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Stage 1 Identify Desired Results

Established Goals:
1. SOL: 4.8 Earth Patterns, Cycles, and Change
The student will investigate and understand the relationships among
Earth, the moon, and the sun. Key concepts include
a) the motions of Earth, the moon, and the sun
b) the causes for the Earths seasons
c) the causes for the phases of the moon
2. The Earth-Moon-Sun relationship

What essential questions will be considered?

EQ 1: What are common misconceptions about the relationship between the
Earth-Moon-and Sun? (Explanation)
EQ 2: How does the motion of the Earth, Moon, and Sun relate to me?
(Interpretation)

What understandings are desired?

EU 1: Students will understand that there are multiple perspectives and pieces of
research in the world, it is important to critically look at evidence in order to
understand the truths about different systems.
EU 2: Students will understand that in making decisions there are many different
events to consider, that may or may not be in our control, but it is still important to
be knowledgeable about how these events affect our daily lives.

What key knowledge and skills will students acquire as a result of this unit?
Students will know
Key Terms:
- Revolution: a complete orbit of one
object around another object
- Rotation: when an object spins one
full turn on its axis

Students will be able to

Excellent job identifying both lower and
higher order thinking!
-

Sort misconceptions about the Earth,

Moon, and Sun from proven truths.
Explain the difference between rotation

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

9/17/14
-

Axis: an imaginary line about which

an object rotates
New moon: when the moon comes
between the sun and earth, and
therefore is invisible to us on earth,
or appears soon after as a slender
crescent
Waxing Crescent: when the moon is
illuminated to us on earth, and
appears in a crescent shape after
the new moon when the sunlight
portion of the moon is increasing
but is less than half.
First Quarter and last (third)
Quarter: both are considered half
moons, these happen when the
moon is at a 90-degree angle with
respect to the earth and sun.
Waxing Gibbous: when the sunlight
portion of the moon is still
increasing going towards a full
moon but a sliver is still missing,
more than half the moon is
illuminated, phase after the first
quarter moon.
Full: maximum illumination of the
moon, when the moon-earth-sun
are in approximate alignment in that
order.
Waning Gibbous: phase after a full
moon, when the illuminated part of
the moon is decreasing but is still
more than half the moon showing.
Waning Crescent: phase after the
third (last) quarter, when the
illuminated part of the moon is
decreasing but is under half.
Axial tilt: also known as obliquity, is
the angle between an objects
rotational axis and its orbital axis (or
equatorial plane).

and revolution.
Label and describe the phases of the
moon in order starting with the New
Moon
Compare and contrast misconceptions
and conceptions.
Evaluate the cause and effect of the
phases of the moon
Draw a conclusion about the
relationship between the Earths axial
tilt and the seasons we experience on
Earth
Form an opinion about why people may
have misconceptions about different
Earth-Moon-Sun relationships
Justify why the Earth and Sun maintain
approximately the same distance
throughout the orbit
Prove the general sizes of the Earth,
Moon, and Sun in comparison to one
another
Form an opinion about how the
relationships of the Earth, Moon, and
Sun affect your life on Earth

Facts:
- The Earths seasons are caused by
the tilt of the Earths axis.
- When the northern hemisphere
Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

9/17/14

of the Earth is tilted directly towards

the sun, the northern hemisphere
experiences summer and the
southern hemisphere experiences
winter. This is due to the northern
hemisphere getting direct sunlight
from the sun whereas the southern
hemisphere is receiving indirect
sunlight.
- When the southern hemisphere
of the Earth is tilted directly towards
the sun, the southern hemisphere
experiences summer and the
northern hemisphere experiences
winter. This is due to the southern
hemisphere receiving direct sunlight
when it is tilted towards it and the
northern hemisphere receiving
indirect sunlight.
- Spring and Fall are in between
Winter and Summer and occur in
opposite times in the northern and
southern hemispheres, they occur
when the Earth is not titled towards
or away from the sun.
The Earth revolves around the sun
continually and one revolution is
365 days or one year.
The Earth is tilted on its axis 23.5
degrees (angle between the Earths
axis and its equatorial plane on the
equator).
The Earth and Sun maintain
approximately the same distance
apart throughout the Earths entire
revolution; unlike the pictures you
may have seen portrayed.
The phases of the moon are caused
by the moons position relative to
the Earth and the Sun. Depending
on where the sun is, and which part
of the moon it is illuminating; we will
see a certain shape of the moon.
- The phases of the moon in
order is: new moon, waxing

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

9/17/14

crescent, first quarter, waxing

gibbous, full, waning gibbous, last
(third) quarter, and waning crescent.
The moon revolves around the
Earth once about every 27.3 days.
One revolution is also referred to as
one complete orbit.
The Earths tilt affects our daily lives
because of the seasons it causes:
- The clothes we wear (warmer
clothes in the summer when we are
receiving direct sunlight and more
layers and sweaters in the winter
when we are receiving indirect
sunlight)
- Sports we play (Ice hockey can
only be played when it is cold
enough outside, in the winter when
we are receiving indirect sunlight
and have shorter days of light)
- Seasonal foods
- When we have school and why,
due to weather conditions (When it
is too hot out in the summer months
we do not have school, when our
hemisphere is receiving direct
sunlight)
- How long we can play outside
according to sunlight available
(When we are receiving direct
sunlight from the sun, our days are
longer, which is the summer
months. In the winter when we are
receiving indirect sunlight we have
shorter days. Also when there is a
full moon we can have more light at
night time because more of the
moon is illuminated by the sun)
Our year and months and calendar
on Earth are affected by the Earths
orbital length (Because it takes
Earth 365 days approximately to
orbit the sun we have this unit of
measure for our calendar year)
The phases of the moon have even

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

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affected pop culture, a full moon is
an apparent symbol of fright (Can
have students research more pop
culture moon references)

Adapted from Wiggins, G. & McTighe, J. (2005). Understanding by design (2nd.ed.). Alexandria, VA: Association
for Supervision and Curriculum Development.