Earth and Space: The Moon — Year 5 Lesson Plan
National Curriculum: Science — Earth and space, Year 5: describe the movement of the moon relative to the Earth; describe the sun, Earth and moon as approximately spherical bodies
Overview
The third of four Earth and Space lessons. Pupils learn that a moon is a natural object that orbits a planet, that the Earth has one Moon and Jupiter has four large moons, and that our Moon orbits the Earth about once a month. They find out that the Moon reflects light from the Sun, and use a ball and lamp model to explain why its shape seems to change.
Earth and Space: The Moon learning objectives
- Explain that a moon is a natural object that orbits a planet, and that the Earth has one Moon.
- Describe how the Moon orbits the Earth about once a month.
- Explain that the Moon does not give out its own light but reflects light from the Sun.
- Use a model to explain why the Moon appears to change shape during the month.
Success criteria
- I can explain what a moon is.
- I can describe how the Moon orbits the Earth about once a month.
- I can explain that the Moon reflects light from the Sun.
- I can use a model to show why the Moon seems to change shape.
Key Vocabulary
Suggested Lesson Structure
Show photographs of the Moon as a crescent, a half, and a full circle. Ask: is the Moon changing shape? Why might it look different on different nights? Pupils record their ideas. Many will say the Earth's shadow covers part of it; keep these ideas for the end of the lesson.
Explain that a moon is a natural object that orbits a planet. The Earth has one Moon; Jupiter has four large moons and many smaller ones. The Moon is approximately spherical and orbits the Earth about once a month (about 27 days), while the Earth carries it on its year-long journey around the Sun. The Moon gives out no light of its own: we see it because sunlight reflects off it. Half of the Moon is always lit by the Sun. As the Moon orbits, we see different amounts of that lit half, which gives the phases: new moon, crescent, half moon, gibbous and full moon. The whole cycle takes about 29½ days.
Phases model in a darkened room. Put a lamp (the Sun) at one side of the room. Each pupil holds a white ball on a stick (the Moon) at arm's length; their head is the Earth. Pupils turn slowly anticlockwise on the spot, keeping the ball slightly above head height, and watch the lit part of the ball change from a thin crescent to a half to a full circle and back again. Pause at each phase and ask pupils to sketch what they see. Keep the lamp off to the side so that heads do not block the light.
Pupils put phase picture cards in order and write a caption for each, then draw a diagram of the Sun, the Earth and the Moon's orbit with arrows. They finish the sentence: 'The Moon seems to shine because…'. Challenge: the Moon spins once in the time it takes to orbit the Earth. What does this mean we always see?
Hinge question: tonight the Moon looks like a thin crescent. Why? A) The Earth's shadow is covering most of it. B) We can only see a small part of its sunlit half. C) Clouds are hiding part of it. D) The Moon has shrunk. Answer: B. Pupils who chose A revisit the model.
Video for this lesson
The Moon and Its Phases | Year 5 Earth and Space, Lesson 3 | KS2 Science (No Narration)
What a moon is, how our Moon orbits the Earth and reflects sunlight, and a diagram from above that shows each phase next to how it looks from Earth. Useful before or after the ball-and-lamp model. Ends with a three-question quiz.
Watch on YouTube →Support and extension for earth and space: the moon
Support
- Give phase picture cards with the names printed on the back so pupils can check their order.
- Model the ball-and-lamp activity with a small group first, pausing to name each phase together.
- Provide a cloze explanation: “The Moon does not make its own ___. It ___ light from the ___.”
Extension
- Explain why we always see the same side of the Moon (it spins once in the time it takes to orbit the Earth).
- Find out the names of Jupiter's four large moons (Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto) and who first saw them.
- Keep a Moon diary for two weeks, drawing its shape each evening and comparing it with a phase calendar.
Check for understanding
Quick questions for the plenary or an exit ticket. Tap a question to see the answer.
1. What is a moon?
Answer: A natural object that orbits a planet.
2. About how long does the Moon take to orbit the Earth?
Answer: About a month (about 27 days).
3. Why can we see the Moon?
Answer: It reflects light from the Sun; it does not make its own light.
4. Why does the Moon seem to change shape?
Answer: As it orbits the Earth we see different amounts of the half that is lit by the Sun.
5. How many large moons does Jupiter have?
Answer: Four, plus many smaller ones.
Resources you will need
- Photographs of the Moon at different phases
- A lamp with the shade removed
- White polystyrene balls on sticks or pencils, one per pupil
- A room that can be darkened
- Phase picture cards for the independent task
Common Misconceptions
- The Moon makes its own light. It reflects light from the Sun.
- The phases are caused by the Earth's shadow falling on the Moon. They depend on how much of the Moon's sunlit half we can see; the Earth's shadow only causes a lunar eclipse, which is much rarer.
- The Moon only comes out at night. It is often visible in the daytime sky.
- The Moon orbits the Sun instead of the Earth. It orbits the Earth, and travels around the Sun with the Earth.
Prior Knowledge
Pupils should already be able to:
- Know that the Earth orbits the Sun and that the Sun, Earth and Moon are approximately spherical (lesson 1).
- Use a lamp and globe model to explain day and night (lesson 2).
- Know that we see objects when light from them, or reflected off them, enters our eyes (Year 3 Light).
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