Name: __________________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______

Phases of the Moon and Tides

Introduction
As the moon orbits the Earth, its gravity drags water around our planet. This mass movement of water is what we call tides. There are
two types of tides called Spring and Neap tides. Spring tides are particularly deep high and low tides because the Earth, Moon, and Sun are
aligned, so that their gravity tug water into the same direction. Neap tides are particularly shallow high and low tides because the Moon and
the Sun are perpendicular, pulling Earth’s water in different directions causing the water to be spread around in shallow tides.
There is another effect that depends upon the moon’s position around the moon: phases. As the moon orbits around the Earth, its
phase changes as light from the sun reflects to the Earth. A Full Moon is a phase
that reflects all of the light it reflects from the Sun back to Earth. A New Moon is
the opposite: none of its light is reflected back to Earth.
There is some terminology for the phases: “waxing” (the bright part is
growing); “waning” (the bright part is shrinking), “gibbous” (over half the Moon is
full); and “crescent” (less than half the Moon is full).

Last Quarter
Waning Crescent

Procedure New Moon

1. Draw and label the phases of the moon in the Waning Gibbous
chart of moon phases around the Earth! Label
the phases for Spring and Neap tides. Waxing Crescent
2. Graph how deep the depth of the average daily
tides on the graph below the associated tide
and label the phases for Spring and Neap tides.
Full
3. Answer the questions!
Moon

Waxing Gibbous
First Quarter
 Name: __________________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______
Tide Graphing Activity
Instructions: Graph – with a bar graph – how deep the depth of the average daily tide depth on the graph
below the associated tide. Label on this graph where the Neap and Spring tides occur, beneath the bars
labelled with the matching moon phases.
Moon Phase Average Daily Tide Depth Tide Names (Label on graph!)
New Moon 8 Spring
Waxing Crescent 5
First Quarter 2 Neap
Waxing Gibbous 5
Full Moon 8 Spring
Waning Gibbous 5
Last Quarter 2 Neap
Waning Crescent 5

New Waxing First Waxing Full Waning Last Waning

Moon Crescent Quarter Gibbous Moon Gibbous Quarter Crescent
8

0
Spring or
Neap Tides: ________ _______ ________ ________

2
 Name: __________________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______
Phase Drawing Activity
Label and shade in each phase of the moon around Earth, and include Spring and Neap tides on this chart,
next to the phases that cause them. The shaded section of the Moon should be darkened with your pencil.
Use the diagrams to help you.

________________________

_________________ __________________

Moon Phases
Word Bank
First Quarter
Third Quarter
Waxing Gibbous
Waning Gibbous
Waxing
Crescent
___________________
Waning ______________________
Crescent
New Moon
Spring Tide x2
Neap Tide x2
__________________
Full Moon
_________________

________________________
Name: __________________________________________ Date: ________________ Period: ______
Moon and Tide Questions
1. What are the deepest high tides and shallowest low tides called?

2. What are the shallowest high tides and deepest low tides called?

3. Why are the deepest high tides so deep and the shallowest low tides so shallow? Hint: how are the
Earth, Sun, and Moon aligned?

4. What is the difference between “waxing” and “waning”?

5. What is the difference between “gibbous” and “crescent”?

6. Where does the light from the Moon come from?

7. Why do we not see any of the light reflected off a New Moon?

8. Write down the cycle of Moon phases starting with the New Moon.