Ideas For Use
Science Objects are two hour learning experiences teachers can use to enhance their understanding of a particular scientific concept. Teachers can access any topic “on demand” from the Internet. Topics are based on the science literacy goals in the national standards (NSES, Science for All Americans, Benchmarks, and the Atlas of Scientific Literacy) and tied to state standards.
Each Science Object provides an understanding of the science content by providing a structured set of learning experiences through simulations and practice assessments. Science Objects challenge teachers to explore and explain real world phenomena and are founded on the principle that learners must be challenged with a problem, observation, data, etc., in order to develop scientific understanding. Science Objects utilize the five phases of inquiry-based learning: Engage, Explore, Explain, Elaborate, and Evaluate.
Learning Outcomes:
Earth, Sun, and Moon: Motion of the Moon
- Explain how the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon produce the moon’s phases
- Describe the motion of the Moon as seen from Earth and space
- Explain why only a portion of the lit side of the Moon is visible from Earth at any given time
- Predict the phase of the Moon that occurs when given the relative positions of the moon and Earth with respect to the Sun
- Select one of the primary phases of the Moon and predict when that phase will rise and set
- Describe how the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and the Moon produce lunar and solar eclipses
- Explain why there aren't solar and lunar eclipses every month when the Moon is new or full