The Night Sky
Learning Objectives based on the Georgia Performance Standards (GPS)
* The students will describe the physical attributes of stars which include their size, brightness, and patterns.
* Students will record and observe the changes to the moon.
Vocabulary
1. star – ball of fire, thousands of times bigger than Earth
2. constellation – any group of stars forming a pattern
3. rotate – to spin around like a top
4. revolve – to move in a circle or orbit
5. reflect – to give back an image as if by a mirror
6. moon – a huge ball of rock that orbits Earth
7. phase – a series of repeating changes
8. new moon – the first phase of the moon. Only dark part can be seen from Earth. It looks like there is no moon at all.
9. first quarter – the second phase of the moon. Only half of the bright side of the moon can be seen from Earth.
10. full moon – the third phase of the moon. Looks like a full circle. The moon is full when it is on the other side of the Earth from the sun.
11. last quarter – the last phase of the moon. Only half of the face of the moon can be seen. It is a different half than we see in the first quarter moon.
*Study Guide