Science Challenge

For my science lesson plan, I decided to focus on science in the 6th grade. I chose:

Standard 1: Students will understand that the appearance of the moon changes in a predictable cycle as it orbits Earth and as Earth rotates on its axis.
Objective 1: Explain patterns of changes in the appearance of the moon as it orbits Earth.
A: Describe changes in the appearance of the moon during a month.

I chose to use the program "Stellarium" for this lesson. This program can show the night sky from anywhere on earth at any time. Therefore, I figured it would be a good idea to let the students explore the moon phases by looking at the same location on earth, but at different days throughout an entire month. After they are done exploring, I will have them draw and describe the phases of the moon and how they change throughout the cycle.

Content: The content I will be focusing on is the standard I previously stated. I will want the students to learn what phases of the moon look like and how they change throughout the month.
Pedagogy: Students will explore, illustrate, and describe the phases of the moon.
Technology: The students will use the program "Stellarium" on the computer in order to explore what the moon looks like during every phase of its cycle.