Lesson Plan

Teacher Candidate: Erin Batz Date: 2/15/2023

Group Size: 21 Allotted Time: 45 minutes Grade Level: 2nd

Subject or Topic: Solar System - The Moon

Common Core/PA Standard(s)

Standard - 3.3.2.B1
Observe and record • location of the Sun and the Moon in the sky over a day. •
changes in the appearance of the Moon over a month. Observe, describe, and predict
seasonal patterns of sunrise and sunset.

Learning Targets/Objectives
● The students will be able to differentiate the Moon from other planets, while
also writing facts based on the Moon.
Formative Assessment Approaches Evidence observation or method of
1.Observational collection
2. 1. Anecdotal notes
2. Oreo Moon Phases

Assessment Scale for any of the assessments above if needed

Oreo Moon Phases Activity
● 8 oreos are perfectly matched to the Moon phase–Excellent
● 6-7 oreos are perfectly matched to the Moon phase–Good
● >5 oreos are perfectly matched to the Moon phase–Needs practice

Summative if applicable
Subject Matter/Content to be taught in the lesson
Solar System (The Moon)

Prerequisites
Background knowledge on what they already know.

New Key Vocabulary

Solar System: the collection of eight planets and their moons in orbit around the sun,
together with smaller bodies in the form of asteroids, meteoroids, and comets. The
planets of the solar system are (in order of distance from the sun) Mercury, Venus,
Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
The Moon- the natural satellite of the earth, visible (chiefly at night) by reflected light from the
sun.
Planet- A planet is a large, rounded astronomical body that is neither a star nor its
remnant.
Universe-all existing matter and space considered as a whole; the cosmos. The
universe is believed to be at least 10 billion light years in diameter and contains a vast
number of galaxies; it has been expanding since its creation in the Big Bang about 13
billion years ago.

Content/Facts
● What we already know.
● Video
○ BrainPop video about the Moon
● What is the Moon
○ The moon is a large natural object that orbits, or travels around Earth
○ Basic facts (how old, characteristics)

Introduction/Activating/Launch Strategies
“Good Afternoon class, today we will briefly learn about the Moon and complete a fun
activity based on the Moon using facts we learned in class!”

Development/Teaching Approaches
● “First, we will be going over a presentation to teach us a little bit about the
Moon.”
(pull up powerpoint)
● “Does anyone know any facts about the moon already?” (students’ answer)
● “Now that we went over what we already know, I have a brainpop video to tell
us more about the Moon.” (play video)
● “What did we learn in the video about the Moon?” (students answer)
● “There was a lot of information covered on the Moon in the video, but I also
made slides to tell us some additional facts!”
(Below is information from powerpoint)
● “So what is the Moon?”
● “The moon is a large natural object that orbits, or travels around Earth.”
● “It is a big dusty ball of rock! Roughly a quarter of the size of Earth”
● “It takes 27.3 days for the moon to travel all the way around Earth and
complete its orbit. “
● “The Moon DOESN’T PRODUCE ITS OWN LIGHT!! The moon reflects light
from the sun!”
● “Fun fact! We only ever see around 60% of the Moon’s surface.
● “Let’s go over some additional facts!”
● “The Moon’s gravity is much weaker than Earth’s.”
● “It was created 4.6 billion years ago.”
● “It is the second brightest object in the sky.”
● “Now that we learned some facts about the Moon, I want you to tell me your
favorite facts we talked about” (students answer)
● “Does anyone know why it looks like the moon is changing shape?(student
 answers)
● “In our spot on Earth, we see different parts of the Moon lit up by the Sun as
the Moon travels in its orbit. Therefore we have different moon phases.”

(show picture of the different phases”

● “New: We cannot see the Moon when it is a new moon.”

● “ Waxing Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waxing crescent
phase as a thin crescent of light on the right.”
● “ First Quarter: We see the first quarter phase as a half moon.”
● “ Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous phase is between a half moon and full
moon. Waxing means it is getting bigger.”
● “ Full: We can see the Moon completely illuminated during full moons.”
● “ Waning Gibbous: The waning gibbous phase is between a full moon and a
half moon. Waning means it is getting smaller.”
● “ Third Quarter: We see the third quarter moon as a half moon, too. It is the
opposite half as illuminated in the first quarter moon.”
● “Waning Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waning crescent
phase as a thin crescent of light on the left.”
● “Now that we learned about the moon and the different phases we are going to
be doing an activity. I will be passing out a sheet of paper and oreos. DO NOT
EAT THE OREOS! For this activity you will be using the inside of the oreos to
make each of the Moon phases. I will pull up the picture of the phases for help!
● “If anyone needs help, raise your hand.”
● “You will have about 10-15 minutes. You may begin!”

Closure/Summarizing Strategies
“Great job today everyone. I hope everyone learned some things about the Moon!
Today we only briefly went over the Moon. Next week we will be going more in depth
about it!”

Accommodations/Differentiation
● Students would be pulled back by one of the teachers if they began to fall
behind.

Materials and Resources:

Powerpoint:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PfYJQ6DwNotZkkjxANVmDjR8V6BCXGxzeL
iYcXlNtPQ/edit#slide=id.p

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iED4UzDUX8s
Activity:

Reflective Response:
Report of Student Learning Target/Objectives Proficiency Levels

Remediation Plan (if applicable)

Personal Reflection Questions

Additional reflection/thoughts