Currently in sixth grade science at Amanda-Clearcreek Middle School, we are studying Astronomy. In sixth grade, the focus of our Astronomy Unit focuses on the relative positions of the Earth, Moon and Sun. We focus on learning the reason for seasons, phases of the moon, eclipses and tides. I chose to use a student-created model on the phases of the moon in which students followed a structured inquiry plan and modeled each phase of the moon with a foam ball and a lamp. This model was an excellent tool in teaching students the phases of the moon. They really began to understand the reason for each phase and what each looks like. I was surprised at how easy the students understood the complex concepts once they created their models. Additionally, pairs of students have been tracking the moon each evening for one month so almost all students could relate their experience with spotting the moon in the sky to the activity. I also challenged them to create a model of an eclipse, which we are learning about next, and many students were able to succeed and grasp the concepts before even learning them.
I found that this activity would have been best in pairs of students, but did not have enough materials (lamps) for all the students. I think that students would have had an even better understanding of the concepts if they were working in pairs and forced to be a part of the model the entire time. Furthermore, the activity requires space for each group, which was difficult in my classroom. The use of the gym or auditorium would be a possible solution to the space issue.
