EMS 2.7 (4/4)

Amplify Science:

Unit 7: Earth, Moon, and Sun

Chapter 2:

Lesson 2.7: Taking on New Challenges

Purple Simulation:

The teacher would like you to identify which student or students recorded a series of moon phases that could not have been observed in a single month.

Instructions:

Goal: With a partner, use the Sim to gather evidence about the appearance of the Moon to help you respond to the teacher.

Do:

• Use both Top View and View from Earth to answer the questions below.

• Have one partner use the Sim while the other partner records the answer to each question. Be sure to talk about what you see in the Sim before you record your answers. Switch roles each time you answer a question.

Tips:

• Choose a single month to observe. Remember that the students only had four weeks to make their Moon Journals.

• Remember to refer to the key concepts on the classroom wall. These can also help you answer the questions.

The last chapter focused on the different phases of the Moon that we observe from Earth. However, the Moon is not the only object in the solar system that has phases. When astronauts visit the Moon and look back at Earth, they see phases, too! Like the phases of the Moon that we see from Earth, the phases of Earth that astronauts see from the Moon are determined by the position of the Moon in its orbit around Earth. Today, you’re going to investigate the phases of Earth.

This photograph of Earth was taken by NASA astronauts from the Moon during the Apollo 8 mission in 1968. Which phase does Earth appear to be in?

Vocabulary Bank:

New Earth Phase Crescent Earth phase Quarter Earth Phase Full Earth Phase

GIbbous Earth Phase