open and print it using any paint program (Photoshop, Windows Paint, PowerPoint, Macpaint, etc.) You can also insert the image file into a word processor, such as MS Word, document. Here are the picture categories: •Solar System •Earth

•Geography and Mapping•Oceans•Volcanos•Weather

•Earth's Moon •Astronauts •Stars, Galaxies, and Nebulae •Rockets, Space Shuttles, International Space Station, Rovers

S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon, and

sun.

b. Explain the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun during solar and lunar eclipses.

Lunar Eclipse

S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon, and

sun.

c. Relate the tilt of the earth to the distribution of sunlight throughout the year and its effect on climate.

Tides and the Moon

S6E3. Students will recognize the significant role of water in earth’s processes.

c. Explain the causes of waves, currents, and tides.

http://mbgnet.mobot.org/salt/sandy/indexfr.htm

Tides

• Tides are the vertical rising and lowering of sea level, and are greatly controlled by the gravitational pull of the sun and moon. Although the sun has a stronger gravitational attraction than the moon, the moon's relative nearness to the earth makes its gravitational pull more than twice as effective as the sun's.

What Does the Pull of the Moon Do to the Oceans? The gravitational pull of the moon creates two types of tides: high and low. A tidal bulge occurs in the oceans on the side of the earth nearest the moon; a second tidal bulge occurs on the far side of the earth. These bulges are high tides. The areas between the tidal bulges experience low tide. Usually two high and two low tides occur each 24 hours and 50 minutes.

Spring Tides And Neap Tides

•When the moon is full or new, the gravitational pull of the moon and sun are combined. •At these times,the high tides are very high and the low tides are very low. •This is known as a spring high tide.

During the moon's quarter phases the sun and moon work at right angles, causing the bulges to cancel each other.

The result is a smaller difference between high and low tides and is known as a neap tide.