Virginia SOL 4.6.c

Science4th GradeEarth and Space Systems

The Standard

the causes for the four major phases of the moon and the relationship to the tide cycles

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students explain that Moon phases result from seeing different portions of the Moon’s sunlit half as it orbits Earth. They connect new and full moons to spring tides, and quarter moons to neap tides.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can place the Sun, Earth, and Moon correctly for each major phase and identify the next phase in order. They can predict whether a phase produces a larger or smaller tidal range.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think Earth’s shadow causes Moon phases or that the Moon produces its own light. They may think spring tides occur only in spring, or that a spring tide means only a high tide.
How to Assess It: Give students diagrams of the four major phases. Ask them to label each phase and write whether it produces a spring or neap tide, with one reason.

Lesson moves

Darken the room, use a lamp as the Sun and foam balls as the Moon, then sketch four views from Earth.
Write a response to this prompt: Why do new and full moons produce larger tidal ranges than quarter moons?
Sort Moon phase cards and tide cards into matching pairs, then arrange the pairs in orbital order.
Compare a local tide table with a Moon phase calendar, marking dates with the largest and smallest differences between high and low tide.

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