Spark some critical thinking! Use this moon phases CER activity to review and reinforce moon phases and eclipses. Students will practice data analysis and make claims from evidence!
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Please Note: This activity requires prior knowledge of moon phases and eclipses. It’s a great way to review and add rigor to your moon unit! It’s challenging – in a good way! Kids have to THINK!
In this activity, students will:
- READ a brief passage. Students will get a little background information about the card’s topic.
- ANALYZE a simple photograph, diagram, data table, or graph related to moon phases and eclipses.
- Answer a question by making a CLAIM based on the EVIDENCE provided in the station card.
There are 18 total claims to make from analyzing a graph, data table, or diagram!
Two Options to Assign!
- As Stations: Great for getting kids moving around the room! Each of the 18 station cards has a brief passage and a photograph, data table, graph, or diagram. Students complete a Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning grid on a worksheet for a question at each of the 18 stations.
- Digitally: A Google Slides version of this activity is included. No copies needed! Easy!
Topics include:
- Recognizing moon phases (new, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full, waning gibbous, third/last quarter, waning crescent)
- Positions of the Sun, Earth, and moon at different phases
- Predicting moon phases based on patterns
- Position of the Sun, Earth, and moon at solar and lunar eclipses
- What the Sun looks like during a lunar eclipse
- Miscellaneous facts about the moon, such as what its soil is made of and why it has so many craters (no prior knowledge of these things required)
Teacher Notes:
- Includes a digital Google Slides option to assign. A link to make a digital copy is included in the downloadable PDF.
- Includes an answer key.
- Please note that this moon phases CER activity is not editable.
- NGSS Content Standards: NGSS MS-ESS1-1 and HS-ESS1-4
- Check out the moon and tides section of the store!
- You can also shop our TPT store!
Related Standards:
- NGSS MS-ESS1-1: Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses, and seasons.
