Moon Phases/Lunar Cycle Guided Lesson

Learning Objective: SWBAT demonstrate and predict the the sequence of events in the Lunar Cycle 8.7B

​Phases of the Moon

Poll

Which best conveys your MOOd?

•

It takes the moon 27.3 days to revolve around
the Earth one time

•

The lunar cycle (from new moon back to new
moon) takes 29.5 days

•

The phases of the moon are a reflection of the
Sun’s light bouncing off of the moon’s surface

•

The moon appears to change shape because
only certain portions of its illuminated side are
seen as the moon revolves around Earth

•

There are 8 moon phases

•

The same moon phase is seen by everyone on
Earth each night – people in the northern and
southern hemispheres do not see opposite
moon phases

•

The first half of the lunar cycle the light reflected
off of the moon’s surface appears to increase (waxing phase)

•

The second half of the lunar cycle the light
reflected off of the moon’s surface appears to
decrease (waning phase)

Waxing Phases

• Occur after the New Moon

• The moon appears to be growing

• Only the right side of moon is visible

Waning Phases

• Occurs after the Full Moon

• The Moon appears to be shrinking

• Only the left side of the moon is visible

Multiple Choice

What does waning mean?

• Light on moon is increasing on the right side

• light on the moon is decreasing on the right side

Multiple Choice

What does waxing mean?

• Light on moon is increasing on the right side

• light on the moon is decreasing on the right side

Multiple Choice

What does crescent mean?

• less than half of the moon appears to be illuminated

• more than half of the moon appears to be illuminated

Multiple Choice

What does gibbous mean?

• less than half of the moon appears to be illuminated

• more than half of the moon appears to be illuminated

Multiple Choice

How long is a lunar cycle?

• 7.5 days

• 29.5 days

• 365 days

Multiple Choice

Why does the moon look different each night?

• the moon orbits the earth so it is in a different spot each night

• the earth orbits the moon so it is in a different spot each night

Multiple Choice

What phase occurs on the designated part of this graph?

• New Moon

• Full Moon

• Waning Crescent

• Waxing Crescent

Multiple Choice

What direction does the moon orbit the earth?

• clockwise

• counter-clockwise

Multiple Choice

What does WAXING mean?

• light on the moon appears to be increasing

• light on the moon appears to be decreasing

Multiple Choice

What does WANING mean?

• light on the moon appears to be increasing

• light on the moon appears to be decreasing

Multiple Choice

About how long does it take the Moon to complete it's cycle?

• 1 week

• 1 month

• 1 year

• 1 Day

Multiple Choice

The Moon gets its light from the

• Earth

• inner core

• Sun

• We can never know

•

No reflected light from the sun is visible

•

Occurs directly after a waning crescent, but
before a waxing crescent

•

Less than half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the right

•

Occurs directly after a new moon, but before a
first quarter

Multiple Choice

Name the moon phase

• waning crescent
• waxing crescent
• waning gibbous
• waxing gibbous

•

Half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the right

•

Occurs directly after a waxing crescent, but
before a waxing gibbous

•

More than half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the right

•

Occurs directly after a first quarter, but before a
full moon

•

A full moon is fully visible (100% illuminated) as
viewed from Earth

•

Marks the half way point of the lunar cycle

•

Occurs directly after a waxing gibbous, but
before a waning gibbous

•

More than half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the left

•

Occurs directly after a full moon, but before a
third/last quarter

Multiple Choice

Name the phase of the moon for letter "f"

• Waning Gibbous

• Waxing Gibbous

• Waning Crescent

• Waxing Crescent

•

Half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the left

•

Occurs directly after a waning gibbous, but
before a waning crescent

•

Less than half of the moon is visible from Earth

•

The visible light appears on the left

•

Occurs directly after a third/last quarter, but
before a new moon

Multiple Choice

Name the moon phase

• waning crescent

• waxing crescent

• waning gibbous

New
Moon

Full

Moon

1stQuarter

Waxing
Gibbous

Waxing
Crescent

3rdQuarter

Waning
Gibbous

Waning
Crescent

Multiple Choice

What is the phase of the Moon at position #5?

• New Moon

• Third Quarter Moon

• First Quarter Moon

• Full Moon

Multiple Choice

How much of the moon is always lit?

• can't tell

• always changes

• half

• 3/4

Multiple Choice

Observe the moon and determine if it is a crescent, quarter, or gibbous

• Crescent

• Quarter

• Gibbous

Multiple Choice

What is this phase called?

• First Quarter

• Waning Crescent

• Third Quarter

Multiple Choice

Where would the Sun need to be in this diagram to cause these phases of the moon?

• At the Bottom

• At the Left

• At the Top

• At The Right

Multiple Choice

What is this phase called?

• Waxing Gibbous

• First Quarter

• Waning Gibbous

• Third Quarter

Match

Match the following Moon Phases with the name

Last Quarter

Waning Crescent

Waxing Crescent

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

• Last Quarter

• Waning Crescent

• Waxing Crescent

• Waxing Gibbous

• Full Moon

Match

Match the following Moon Phases with the name

Waxing Gibbous

New Moon

Waxing Crescent

Waning Gibbous

1st Quarter

• Waxing Gibbous

• New Moon

• Waxing Crescent

• Waning Gibbous

• 1st Quarter

Multiple Choice

What part of the moon do we see from Earth?

• all of it

• the same side

• none of it

• only one quarter

Multiple Choice

Click on the waxing gibbous phase

Multiple Choice

Observe the moon and determine if it is waxing or waning

• Waxing

• Waning

Multiple Choice

What moon phase will occur next in the lunar cycle?

• waning crescent

• waning gibbous

• waxing crescent

• waxing gibbous

Multiple Choice

What would the moon look like in about 2 weeks after this one?

• Full Moon

• New Moon

• Waning Crescent

• Waxing Crescent

Multiple Choice

Which represents the First Quarter phase?

Multiple Choice

If the last full moon was on April 4th, when can you expect to see the next full moon? 

• April 29th

• July 4th

• May 4th

• September 12th

Multiple Choice

Which of the following completes the lunar cycle?

Hotspot

Where must the moon be for a solar eclipse?

Hotspot

Where must the moon be for a lunar eclipse?

​If the Earth was flat, we would see a bar shape on the moon

​Blood Moon/ Harvest Moon

​Blue Moon

​Examples of
Normal Lunar Eclipses

Draw

Shade the moon to represent the WAXING CRESCENT PHASE

Match

Match the following

new moon

full moon

first quarter

waxing crescent

Waning crescent

• new moon

• full moon

• first quarter

• waxing crescent

• Waning crescent

​Congrats! You have completed this lesson!