Moon

The moon is a constant and interesting thing. Students all know what the moon is and where to find it. What is great about the moon is that it can cover many subject areas. Not only can you discuss astronomy, but also different cultures. For example, here is an exert from a Native American tribes tale of how the moon was created:

Coyote and the Sky: How the Sun, Moon, and Stars Began

“According to Santa Ana Pueblo legend, the animals' spirit Leader created the sun, moon, and stars by using woven yucca mats and hot coals. He selected certain animals to climb from their homes in the Third World up to the Fourth World. The Squirrel, the Rabbit, and the Badger were all allowed to go. The Coyote, however, was forbidden to accompany them because he was always causing trouble and stealing food from the others.

Regardless of what he was told, Coyote refused to stay in the Third World. He found a hiding place and waited for a chance to follow the animals to the Fourth World. When the other animals discovered Coyote, they summoned the Leader to the Fourth World to deal with him. Coyote's punishment is a lesson in what happens to animals, or people, when they refuse to obey instructions.”

            This legend is adapted from the Santa Ana tribe and tells of how the sun, the moon, and the stars all began. 

Cultures are not the only way to incorporate social studies into the science of the moon. You can also discuss Neil Armstrong and the Apollo 11 landing. This event was actually caught on camera so students can watch the moon landing as it was televised many years ago. Here is the video of the launch and landing:

Apollo 11 Launch and Landing on the Moon

The moon was a huge milstone in U.S. history. Students can learn and take pride in Americas contribution to space travel and exploration.

Along with teaching cultures, you can just simply study the moon. A great way to do this is to have students keep a "moon blog". This can be kept online or on paper.  It should be done over a span of 20 days as this is the how long it takes the moon to complete a phase. Here is an example of my moon blog:

By having students do this project, students can see for themselves the moon go through a complete phase. There will be some nights when the moon is not visible. This is a great way to teach about how the moon is always there even if we cannot see it. You can discuss what it looked like the past few nights and from that decide what the moon should have looked like. The class can then research the phases and see if their predictions are correct. 

Moon Phases

The moon goes through phases. It takes 20 days for the moon to complete one phase. The main phases are full moon, new moon, third quarter, and first quarter. You then have the phases in between the main phase which use the words waning, crescent, waxing, and gibbous to define these phases.