Exploring the Moon:

3rd Grade Thematic Unit

Kaitlyn McCabe
EDUC 338
Professor Giampietro
 Introduction
My Exploring the Moon thematic unit is designed for third grade,
presenting introductory knowledge of the moon with a focus on
the moon's surface features, the Moon's phases, and America's
history-making feat putting the first human on the Moon.

Within this thematic unit, expressive arts activities in visual art, creative
writing, and theater will keep students actively engaged as they learn
about the Moon in Science, Social Studies, Literature, and Math.

By valuing freedom of expression, artistic choice, reflection, and fun,

the aim of this unit is to integrate expressive art across disciplines
while guiding students to achieve higher-levels of thought and make
deep connections as they begin to investigate the wonders of outer
space.
 PA Standards
Science
Standard - 3.3.3.B1
Relate the rotation of the earth and day/night, to the apparent movement of the sun, moon, and stars across the sky.
Describe the changes that occur in the observable shape of the moon over the course of a month.

Language Arts
Standard Area - CC.1.4: Writing: Students write for different purposes and audiences. Students write clear and focused text to convey a well -defined
perspective and appropriate content.
Standard - CC.1.4.3.C
Develop the topic with facts, definitions, details, and illustrations, as appropriate.
Standard - CC.1.4.3.E
Choose words and phrases for effect.
 PA Standards
Math
Standard - CC.2.3.3.A.2
Use the understanding of fractions to partition shapes into parts with equal areas and express the area of each part as a uni t fraction of the whole.

Social Studies
Standard - 8.1.3.C
Conduct teacher guided inquiry on assigned topics using specified historical sources. (Reference RWSL Standard 1.8.3 Research)
Standard - 8.3.3.A
Identify and describe the social, political, cultural, and economic contributions of individuals and groups in United States history.

Expressive Arts
Standard - 9.1.3.B
Recognize, know, use and demonstrate a variety of appropriate arts elements and principles to produce, review and revise original works in the arts.
Standard - 9.1.3.E
Demonstrate the ability to define objects, express emotions, illustrate an action or relate an experience through creation of works in the arts.
Goals & Objectives
Students will be able to:

Identify the Moon's surface features and important

characteristics of the Moon.
Distinguish between each of the Moon's phases.
Illustrate each of the Moon's phases.
Recognize and record the correct fraction for each
phase of the Moon.
Essential Questions
What is the surface of the Moon like?
What are the phases of the Moon?
What causes the phases of the Moon?
Who were the first people to go to the Moon?

What fraction does each moon phase translate to?

Role play Appollo 11's mission and interpret its
significance in American history.
What was Appollo 11's mission, outcome, and
historical significance?
Write a poem about the Moon, inspired by their
learning, personal reflections, and feelings about
Outer Space.
 Activity #1
Visual Arts – Science Integration

The first Expressive Arts activity introduces the students to the Moon's characteristics through
a collaborative class project:

1) I will supply the students with a large piece of black paper with a circle outline on it,
informing them that we are going to use a special paint mixture (made up of flour, corn meal,
baking soda, white paint) to fill in the moon. Everyone will take a brush and participate.

*A major benefit to group participation will be differing brushstrokes and painting techniques
flowing over each other, which are bound to add a natural look of variance to the moon's
surface.
2) Next, before the paint fully dries, I will hand students rocks of various sizes to drop onto
the Moon from above: this will create the effect of craters on the moon.
3) The students will add glitter in the remaining space around the moon to finish our galaxy!
4) Once the painting has dried enough to hang up, I will facilitate a class discussion with the
students asking them to think of adjectives to describe the Moon and contrast its surface with
Earth. Questions to prompt students include:
• What is the Moon's surface like? Does it remind you of anything or anywhere on Earth?
How did different sized "asteroids" impact the Moon's surface?
Activity #2
Theater- Social Studies Integration
This activity will teach students the historical significance of NASA's Apollo 11
mission, which was the first to successfully land humans on the Moon, astronauts
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldridge.
1) The students will partner up and be asked to create a short skit that will be their
version of Apollo 11's Moon landing.
• Students will have the creative freedom to decide if they wish to design a
realistic skit (only fact-based), or a mixture between fact and fiction (creating t.
their own version of the first ever Moon landing, including extra plot and
details).
• The students may take on the roles of Armstrong, Aldridge, or a different
individual of their choosing, and choose their setting (in the space ship on the
way, landed on the moon, landing back home on Earth).
2) Students will spend class time in the library with my guidance, researching
Apollo 11 and the moon to gain inspiration and factual knowledge as they plan
their skits.

