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We Will Be Doing An Assignment Over This Tomorrow, So Be Prepared For Some FUN!

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We Will Be Doing An Assignment Over This Tomorrow, So Be Prepared For Some FUN!

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In this series of games, your students will learn about the what, how, and why of the Moon and its cycles. The Lunar Phases learning objective - based on NGSS and state standards - delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective's games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

We only see one side of the Moon because it rotates at exactly the same rate as it revolves around the Earth. The Moon reflects sunlight, so as its position changes relative to the Earth and the Sun, it cycles through the different lunar phases. One lunar cycle takes about 29.5 days, and its pattern allows us to predict the Moon's phase at any given time, using drawings, 3D models, and computer models.

In total, there are seven games in this learning objective, including:

Moon Quest: A Moon Exploration Platformer Game

Lunar Wolves

Ms. Rose and Lunar Phases

Lunar Photographer

Lunar Frenzy

Lunar Phases: Meteor Defense

Floating Spheres: Sun, The Moon and the Stars

A further preview of each game is below.

You can try the games within the learning objective for free on the Legends of Learning site with an account.

Sign up for $100 worth of games with no obligations or commitments.

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Lunar Phases Science Games - Legends of Learning

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In this series of games, your students will learn about the what, how, and why of the Moon and its cycles. The Lunar Phases learning objective - based on NGSS and state standards - delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

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I would also like you to all do some research, ask your parents, or watch the weather to find out why daylight savings time exists. Also, why are there less hours of light where we live during the winter than during the summer? I want you to ask yourselves some questions, do some research, and let me know what you find out. You have all week to do some digging!

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We have a slightly different view of the Moon each night. We describe how the Moon looks with the eight Moon phases, or shapes:

🌑 New

🌒 Waxing Crescent

🌓 First Quarter

🌔 Waxing Gibbous

🌕 Full

🌖 Waning Gibbous

🌗 Third Quarter

🌘 Waning Crescent

If you have looked into the night sky, you may have noticed the Moon appears to change shape each night. Some nights, the Moon might look like a narrow crescent. Other nights, the Moon might look like a bright circle. And on other nights, you might not be able to see the Moon at all. The different shapes of the Moon that we see at different times of the month are called the Moon's phases.

Why does this happen? The shape of the Moon isn't changing throughout the month. However, our view of the Moon does change.

The Moon does not produce its own light. There is only one source of light in our solar system, and that is the Sun. Without the Sun, our Moon would be completely dark. What you may have heard referred to as "moonlight" is actually just sunlight reflecting off of the Moon's surface.

The Sun's light comes from one direction, and it always illuminates, or lights up, one half of the Moon - the side of the Moon that is facing the Sun. The other side of the Moon is dark.

On Earth, our view of the illuminated part of the Moon changes each night, depending on where the Moon is in its orbit, or path, around Earth. When we have a full view of the completely illuminated side of the Moon, that phase is known as a full moon.

But following the night of each full moon, as the Moon orbits around Earth, we start to see less of the Moon lit by the Sun. Eventually, the Moon reaches a point in its orbit when we don't see any of the Moon illuminated. At that point, the far side of the Moon is facing the Sun. This phase is called a new moon. During the new moon, the side facing Earth is dark.

The eight Moon phases:

🌑 New: We cannot see the Moon when it is a new moon.

🌒 Waxing Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waxing crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the right.

🌓 First Quarter: We see the first quarter phase as a half moon.

🌔 Waxing Gibbous: The waxing gibbous phase is between a half moon and full moon. Waxing means it is getting bigger.

🌕 Full: We can see the Moon completely illuminated during full moons.

🌖 Waning Gibbous: The waning gibbous phase is between a full moon and a half moon. Waning means it is getting smaller.

🌗 Third Quarter: We see the third quarter moon as a half moon, too. It is the opposite half as illuminated in the first quarter moon.

🌘 Waning Crescent: In the Northern Hemisphere, we see the waning crescent phase as a thin crescent of light on the left.

The Moon displays these eight phases one after the other as it moves through its cycle each month. It takes about 27.3 days for the Moon to orbit Earth. However, because of how sunlight hits the Moon, it takes about 29.5 days to go from one new moon to the next new moon.

Here's what the Moon looks like right now from Earth:

Interested in learning more about the Moon?

Related Resources for Educators

Daily Moon Guide
Moon Phases Simulation Viewed from Earth and Space
Our World: Moon Phases
Make a Moon Phase Calendar and Calculator

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Articles, games and activities about our closest star

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Following the Sun: Crash Course Kids #8.2

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I want you to write a paragraph over how and why the amount of sunlight we see throughout the day changes. The video and website linked will help with this assignment.

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I would like you to make a diagram like the one shown below and explain why the moon phases change during the duration of about a month. It does not have to be anything fancy, just draw the shapes of the moon and explain what causes them to look that way. The videos and website linked will help you on this assignment.