Moon Phases and the Moon's Orbit

Have students read the text first and shade or label the diagram before they answer the questions. A ball and a lamp can help them see why half of the Moon is always lit.

Shade and name all eight Moon phases on an orbit diagram, then explain why half the Moon is always lit. The directions on the page read: Read the text. For each Moon in the diagram, shade the dark part of its circle to show how it looks from Earth and write its phase name. Then answer the questions. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade Earth and space, 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 with moon phases and eclipses. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

The sheet names eight: new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent. Waxing means growing and waning means shrinking.

In a solar eclipse the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth, and it can only happen at new moon. In a lunar eclipse Earth passes between the Sun and the Moon, and it can only happen at full moon. A lunar eclipse is safe to look at, but a solar eclipse needs special eclipse glasses.

The Moon's orbit is tilted a little. Most months, the Moon passes just above or below the shadow.