*Our Moon painting from activity #1 will be hung as the backdrop for the skits!
3) Once all skits have been performed the students will choose another group's
skit and complete a worksheet about it: a chart delineating what was fact or fiction,
their favorite part, and a moon fact derived from the skit.
Activity #3
Visual Arts- Science & Math Integration

This activity will allow my students to visualize and comprehend the

phases of the Moon by creating each phase in the proper sequence
using the art materials of their choice.
1) The students will be given an allotted amount of class time to
construct each phase of the Moon:
• New Moon, Waxing Crescent, 1st Quarter, Waxing Gibbous, Full
Moon, Waning Gibbous, Last Quarter, Waning Crescent. Students
can use paint, clay, colored paper, pastels, etc to complete their
phases.
2) Once the students complete the visual arts aspect of this activity,
they will be asked to identify the Moon phases in fraction form:
• New Moon: 0, Waxing Crescent: ¼ 1st Quarter: ½, Waxing
Gibbous: ¾, Full Moon: 1, Waning Gibbous: ¾, Last Quarter: ½,
Waning Crescent: ¼.
3) Students will finish this activity by partnering up and playing a game
of moon phase/fraction memory match.
 Activity #4
Creative Writing- English Literature Integration

Considering the imagery and imagination my class will tap into while learning
about the Moon, I wanted to use Creative Writing as the last Expressive Arts
activity in the unit.
For this activity, my hope is that the students think deeply about all they have
learned and use imagery and poetic language to contemplate bigger concepts
involving Earth, the Moon, and our incredibly lucky position in the very vast
universe!
1) I will give the students prompts about the moon and they will choose the
one they like best to write a poem:
• Write a poem about a real or imagined evening spent under the Moon.
(Use imagery and detail words to describe how the Moon looks, how the
Moon makes you feel).
• Write a poem as if you were the Moon. What does the view of Earth look
like from there? How do you feel? What are you doing? What else do you
see?
• Write a poem that describes a phase or different phases of the Moon.

2) Students will be welcomed to share their poems with the class, and the
poems will be hung in the hallway on our (repurposed) moon backdrop from
activity #1.
(Moon) Motivation!
Activity #1 Visual Arts: Moon Surface Painting
I want the introduction to this unit to captivate the students as
much as possible. To do this, I will transform the classroom into an
outer space setting: lights off, stars projected, and a moon lamp
lighting up the room (with the help of projecting LED night lights).
I'll ask the students what they know about the Moon and what
they'd like to know more about before we read the book "The
Moon Book" by Gail Gibbons. After, the students will choose words
to describe the Moon and write them on the board before we
begin our collaborative painting.
Activity #2 Theater: Moon Landing Skit
Again, I'll use my projected outer space setting to create the scene
for the next part of our unit.
I will show the class footage from the Apollo Moon landing: footage
from inside the ship as it lands with the real audio transmissions,
footage of Armstrong and Aldridge taking their first steps and
planting the flag, and footage of the take-off along with
an interactive web journey to the Moon, starting from the launch
pad! (see resources page for links).
Afterwards, the class will meet with their partners to begin
discussing their skits, followed by the library the next day.
(Moon) Motivation! Continued
vActivity 3: Visual Arts- Science & Math Integration
To introduce my students to the different Moon phases I'm
going to begin this activity with a motion experiment that
allows the students to take turns rotating as the Moon
and acting as the sun behind it, casting the shadows that
create each phase. This will be a fun activity, where students
can take charge and recreate such a spectacle on their own.
Activity #4
Creative Writing- English Literature Integration
To provide my students with more inspiration and poetic
imagery I'll begin this activity by reading two Moon poems. We
then will take time as a class discussing students' various ideas
and any other thoughts they are having about the Moon, as
this is an opportune time for imagination, sentiment, and
reflection.
Instructional Strategies:
Classroom Environment, Routine, and Differentiation.

This thematic unit involves whole Students will have a say in partner
class and partner collaboration, as choice for activities but in order to
well as independent work. encourage peer-tutoring and fully
include students who are struggling
There is an emphasis on individual
choice, creativity, class discussion, with the concepts, I will choose
partners strategically as needed.
and student reflection.

