MOON WATCH

This MOON WATCH unit is part of a continuous effort to integrate mathematics, science and technology into the middle school curriculum. Many students, as well as adults, have misconceptions of how the phases of the moon occur. This activity will break down those misconceptions and help students construct an understanding of the moon phases through investigation. Also, one can consider mathematics to be an exploration of patterns and where better to discover patterns than in nature! In addition to their search to deduce patterns that occur in the moon phases, students will cover other mathematical topics, such as problem-solving, revolution, rotation and geometry. Students will use technology to help organize their data and construct visualizations to aid in their understanding of the moon phases.

Day 1 (Feb. 14, 2002)

Time Needed: 20-30 minutes

Materials: Notecards

Example Data Sheet

Explanation of Data Collection Assignment

1)Explain the rationale/purpose of this unit to the students.

2)Pass out notecards. Ask students to answer the following:

  • Draw the phases of the moon and name the moon phases.
  • What is one thing that you’re curious about the moon?

3)Pass out data collection assignment sheet. (Attached)

4)Go over data collection assignment with students. Demonstrate how to measure the height of the moon with their fists.

C & I 302 – Spring 2002Due: March 7th, 2002

ASSIGNMENT: LUNAR OBSERVATIONS

For this observational investigation, we will begin by simply observing the moon and recording what we see. In the next 4 weeks, you are to make 5 drawings of a clear moon.

  1. Use a juice glass or similar object or a compass to trace a PERFECT CIRCLE.
  2. Blacken the part of the circle that is not visible.
  3. Carefully shade in the part of the moon you see. If you see features on the face of the moon, draw them IN DETAIL.

Draw CAREFULLY. These are scientific observations, not flying ballpoint scribbles. Use a soft pencil or soft colored pencils (DO NOT USE CRAYONS, MARKERS or BALLPOINT PEN) so you can smudge light and dark areas. Be consistent in your style.

REQUIRED WRITTEN DATA include:

Section 1:

  1. Date
  2. Time of day (don’t forget a.m. or p.m.)
  3. Location of moon in sky
  4. Direction (N, S, E, W, SE, SW, etc.)
  5. Height above horizon (in fists)
  6. Your location
  7. Color of moon
  8. Weather and sky conditions

Section 2:

  1. DETAILED written description of moon. This needs to be a paragraph, not a sentence.
  2. Patterns becoming apparent in changes in the appearance (shape and features) and location (height and direction) of the moon in the sky. This is to say, besides documenting differences, demonstrate that you are trying to determine patterns.
  3. Other interesting information: Does it seem big? Small? Very bright? Did you find it as you expected to? See it by surprise? Etc.

Also, include any questions that come to you in the course of your observations; some you may be able to answer and some not.

These observations must be clear to read and understand. DON’T make them on a scrap of paper with lopsided moons ½” in diameter! One suggestion is to create a data sheet and make copies, so the observations are quite standardized. This is only one possibility.

Be sure to leave yourself plenty of space for parts 7-9.

A WORD TO THE WISE: It’s tempting to procrastinate on this, because it’s only 5 drawings in 4 weeks, right? But THINGS WILL HAPPEN that prevent you from seeing the moon! Suddenly, it’s the 7th of March and you only have two drawings!!  Don’t put it off!

One other thing…do your own investigating. Do not use published resources such as newspaper, calendars or the internet. I am looking for detail in your observations.

SAMPLE DATA SHEET

  1. Date:
  2. Time of day (a.m. or p.m.):
  3. Location of moon in sky
  4. Direction (N, S, E, W, SE, SW, etc.):
  5. Height above horizon (in fists):
  6. Your location:
  7. Color of moon:
  8. Weather and sky conditions:
  1. Detailed description of moon:
  1. Observed patterns:
  1. Interesting Info/Questions:

Day 2 (Feb. 21, 2002)

Time Needed: 45 minutes – 1 hour

Materials: Notecards

1)Pass out the notecards. Ask students to answer the following:

  • True or False We only see one side of the moon. Explain.

Collect responses and divide into appropriate piles.

2)Ask: What does it mean to rotate? After definition, ask students to demonstrate what it means rotate. Ask: What does it mean to revolve? Again, ask students to demonstrate. Ask: What would rotation and revolution look like? Ask for demonstration.

