Lesson Notes By Weeks and Term v5 - Grade 4

Lesson Video

This page supports the lesson note with a companion video and a short classroom-ready summary.

For class groups and homework, share this lesson page so learners also get the summary, objectives, and full lesson context.

Performance objectives

• Describe the phases of the Moon.
• Explain how the Moon's orbit causes these phases.
• Describe the Moon's effect on Earth's tides.
• Understand the Moon reflects light from the sun.
• Compare the sizes of the Earth and the Moon.

Lesson summary

This week, we'll be exploring the fascinating world of the Moon and its relationship to the Earth. The Moon is Earth's closest celestial neighbour and affects our planet in many ways, from the tides to providing light at night. Understanding the Moon helps us appreciate the complexity of our solar system and the natural processes that shape our world. Knowing about the Moon, its phases, and its movements also helps us understand why we see different moon shapes and how it influences things like ocean tides, which are important for coastal communities in South Africa. For example, knowing about high tide is important for fishermen in places like Durban or Cape Town.

Lesson notes

2. 1.

The Moon is Earth's Satellite: The Moon is a natural satellite that orbits the Earth. A satellite is an object that moves around a larger object in space.

Think of it like this: just as the Earth goes around the Sun, the Moon goes around the Earth. The Earth is much bigger than the Moon. In fact, you could fit about 49 Moons inside the Earth! 2.

2. The Moon Reflects Sunlight: The Moon doesn't produce its own light. Instead, it reflects light from the Sun. Just like a mirror reflects light, the Moon reflects sunlight back to Earth, making it appear bright in the night sky. This is why we can see the Moon even though it doesn't shine on its own. The portion of the Moon we see lit up changes as the Moon orbits the Earth, giving rise to the phases of the Moon. 2.

3. Phases of the Moon: The Moon goes through different shapes, called phases, as it orbits the Earth. These phases are caused by the different angles at which we see the sunlit portion of the Moon.

Here's a breakdown of the main phases: New Moon: The Moon is between the Earth and the Sun. We can't see the Moon because the side facing us is not lit by the Sun.

Waxing Crescent: A small sliver of the Moon becomes visible as it moves away from the Sun in our sky. "Waxing" means getting bigger.

First Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated. It looks like a half-circle.

Waxing Gibbous: More than half of the Moon is illuminated. "Gibbous" means more than half but not a full circle.

Full Moon: The entire face of the Moon is illuminated by the Sun. It appears as a bright, round circle in the sky.

Waning Gibbous: The illuminated portion starts to decrease after the full moon. "Waning" means getting smaller.

Third Quarter: Half of the Moon is illuminated again, but the opposite half from the first quarter.

Waning Crescent: A small sliver of the Moon is visible again, getting smaller each night until it disappears completely (new moon). It takes approximately 29.5 days for the Moon to go through all its phases. This is called a lunar month.