🌙 Part 1: Moon Phase Knowledge

1. What causes the Moon to appear to change shape throughout the month?

The Moon moves closer and farther from Earth

Earth's shadow blocks different parts of the Moon

The Sun lights up different parts of the Moon as it orbits Earth

The Moon spins faster or slower

2. Which moon phase shows the Moon completely dark from Earth's view?

Full Moon

New Moon

First Quarter

Last Quarter

3. What does "waxing" mean when describing moon phases?

The Moon is getting smaller

The Moon is getting larger

The Moon is moving away from Earth

The Moon is spinning

4. Check all the moon phases that show MORE than half of the Moon lit up:

Waxing Crescent

Waxing Gibbous

Full Moon

Waning Gibbous

Last Quarter

🔬 Part 2: Modeling and Patterns

5. During our modeling activity, you held the Moon (styrofoam ball) and observed how the flashlight (Sun) lit it up. Describe what you observed when the Moon was between Earth and the Sun:

6. Complete the moon phase sequence. Fill in the missing phases:

New Moon → _____________ → First Quarter → _____________ → Full Moon → Waning Gibbous → _____________ → Waning Crescent

7. If tonight is a Full Moon, what phase will the Moon be in approximately one week from now?

New Moon

First Quarter

Last Quarter

Waning Crescent

8. Explain why we always see the same side of the Moon from Earth, even though it orbits around us:

🎨 Part 3: Draw and Predict

9. Draw a diagram showing the positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon during a Full Moon phase. Label each object:

10. Based on the patterns you learned, predict what you would see if you observed the Moon for the next 10 nights starting from a New Moon. Write your prediction: