Cullman Hall of the Universe

Science & Literacy Activity GRADES 3-5

OVERVIEW Common Core State Standards:

This activity, which is aligned to the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) W.3-5.2, W.3-5.8, W.3-5.9
for English Language Arts, introduces students to scientific knowledge and RI.3-5.1, RI.3-5.2, RI.3-5.7, RI.3-5.10
language related to the characteristics and phases of the Moon. Students New York State Science Core Curriculum:
will read content-rich texts, visit the Cullman Hall of the Universe, and use PS 1.1g
what they have learned to complete a CCSS-aligned writing task, creating
an illustrated text about the characteristics and phases of the Moon. Next Generation Science Standards:
PE MS-ESS1-1
Materials in this packet include: DCI ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System
• Teacher instructions for: The orbits of Earth around the Sun and
o Pre-visit student reading of the Moon around Earth, together with
o Visit to Cullman Hall of the Universe and student worksheet the rotation of Earth about an axis
between its North and South poles, can
o Post-visit writing task
cause observable patterns. These include
• Text for student reading: “Moon Phases: Follow Moonlight through a Month”
day and night; daily changes in the length
• Student Worksheet for Cullman Hall of the Universe visit and direction of shadows; and different
• Student Writing Guidelines position of the Sun, the Moon and stars at
• Teacher rubric for writing assessment different times of the day, month, and year.

SUPPORTS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS: An Overview

This resource has been designed to engage all learners with the principles of Universal Design for Learning in mind. It represents
information in multiple ways and offers multiple ways for your students to engage with content as they read about, discuss, view, and write
about scientific concepts. Different parts of the experience (e.g. reading texts, or locating information in the hall) may challenge individual
students. However, the arc of learning is designed to offer varied opportunities to learn. We suggest that all learners experience each activity,
even if challenging. We have provided ways to adapt each step of the activities for students with different skill-levels. If any students have an
Individualized Education Program (IEP), consult it for additional accommodations or modifications.

1. BEFORE YOUR VISIT

This part of the activity engages students in reading a non-fiction text about the phases of the Moon. The reading
will prepare students for their visit by introducing them to the topic and framing their investigation.

Student Reading
Have students read “Moon Phases: Follow Moonlight through a Month.” Have them write notes in the large right-hand
margin. For example, they could underline key passages, paraphrase important information, or write down questions
that they have. They may also use the space for drawings or diagrams.
Discussion Questions:
Ask:
• What is the role of sunlight in the phases of the Moon? (A: The Moon does not make its own light, it reflects the light of
the Sun. Its position relative to the Sun determines what phase we see.)
• How does looking at the Moon from Earth determine what phase we see? (A: As the Moon circles Earth, the half of the
Moon facing the Sun is always lit. The amount of the lit side that we see changes depending on the Moon’s position
relative to Earth.)
• Why do the phases of the Moon have a repeating pattern? (A: The Moon has a day night cycle just like Earth, except
that the Moon’s cycle lasts almost 30 days. During the course of a month the Moon circles once around Earth. Once
that cycle is completed, the sunlit half of the Moon is back to its original position, facing away from Earth in what we
call a New Moon.)

They can work in pairs, small groups, or as a class. During discussion, remind students to use evidence from the text to
explain their thinking.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3-5

SUPPORTS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS: Student Reading

• “Chunking” the reading can help keep them from becoming overwhelmed by the length of the text. Present them with only a few sentences
or a single paragraph to read and discuss before moving on to the next “chunk.”
• Provide “wait-time” for students after you ask a question. This will allow time for students to search for textual evidence or to more clearly
formulate their thinking before they speak.
• After the reading, show students the OLogy visualization “See the Moon in Action” to help them understand the position of Earth, the Moon,
and the Sun in relation to each phase of the Moon: amnh.org/ology/features/stufftodo_astro/moon.php

2. DURING YOUR VISIT

This part of the activity engages students in exploring the hall.

Museum Visit & Student Worksheet

Explain to students that they will be focusing on the Bronze Moon Globe and the Full Moon Photographs and using
worksheets to gather all the necessary information about the characteristics of the Moon’s surface. Tell students that
back in the classroom they will refer to these notes when completing the writing assignment.

SUPPORTS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS: Museum Visit

• Review the Student Worksheet with students, clarifying what information they should collect during the visit.
• Have students explore the hall in pairs, with each student completing their own Student Worksheet.
• Encourage student pairs to ask you or their peers for help locating sources of information. Tell students they may not share answers with
other pairs, but they may point each other to places in the hall where answers may be found.

3. BACK IN THE CLASSROOM

This part of the activity is to engage students in an informational writing task that draws on the pre-visit reading and on
observations made at the Museum.

Writing Task
Distribute the Student Writing Guidelines handout, which includes the following prompt for the writing task:

Based on your reading, your visit to the Cullman Hall of the Universe, and your discussions, write an
illustrated essay in which you describe:
• basic characteristics of the Moon
• why the Moon has phases and why those phases have a repeating pattern
Be sure to include:
• labeled Illustrations of Moon phases and characteristics

Support your discussion with evidence from the reading and the visit to the Cullman Hall of the Universe.

Go over the handout with students. Tell them that they will use it while writing, and afterwards, to evaluate and revise
their essays.

Before they begin to write, have students use the prompt and guidelines to frame a discussion around the information
that they gathered in the Cullman Hall of the Universe and compare their findings. They can work in pairs, small groups,
or as a class. Referring to the writing prompt, have students underline or highlight all relevant passages and information
from the reading and discussion and their notes from the hall that can be used in their response to the prompt. Instruct
each student to take notes on useful information that their peers gathered as they compare findings. Students should
write their essays individually.

SUPPORTS FOR DIVERSE LEARNERS: Writing Task

• Re-read the “Before Your Visit” assignment with students. Ask what they saw in the hall that helps them understand the characteristics
of the Moon.
• Allow time for students to read their essay drafts to a peer and receive feedback based on the Student Writing Guidelines.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

Student Reading
Moon Phases: Follow Moonlight Through
a Month
Though the Moon looks like it glows, there’s no such thing as
moonlight. That’s because the Moon doesn’t make its own light.
It just reflects light from the Sun, like a giant bike reflector.

The Moon has a day and night cycle just like Earth. But the Moon’s
day and night cycle lasts almost thirty days. That’s a long time
compared to the twenty-four hours in Earth’s day and night cycle.

When we look up into the sky each night, the Moon looks a little
different. Sometimes it’s almost round. Other times it’s just a sliver.
But the Moon doesn’t really change shape — all that changes is our
view of it.

During the course of a month, the Moon circles once around Earth.
The half of the Moon facing the Sun is always lit. But the lit side
does not always face our planet! As the Moon circles Earth, the
amount of the lit side we see changes.

Think of the Moon as a giant ball. As the Moon moves around

Earth, we see changing amounts of the sunlit half. Since we can
only see the lit-up part, the Moon appears to grow and shrink.
We call these changing views the phases of the Moon.

If the Moon is in the direction of the Sun, then we call it a New

Moon. During this phase, the Moon rises about when the Sun
rises. It is in the sky all day, and sets when the Sun sets. In this
phase the entire backside of the Moon is lit up. That leaves the
side we see in darkness.

The next phase is called the Waxing Crescent.

The word “waxing” means increasing. At this
phase, the Moon is best observed just after
sunset. More and more of the sunlit half will be
seen each night. At first, only a small sliver of
the Moon can be seen. This sliver is in a
crescent shape.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

Then, half of the sunlit face of the Moon is

visible from Earth. The Moon is in the First
Quarter phase. The lit-up part we see is a
quarter of the entire Moon. The other lighted
quarter is on the backside of the Moon. That
is the side of the Moon that we can’t see.

A Waxing Gibbous Moon is when three

quarters of the Moon’s sunlit side faces Earth.
At this point, the Moon is best seen after
sunset through late evening.

During a Full Moon the Moon is opposite from

the Sun as seen from Earth. Here, the Moon
rises when the Sun sets and sets when the
Sun rises. When there is a Full Moon, the
entire disk as seen from Earth is lit up. You
can see the Moon all night long.

After a Full Moon, the Moon begins waning. That means that the
size of the Moon you can see is decreasing. Less and less of the
sunlit half will be seen each night. But more and more will be
visible during the day!

During the Waning Gibbous phase, three

quarters of the Moon’s sunlit side faces Earth.
The best time to see this phase is very late at
night or very early in the morning.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

In the Last Quarter phase, half of the sunlit side

of the Moon is visible. In this phase you can
look for the Moon from the middle of the night
through the morning.

The last phase is the Waning Crescent phase.

You can only see a small sliver of the sunlit side
of the moon again. You can see this Moon sliver
early in the morning. The last time you can see
it is in the afternoon.

At this point the cycle starts all over again with the New Moon.
The sunlit half of the Moon is facing away from Earth again. So the
Moon seems to be dark from our view.

All photos courtesy of NASA.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

Student Worksheet
Stop #1: Bronze Moon Globe

Walk around the Moon globe, a model of the Moon cast in bronze. Observe and touch the surface.
Do both sides look and feel the same?

Explain your answer.

What are the two sides of the Moon called and why do you think that they have those names?

Draw the Near Side of the Moon Draw the Far Side of the Moon

Explore the nearby panels to learn more about the surface of the Moon and the relationship
between Earth and the Moon.

Stop #2: Full Moon Photographs

Observe the various photographs taken by astronauts who traveled to the Moon. Based on your
observations, describe the surface of the Moon.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

ANSWER KEY
Student Worksheet
Stop #1: Bronze Moon Globe

Walk around the Moon globe, a model of the Moon cast in bronze. Observe and touch the surface.
Do both sides look and feel the same? (Answer: No)

Explain your answer.

(Answer: One side is covered in fewer, large craters; the other side is covered in many smaller
craters.)

What are the two sides of the Moon called and why do you think that they have those names?
(Answer: The Near Side is the side we see from Earth. It’s so called because it is the side closest to
Earth. The Far is the side we never see, making it further from Earth.)

*Note for teachers: the side facing the planetarium sphere is the Far Side of the Moon; the side facing
the entrance to the Gottesman Hall of Planet Earth is the Near Side.)

Draw the Near Side of the Moon Draw the Far Side of the Moon

Explore the nearby panels to learn more about the surface of the Moon and the relationship
between Earth and the Moon.

Stop #2: Full Moon Photographs

Observe the various photographs taken by astronauts who traveled to the Moon. Based on your
observations, describe the surface of the Moon.

(Answers may vary but might include: everything is covered in grey dust, there is no water or
landforms, there are craters)

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

Student Writing Guidelines

Writing Prompt:
Based on your reading, your visit to the Cullman Hall of the Universe, and your discussions, write an illustrated essay in
which you describe:
• basic characteristics of the Moon
• why the Moon has phases and why those phases have a repeating pattern
Be sure to include:
• labeled Illustrations of Moon phases and characteristics

Support your discussion with evidence from the reading and visit to the Cullman Hall of the Universe.

Use this checklist to ensure that you have included all of the required elements in your essay.

I introduced the topic of the Moon.

I described some of its basic characteristics.

I clearly described why the Moon has phases and explained why those phases have a repeating pattern.

I included labeled illustrations of the complete cycle of Moon phases and the Moon’s characteristics.

All of the information I presented is relevant to the Moon and its phases and characteristics.

I used information from “Moon Phases: Follow Moonlight through a Month” to explain the topic in detail.

I used information from the Cullman Hall of the Universe to explain the topic in detail.

I included a conclusion at the end.

I proofread my essay for grammar and spelling errors.

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Cullman Hall of the Universe GRADES 3–5

Assessment Rubric

Below Approaches Meets Exceeds

Scoring 1 Expectations 2 Expectations 3 Expectations 4 Expectations
Elements
Attempts to include Presents some Accurately presents Accurately and
text using examples, information from information from read- effectively presents
quotes, or other reading materials but ing materials relevant important information
Reading references. may lack accuracy or to the purpose of the from reading materials
relevance. prompt to inform or to inform or explain.
RESEARCH

explain.

Attempts to include Presents some infor- Accurately presents Accurately and

Museum exhibit mation from Museum information from effectively presents
content using exhibit but may lack Museum exhibit rele- important information
AMNH Exhibit examples, quotes, accuracy or relevance. vant to the purpose of from Museum exhibit
or other references. the prompt to inform to inform or explain.
or explain.

Attempts to address Addresses the prompt, Addresses the prompt Addresses key aspects
the prompt, but is but focus is uneven. with an adequately of prompt in a detailed
Focus off-task. detailed response; response; stays on
stays on task. task.

Attempts to inform Informs or explains Informs or explains Informs or explains by

Development or explain but lacks by presenting some using appropriate providing detailed and
details. details. details. relevant information.
WRITING

Lacks cohesion and Demonstrates an Demonstrates a Maintains a well-

control of grammar, uneven command of command of standard developed command
usage, and mechanics standard English English conventions, of standard English
appropriate to grade conventions appropri- with few errors as conventions, with
level ate to grade level. appropriate to grade few errors. Response
Conventions level. includes language and
tone appropriate to the
purpose and specific
requirements of the
prompt.

Content is irrelevant, Shows uneven under- Presents generally Presents accurate and
SCIENCE

inappropriate, or standing of disciplinary accurate disciplinary relevant disciplinary

Content content related to the content to enhance
inaccurate. content related to the
Understanding prompt prompt. understanding of the
topic.