[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-143843-105":3,"doc-detail-143843-en":80,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":96},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":73,"head_meta":75,"extra_data":77,"updated_unix":79},105,"en","teaching-moon-phases-hands-on-activity-for-moon-phases-and-eclipses","Teaching Moon Phases - Hands-on Activity for Moon Phases and Eclipses","","Hands-on instructional activity for teaching Moon phases and eclipses through role-play and physical modeling. The lesson is organized into three parts: causes of Moon phases, causes of eclipses, and assessment to order Moon phase imagery. It uses a lamp as the Sun, participants as Earth, directional cards for east and west, and ball-on-a-stick models as the Moon. Learning goals include why the Moon appears half-lit, how viewing time changes phases, and why eclipses occur only when Earth, Moon, and Sun align.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/exam/","Exam",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/teaching-moon-phases-hands-on-activity-for-moon-phases-and-eclipses/143843/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/teaching-moon-phases-hands-on-activity-for-moon-phases-and-eclipses/143843.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Aditya","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-09-18","2026-08-25",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":33},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",{"@type":56,"mainEntity":57},"FAQPage",[58,64,68],{"name":59,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":61},"What causes Moon phases in this activity?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"Moon phases are caused by observing the half-lit Moon at different times during its orbit around Earth.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What causes solar eclipses and why are they limited?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"A solar eclipse happens when the Moon comes exactly between Earth and the Sun, blocking most sunlight; only a small shadow allows a limited number of observers to see it.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"Why don’t eclipses occur every month?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Eclipses do not occur monthly because the Moon’s orbital plane is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit, so Earth, Moon, and Sun rarely align exactly.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":74,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":76,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":78,"site_id":7},143843,1787696949,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":82},"success",{"doc_id":78,"user_id":83,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":84,"doc_module":4,"category_id":33,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":85,"file_id":86,"file_url":87,"file_type":88,"file_size":89,"view_count":33,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":90,"language":91,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":92,"faqs":93,"seo_title":94,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":79,"read_time":95},962085564549,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_085a072bc5b1113ac321206ff7593b45","Teaching Moon Phases  \nDeborah Scherrer  \nStanford University Solar Center  \nActivity originally developed by Dennis Schatz, Pacific Science Center  \n| Age Range:\u003Cbr>Grades 4-14 | |\n| --- | --- |\n| Duration:\u003Cbr>30-45 minutes |  |\n\nOverview:  \nThis is an activity to teach and learn Moon phases and eclipses through hands-on modeling. It has three sections:  \n1. Understanding what causes Moon phases activity  \n2. Understanding what causes eclipses activity  \n3. Assessment/Firm-up – ordering Moon phase imagery activity  \nThis activity is inspired by one originally taught by Dennis Schatz to the Astronomical Society of the Pacific’s Project Astro participants. The full activity is described in “Astro Adventures,” a publication of the Pacific Science Center. It is also available through the Astronomical Society of the Pacific shop, as part of their Universe at Your Fingertips DVD. It is highly recommended that users purchase one of these write-ups for doing a more extensive unit on moon phases and eclipses:  \n[http://www.astrosociety.org/education/the-universe-at-your-fingertips-2-0/](http://www.astrosociety.org/education/the-universe-at-your-fingertips-2-0/)  \nand  \n[https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwiTr](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwiTr)[ ](https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAAahUKEwiTr)Z3qlrvHAhVQKYgKHSDkBBM&url=[https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pacificsciencecenter.org%2Fwp](https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pacificsciencecenter.org%2Fwp)content%2Fuploads%2Fastro_adventures_order.pdf&ei=AqDXVZOkA9DSoASgyJOYAQ&usg=AFQjCNGqb_ 1F-qvHqt0jXCNdBpuR3uDoGA&sig2=EukJnLFQIgyZB-DRn27UYA  \n© 2015 Stanford University. Permission given to use for educational purposes.  \nActivity Goals:  \nParticipants will learn that:  \n􀁸 The Moon is always half-lit by the Sun.  \n􀁸 Moon phases are caused by observing the half-lit Moon at different times during its orbit of the Earth.  \n􀁸 All people on Earth see the same moon phase at the same time, though those in the southern hemisphere see the moon upside down compared with the northern.  \n􀁸 Solar eclipses are caused by the Moon coming exactly between the Earth and the Sun, blocking all but a small shadow of the Sun’s light to the Earth. Only a small number of people can observe a solar eclipse because of the small size of the shadow.  \n􀁸 Lunar eclipses are caused by the Earth coming directly between the Sun and the Moon, casting a shadow on the Moon. Everyone on the night-side of the Earth can observe a lunar eclipse.  \n􀁸 Solar and lunar eclipses do not occur every month because the Moon’s orbit is tilted to the Earth’s plane of orbit around the Sun. So the Moon, Earth, and Sun rarely line up exactly.  \nMaterials:  \n􀁸 Light source: A tall floor lamp with the shade taken off. Or, alight bulb on a stand or clip that can be placed about 1.5-2 meters high. Clear incandescent light bulbs work best. Batterypowered lanterns sometimes work.  \n􀁸 Small ball: A white (or light-colored) ~5cm (2”) ball for each participant. These could be made of Smoothfoam™, Styrofoam™, Model Magic™, clay, paper mache, or they could be golf balls, tennis balls, wooden globes, round fruits, whatever. You may need to drill a hole in each ball for the holder to be inserted.  \n􀁸 Stick: 1 satay stick, pencil with a sharp point, wooden stick, [etc. to](etc. to) serve as a holder. You’ll need 1for each ball. (Avoid very sharp sticks when working with children.)  \n􀁸 Signs (optional): A set of small West and East paper signs for each participant; use tape or pins to attach these to their shoulders (i.e. clothes over shoulders) . Stick-on name tags work well.  \n􀁸 Dark place: A room that can be darkened, large enough for participants to form acircle around the light bulb, about 1.5 meters (5 feet) away from it. You may need to form 2 circles (and add another light bulb), depending upon the number of participants you have. If you absolut","cbCaihopeCzZrPJq","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihopeCzZrPJq","pdf",1413914,15,"English","# Overview\n## Activity Goals\n## Materials\n## Preparation\n# Lesson Plan\n## 1. Get Oriented\n## 2. Moon Phases Activity\n## 3. Understanding What Causes Eclipses","[{\"question\":\"What causes Moon phases in this activity?\",\"answer\":\"Moon phases are caused by observing the half-lit Moon at different times during its orbit around Earth.\"},{\"question\":\"What causes solar eclipses and why are they limited?\",\"answer\":\"A solar eclipse happens when the Moon comes exactly between Earth and the Sun, blocking most sunlight; only a small shadow allows a limited number of observers to see it.\"},{\"question\":\"Why don’t eclipses occur every month?\",\"answer\":\"Eclipses do not occur monthly because the Moon’s orbital plane is tilted relative to Earth’s orbit, so Earth, Moon, and Sun rarely align exactly.\"}]","Teaching Moon Phases - Hands-on Activity for Moon Phases and Eclipses | PDF",38,{"code":4,"msg":81,"data":97},[98,102,106,109,114,119,124,129,134,137,141],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":99,"show_sort_weight":100,"slug":101},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":107,"slug":108},70,"exam",{"id":110,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":111,"show_sort_weight":112,"slug":113},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":115,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":116,"show_sort_weight":117,"slug":118},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":120,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":130,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":131,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":133},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":132,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":135,"show_sort_weight":132,"slug":136},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":138,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":139,"show_sort_weight":138,"slug":140},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":142,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":143,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":144},19,"General","general"]