PHASES OF THE MOON

Review
1. What are the different Public Storm
Warning Signal (PSWS).
2. What are the effects of typhoon to
living things and the environment.
How many moons the earth has?
PHASES OF THE MOON
EXPLORATION
MOON MODEL
Science Skills: Observing, Communicating
Time Frame: 20 minutes
You Will Need:
 Globe
 Flashlight
 Small ball
 What to Do:
1. Place the globe at the center of the table.
2. Turn off the lights in the room. Make sure that the room is
dark enough so as to enhance the light coming from the
flashlight.
3. Turn on the flashlight. Be sure to focus its light on the
globe.
4. Hold the small ball in between the globe and the flashlight.
5. Turn the ball slowly around the globe. DO NOT MOVE
THE FLASHLIGHT.
6. Observe what portion of the ball reflects light. Does the
ball change its shape? Please explain.
 Questions:
1. Observe what portion of the ball reflects the light. Does it
change its shape? Please explain.
2. On a piece of paper, draw the lighted portion of the ball in
the different positions.

3. Compare your drawing with your classmates.

Explanation
 Let each group report on activities, and answer
the guide questions on their science book. Let
the pupils explain. Why moon changes each
appearance from time to time?
 (It because the illuminated portion on the moon
changes as it moves around the earth. This
apparent change on the appearance of the
moon is known as the phases of the moon.)
 Does the ball change its shapes? Please Explain.
 (The image of the moon does not look the same the
whole month. Sometimes it is a full circle sometimes
you see only half of it, and sometimes appears as
crescent.)
 Why do you think its happen? (Because when the
moon is between the appearance of the quarter moon
and new moon the moon is called crescent.
 Extension/Elaboration
1. What are the four phases of the moon?
2. How many weeks for a moon to change
from one phase to another?
3. What are the four main phases of the
moon?
4. How many days does it take for the moon
to complete one phase?
 BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOR TEACHERS
The moon is the only satellite that Earth has. A
satellite is an object that revolves around a larger
object. The moon does not produce its own light. It
only reflects the light coming from the sun. Since the
moon is revolving around the Earth the amount of light
if reflects from the sun varies as it changes its position.
 Phases of the Moon
The moon has four phases. These are
the new, first quarter, full moon, and the last
quarter moon. It takes about one week for a
moon to change from one phases to another.
When the moon is between the sun and
Earth, you cannot see the moon; it is called
new moon. During this phase, the moon is
not visible from the earth. This is because
the side of the moon that is facing us is not
being lit by the sun.
 About a week after the
new moon, you see half of
the lighted side of the
moon. This is called the first
quarter moon.
 A week after the first
quarter moon, you can
see the whole lighted
side of the moon. This
is called the full moon.
A full moon appears as
an entire circle in the
sky.
 On the third week of the
month, you again see half of
the moon’s lighted part.
This is called last quarter
moon. Soon the moon
disappears again; another
new moon appears.
 When the moon is in
between quarter moon
and the full moon, the
moon is called gibbous.
Gibbous moon is more
than half-lit.
 The moon goes through these eight
phases in 29 ½ days. The period it
takes the moon to complete is called
month.
 Waxing Phases of the Moon
After a new moon, when the moon
seems to be growing, it is undergoing a
waxing phase. As the moon starts to appears
in a semicircular form, waxing crescent starts
to appear. During the first quarter, half of the
moon is lighted and visible. When most of
the portion of the moon is visible in the sky, it
is known as waxing gibbous. Then, the
whole lighted side of the moon that is visible
from Earth is known as the full moon. As full
moon appears as an entire circle in the sky.
Waning Phases of the Moon
After full moon, the waning phase of the
moon starts. It is when the moon appears to
be getting smaller each night. Waning
gibbous appears after a full moon. Most of
the portion of the moon is visible in the sky
but, this time, it gets smaller every night.
Then, the last quarter will be seen followed
by a waning crescent.
 Evaluation:
Match the items in Column A with the items in Column B. You may write the letter of the correct answer on
a separate sheet of paper.
Column A Column B
_________1. The phase seen when the moon is between the Sun and Earth a. month
_________2. The phase when most of the lighted portion of the moon is visible b. waxing crescent
in the sky and seen before a full moon
_________3. The phase when the entire lighted portion of the moon is seen in c. waning gibbous
the sky
_________4. The phase when the moon appears in a semi - circular form and is d. new moon
seen after a new moon
_________5. The phase that appears after a waning crescent e. full moon
_________6. The phase when most of the lightest portion of the moon is seen f. phases of the moon
in the sky, but gets smaller every night
_________7. Earth’s only natural satellite g. moon
_________8. The period it takes for the moon to complete one cycle. h. last quarter
waxing gibbous
Assignment:

Below are the phases of the moon. Label each correctly and add a short
description.