Each class will begin with the lights Students who need more challenging
dimmed and an outer space projection to activities will be given extra components
maintain active student engagement and to each activity and will assist other
the theme of exploration. students as needed.
Assessment & Evaluation
Activity #1
Visual Arts- Science Integration
Formative Assessment: I will walk around and
observe the students' participation and
understanding throughout the activity and
during the class discussion.
Activity #2
Theater- Social Studies Integration
Rubric & Self- Assessment
Activity #3
Visual Arts- Science & Math Integration
Formative Assessment: I will walk around and
observe the students' participation and
understanding throughout the activity and
during the memory match game.. * The unit will end with a
Jeapordy-style class game
show before a final formal,
teacher-designed exam.
Activity #4
Creative Writing- English Literature Integration
Rubric
Assessment & Evaluation

Rubric for Activity #2:

Theater-Social Studies
Integration
Resources, Visual Aids, Supplies
Supplies:
Apollo 11 Footage:
http://www.firstmenonthemoon.com
https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/apollo/apollo11.html Gail Gibbons' "The Moon
Book"
Interactive Apollo 11 Flight:
http://www.wechoosethemoon.org General art materials: paint,
clay, markers, pastels, paper,
More helpful & interesting Moon links: crayons, scissors, glitter,
https://www.google.com/moon/ paintbrushes, flashlight,
Styrofoam ball, LED star &
For teachers:
https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/180555main_ETM.Teachers.Guide.pdf moon lights
https://www.teachengineering.org/activities/view/duk_lunar_muscle_
act Activity 1 "Moon Paint":
https://www.amazon.com/Smithsonian-Planetarium-Projector-Bonus- white paint, flour, corn meal,
Pack/dp/B01KZ4S0E8?tag=toptenselect-20
baking soda, rocks
Self-Reflection
I set out to design this unit for first or second grade, but my understanding of
the PA Standards threw me for a loop, as it seemed most of what I wanted to
teach was not in the curriculum until third grade. I was surprised, and still am
confused, but at the end I'm glad this unit is planned for third grade. Third grade
is a big year, as students are becoming much more independent and mature, so I
think it's important to help them transition fluidly by mixing in curiosities and
While starting my research for my thematic unit my first inclination was to investigate quirks they are familiar with from previous grades. My third-grade teacher, Mrs.
the topics that excite me the most, and the ones I am looking forward to teaching the Higgins had us learn through playing and making games, and would read books
most. I was contemplating family heritage/family tree units that tied into genetics, a out loud to us dressed up in character with the lights dimmed, to help us relax
unit on recycling, and a museum unit (where the students would create their own and take time to imagine. Needless to say, Mrs. Higgins was my direct influence
exhibitions, again, maybe on a culture they are interested in, or a culture in their family for creating the Outer space projection and using games as part of assessment.
heritage). I realized that while I loved these ideas I a) needed a lot more experience
developing thematic units to handle their complexity and b) these topics may be
better suited for an in-depth class project. Furthermore, I needed to think about a I wanted to have a dance activity instead of a second visual arts activities to fully
topic that instead would truly excite my students, not just me. involve the cognitive, affective, and psychomotor domains, but unfortunately,
moving this unit up to third grade hindered my creativity to think of a lesson
I decided to pick the Moon because I found it was a much more plausible concept to involving dance that related to the moon. I had movement activities in mind for
split in to each discipline while retaining components that would inspire my students' younger grades, but they did not apply as well to third grade. I can imagine
growing interests and understandings of the world. I strongly value self-reflection, and students interpreting the Moon phases through dance positions as a group, but I
I feel that regardless of the new Science and Math facts they may have learned that am more interested in them having a much more concrete understanding, hence,
day, or may still be trying to process, the inherent magic of the Moon and outer space using art materials to create the phases instead. I'm glad that the theater activity
will continue to nourish my students' thoughts when they go home. As a child I and flashlight phase demonstration will get their bodies moving in some ways!
remember learning about space and immediately going to the library to check out
books out about famous astronomers, imagining that I could one day become one. I
also remember staring at the Moon on a long car ride and finally asking my father Lastly, I wanted to mention that it was difficult to narrow down the material this
"Why does the Moon follow us?". I think it really is a priviledge to teach young unit will cover. While Math is integrated, it is brief, and while the Moon's
students about a subject that is composed of such mystifying facts and concepts. characteristics and phases are explained, there is much more for the students to
learn regarding where the Moon came from, why the Moon is so important to
Earth, and what the Moon does.
 Credits Slide 8
https://www.happinessishomemade.net/moon-
Background Image: phases-chart/
https://www.canva.com/photos/tag/starry+sky/ Slide 9:
Slide 2: https://www.pinterest.com
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/opinion/os-op-letters-moon- Slide 10:
landing-film-flag-missing-20180911-story.html https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/376122
Slide 6: .The_Moon_Book
https://www.amazon.com
http://planetary-mechanics.com/category/moon/ http://www.wechoosethemoon.org
https://sciencing.com/terrains-planets-8658764.html Sllide 11:
Slide 7: https://www.etsy.com/shop/MakeArtShine?ref=si
mple-shop-header-name
http://www.astronautix.com/a/apollo11.html
http://www.drawingskill.com/art/39190
https://hhhhappy.com/nasa-releases-two-years-worth-of-
apollo-11-mission-audio/ Slide 12:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTn-zg7rXjs