Esteves School of Education Lesson Plan

Teacher: Mekenzie Krause

Lesson Title and Grade Level: The Lunar Cycle; 5th Grade
Unit Theme: The Solar System
Lesson Topic: Moon Phases
Context for Learning
Learning Needs Category

Central Focus

Number of Students

Supports, Accommodations,
Modifications, and/or Pertinent IEP
Goals
N/A
N/A
N/A
The central focus describes the whole unit (or learning segment). It remains the same on each of the individual lessons you
submit as part of the learning segment.

Common Core Content Standard (same as goals)

Content Standards/Objectives

Vocabulary/Concepts/Language
Rationale
Essential Questions
(Focus Questions)

Science 4.1.1g Moons are seen by reflected light.

Our Moon orbits Earth, while Earth orbits the
Sun. The Moons phases as observed from Earth
are the result of seeing different portions of the
lighted area of the Moons surface. The phases
repeat in a cyclic pattern in about one month.

Learning Objectives (list at least three objectives)

With assistance from the teacher, fifth

grade students will accurately draw and
label the eight stages of the lunar cycle.

Fifth grade students will use Oreo cookies to

accurately depict and label all eight stages of the
lunar cycle.

New Moon, Waxing Crescent, First Quarter (Half) Moon, Waxing Gibbous, Full Moon, Waning Gibbous, Third Quarter (Half)
Moon, Waning Crescent

Students will use prior knowledge of the lunar cycle to complete whole class and independent practice further developing their
knowledge of the lunar cycle and the phases of the Moon. This will allow them to be prepared when choosing their subjects for
their independent research projects and to gain knowledge about our Solar System.
What are the eight stages of the lunar cycle?
What do each of these phases look like?

Esteves School of Education Lesson Plan

Assessments:
Formative

Student product Drawn and

labeled lunar cycle

With assistance from the teacher, fifth grade

students will accurately draw and label the
eight stages of the lunar cycle.

Formative

Student product Oreo cookie

lunar cycle

Fifth grade students will use Oreo cookies to accurately

depict and label all eight stages of the lunar cycle.

Instructional Strategies and Learning Tasks

Procedure
Anticipatory Set
5 minutes

Teacher will:

Learning Tasks and

Instructional Strategies
15 minutes

Tell the students that they will be begin the

day by drawing and labeling the phases of
the moon that were previously discussed and
presented in class, together on the
SmartBoard.
Tell them that they will watch a video first to
review the lunar phases.
Show them the YouTube video on lunar
phases
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aFGNG
EcDOk
Tell the students that they will be doing this
part of the activity together.
Give each student a piece of white computer
paper and instruct them to fold it into eight
sections and write their name in the upper
left corner.

Students will:

Watch the review

video about the
lunar phases

Fold computer
paper into eight
sections and write
name in upper left
hand corner as
instructed.

Modifications (RTI/UDL
Strategies)

Esteves School of Education Lesson Plan

Tell the teacher

that the first phase
is the New Moon.

Write New Moon on the board.

Ask students what a New Moon looks like.

Tell the teacher

that a New Moon
is a colored in, or
black, Moon.

Draw a representation of the New Moon on

the board.
Repeat this for the rest of the lunar phases.

Repeat telling the

teacher what the
lunar phases look
like for the rest of
the cycle.

Receive materials
from teacher.

Create lunar
phases with Oreo
cookies, glue
them onto the
paper plate, and
label them
correctly.
Hand in Oreo
lunar cycle to the
teacher and clean

Closure
5 minutes

Independent
Practice/Exploration of
Concepts
20 minutes

Tell the students that we will be drawing and

labeling each of the lunar phases together.
Ask students what the first phase of the
Moon is.

Tell the students that they will now be using

Oreo cookies to depict the lunar phases that
were just discussed.
Give each student 8 Oreos, a plastic spoon,
glue, and a paper plate.
Show the students briefly how to twist the
Oreos so that the frosting stays whole on one
side.
Instruct them to create each of the lunar
phases with the Oreos, glue them onto the
paper plates, and label them correctly.

Ask the students to bring their completed

Oreo lunar cycles to the teacher and clean up
their areas.

Esteves School of Education Lesson Plan

Steps for ending the lesson,
summarizing the key points
learned, engaging students in
reflecting on their learning, and
orienting them to future learning.
This step is present in every
lesson, even those extending over
several days or class periods.

up areas.

Tell the students that they will have the

opportunity to learn more about the Moon
later when they choose a solar system
component to do an individual research
project on, which they will hear more about
at a later time.

Share understanding of the

concepts (journal, verbal shareout, exit slips, etc)

Student Product:

Esteves School of Education Lesson Plan

Instructional Resources, Materials and References:

Resources: Phases of the Moon video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aFGNGEcDOk
Materials
o Computer paper
o SmartBoard
o Oreo cookies
o Plastic spoons
o Glue
o Paper plates