3)Ask for two volunteers to participate in creating a visual model. This person represents the Earth. Does the Earth rotate? (yes) In which direction? (counterclockwise) Have the Earth rotate once counterclockwise. How long does it take the Earth to rotate once? (24 hours) What do we call this period of rotation? (a day) Does the Earth revolve? (yes) Around what? (the sun) How direction does the Earth revolve around the sun? (counter clockwise) How long does it take the Earth to revolve once around the sun? (about 365 days) What do we call this period of one revolution of the Earth around the sun? (a year) Have the Earth revolve once around the sun, going counterclockwise. What would these movements look like together? How many times would the Earth have to rotate in one revolution? (365) Have the Earth rotate while revolving around the sun. Not necessarily 365 times, just enough to get the idea! 

4)Let’s figure out what time of day it is, approximately, when the Earth is facing different directions. Position the Earth so that UIUC, the person’s nose, is directly facing the sun. NOON. Earth turns 90 degrees to the left: What time is it? 6 PM (a quarter of a 24 hour day after noon) Another 90 degrees, so Earth is facing directly away from the sun: MIDNIGHT. Another 90 degrees to the left: 6 AM.

5)Sun can sit down. Ask for another volunteer who will represent the moon. Let’s see where the moon fits in. Does the moon rotate? (yes) What direction? (guess…counterclockwise. Nature likes patterns.) Ask student to demonstrate one rotation of the moon. How long does it take for the moon to rotate once? (about 28 days. This is for convenience. Actually the real sidereal period is 27-1/3 days and the synodic period is 29 ½ days.) Have the moon rotate once, stopping every 7 days. (1 week – every 90 degrees) and pointing out that it’s a week’s difference. Does the moon revolve around anything? (yes- the Earth) How long does it take the moon to revolve around the Earth? (28 days) Let’s see how this looks from the Earth. Have the moon rotate slowly, always counterclockwise, ¼ turn a time. At the same time have the moon revolve 1/4 turn around the Earth at a time, always counterclockwise. Have UIUC, the nose on the Earth, always face the moon for this demonstration. This is valid because every ¼ revolution of the moon, the Earth will have rotated 7 times. What do you notice? (The Earth always sees the same side of the moon)

Day 3 (Feb. 28, 2002)

Time Needed: 30 - 45 minutes

Materials: Notecards

1)Ask students to answer the following:

  • True or False Does the moon give off its own light? Explain.

Collect and share answers anonymously.

2) The moon is “lit” by the light from the sun. To demonstrate this, ask students to imagine the moon as a light bulb and recreate the model of the Earth and the moon. If the moon was a light bulb giving off its own light and we used the model of the moon revolving and rotating around the Earth like we demonstrated last week, what would we see? (The moon will be full moon all of the time.) So, true or false the moon gives off its own light? (false) The moon actually reflects the light, like a mirror, but from where is the moon reflecting light? (the sun) Ask for 3 volunteers to help demonstrate this. Leave the sun in place. Put the Earth in the middle. Put the moon in the end or “full phase” place. STRESS THAT THE THREE ARE NOT IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT. PHASES OF THE MOON DO NOT HAVE TO DO WITH SHADOW, ONLY WITH BEING LIT OR NOT BEING LIT. Have the moon rotate and revolve again, pointing out where the sun’s light will fall for each phase. After full (light covering face), the moon will revolve 90 degrees to third quarter (light on left half), then to new (sunlight on the back of the moon’s head), then to first quarter (sunlight on the right side).

Day 4 (March 7, 2002)

Time Needed: 1 - 1 ½ hours

Materials: I-books

Moon Model

This day will consist of more of a summary of the entire unit and the knowledge they gained.

1)First, students will share their data collection and discuss patterns they observed. Brainstorm questions they have regarding the moon. Then they will work in following stations.

2)Students use either AppleWorks or Microsoft Word to draw a visual model of how the moon revolves and rotates around the Earth.

3)Using the moon model, recreate how the moon phases occur. Students can also calculate the Earth’s mass from the following equation 1/synodic period = 1/sidereal period – 1/year. Synodic period was covered in Day 2. Synodic period is the amount of time in days in which you will see a recurrence of a certain phase. From the sidereal period, one can deduce the Earth’s mass as well as the distance to the moon using geometry (I still need to locate the information regarding this.)

4)Students can create a spreadsheet on the fraction of the moon illuminated by day through accessing information on a website (I have to locate the address…however, I know one exists.)

5)Students can look up their answers to their questions regarding the moon on the internet.