The Moon's Orbit Around Earth

Use a flashlight and a ball to model day and night, the seasons and the moon's phases before each page. On a sunny day, measure a real shadow in the morning and at noon. Remind your child never to look straight at the sun.

Name four moon phases and answer questions about the moon's orbit. The moon orbits (travels around) Earth about once a month. The moon makes no light; it reflects sunlight. The shape of the lit part we see is called a phase. The directions on the page read: Name phases 1 to 4. Then, answer questions 5 to 8. The answer key shows every answer.

Yes, both. We made it for 5th Grade Earth, sun and moon, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Earth spins on its axis once about every 24 hours. The half facing the sun has day and the half facing away has night. Because Earth spins from west to east, cities farther east see sunrise first.

The sun seems to move across the sky because Earth spins. When the sun is high around noon, shadows are short; in the early morning and late afternoon they are long and point away from the sun.

Earth's tilted axis, not its distance from the sun. When your half of Earth tilts toward the sun, sunlight is more direct and you have summer; tilted away, you have winter.

Yes. All five Earth, sun and moon sheets have an answer key that shows every answer, including sample answers for the questions children explain in their own words.