Topic 8: The Solar System
Activity: Phases of the Moon
Materials:
 Styrofoam ball
 Flood Lamp/ flashlight
 Student volunteers
Purpose:
For this activity, the floodlight represents the sun, the Styrofoam ball the moon,
and the student’s head represents Earth. The student will observe the moon for
four different phases: New, Full, 1st Quarter, and 3rd Quarter. By taking the moon
around their head, they will see the time of day for the moon when it is rising,
overhead, setting, and hidden at either sunrise, noon, sunset, or midnight.
Introduction:
-Go over why there are phases of the moon.
-What light source makes seeing the moon possible?
-Why do we only see parts of the moon sometimes?
-What rotation period does the moon have to explain why we only see on side of
the moon?
-What is the rotation period of the Earth?
Notes:
-Students may have trouble with setting up the light and moon correctly for the
different phases
-Students may need help distinguishing the different types of day
-Students may need help moving the moon around their head
-This activity is best done in low- lighting
Extensions:
This could be done as a whole class activity with one volunteer for the light, one
volunteer holding a much bigger moon, and one large sphere representing the
Earth
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Activity: Earth’s Seasons
Purpose:
This is an activity for students to realize what is happening between the Earth
and the Sun for us to have seasons, and how seasons may be different
depending on where you are on Earth. It is important for students to realize that
seasons are not caused by the change in distance between the Earth and the
Sun.
Objective: The students will be able to model how the tilt in the sun’s angle
changes the area over which its energy is distributed.
Introduction:
Go over some key vocabulary: elliptical, aphelion, perihelion, equinox, and
solstice.
Have you heard the word solstice before? What does it mean? When do we
have a solstice? And?
What about equinox? What happens to the days when we have a solstice, and
an equinox?
Go over how the solstice and equinox relate to our four seasons.
Procedure:
Hold the flashlight (sun) at a distance 15 cm directly over a grid, or at an angle 0
degrees from the vertical. Trace the brightly lighted area with a pencil, and label it
as number 1.
Keeping the sun the same distance above the paper, move it 45 degrees from
the vertical, trace, and label it at number 2.
Go over when the sun’s energy is at a maximum. What angle from the vertical?
What season?
Explain what causes the seasons, and why.
If earth were spinning with no tilt, would we still have seasons? Why or why not?
What if Earth’s tilt was 90 degrees?
Extensions:
Use a model to explain/ prove theories of angle and sun intensity
Photos: