Moon Phases

The moon is always changing its appearance in the sky.

This is because the moon is going around the earth, just like Earth orbits the sun. When it starts it's orbit, you cannot see it. It's called a New Moon. As it continues to move around the earth, it gets brighter adn brighter. You start to see half of the moon which is called First Quarter. and then the entire face of the moon is illuminated. This is called a Full Moon.

It's half way around the world when it's a Full Moon. As the moon goes through the second half of it's journey, it starts to get darker and darker. You can only see half of the moon again, which is called the Third Quarter. As it comes back to it's starting point, you can't see anything at all. The moon has made on full orbit around earth, and it's a New Moon again.

The moon goes through a cycle. The phases of the moon change, and it takes one month for the cycle to happen.

How would you describe the moon's pattern of phase changes in your own words? Write down your answer in your journal!

The reason for the seasons

Earth is unlike any other planet. We have water, oxygen, plants, animals and an atomosphere. We also have 4 different seasons that cause weather changes. Have you ever stopped and wondered why it's cold during the winter time, but warm and sunny during summer?




What about the middle seasons, like Spring and Autumn? During the Spring time, the flowers begin to bloom the animals migrate back to their warmer habitat. It begins to warm up during Spring. After summer, we begin to see the leaves change colors and the temperature begins to cool down as we enter into Autumn. Crops are ready to be harvested before the winter.


















Right now, we're experiencing Winter. There are more clouds in the sky, and the temperature has dropped since summer time. Houston's winters are usually rainy and cold, but every once in awhile, we get snow or ice!

The reason we have seasons is because the earth is tilted on it's axis. During our summer, the top half (Northern Hemisphere) of the earth is pointed towards the sun, so we are exposed to the sun's warmth more. The bottom half (Southern Hemisphere) of the earth is pointed away from the sun, so they are experiencing winter.

When we orbit the sun, we will sometimes be pointed towards the sun, and we will sometimes be pointed away from the sun.




1. Why do we have seasons on the Earth?

2. How are seasons in the Northern Hemisphere alike and different from those in the Southern Hemisphere?

3. What would happen with the Seasons if the Earth never orbited around the Sun?

Practicing multiple choice questions

Let's try out some warm up questions! We have a benchmark tomorrow, so we need to practice reading and understanding tricky questions!


Mary conducted an investigation three times. The results were about the same the first two times, but they were different the third trial. What should she do next?

A. Change the variable
B. Conduct additional trials
C. Start a new investigation
D. Trust the first set of results



At what temperature will an ice cube start to melt into liquid?
A. 40°C
B. 0°C
C. 10°C
D. 30°C


Directions: The chart below shows how long it took a seed to sprout at three different temperatures.

Temperature---------- Days needed to sprout
20°C --------------------------15
25°C --------------------------13
30°C --------------------------11

Based on the information in the chart, how long will it take for the same kind of seed to sprout at 40°C?

A. 9 days
B. 7 days
C. 6 days
D. 5 days