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Astronomy Year / Week 03 / Monday
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Week 03 · Predict the Full Moon

Monday

The Moon's cycle
// The Moon's monthly pattern
⏱ about 15 min

Monday: The Moon's cycle

Rocket flips through the moon log. "New, crescent, half, gibbous, full. Then what?"

Raven turns the page. "What do you notice? Does it start again?"

Nova draws a big circle in the air. "Hint: a pattern that goes around is called a cycle."

A cycle of phases

The Moon goes from new moon to full moon.

Then it goes back to new moon.

Then the whole pattern starts again.

One cycle takes about 29 and a half days.

That is about one month.

THE MOON CYCLE
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
About how long is one Moon cycle?
After the full moon, what comes next?
ONE FULL CYCLE
  • Tap a card.
  • Then tap its spot.
11
22
33
44
55
Cycle factTrue or false?
The Moon phases repeat in a cycle.?
One cycle takes about one month.?
After new moon, the phases stop forever.?
WHY THIS EXERCISEA pattern that repeats is a pattern we can predict.
Try it
Look at your moon log.
Find the box where your Moon looks thinnest.

Patterns all around

Day and night is a pattern. It repeats every day.

The Moon phases are a pattern too.

They repeat about once a month.

Patterns help us know what comes next.

CYCLE THINKING
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Which one is a cycle?
How long does Earth take to make one day and night?
Which phase comes halfway through the Moon cycle?
What does cycle mean?
PatternTrue or false?
The Moon cycle is about one month.?
Day and night is a pattern.?
A full moon happens every single night.?
Patterns can help us predict.?
WHY THIS EXERCISESeeing patterns is a big part of science.
Try it
Make a Moon cycle wheel.
Trace around a plate on paper to make a big circle.
Put new moon at the top and full moon at the bottom.
Fill in the phases in between.
Safety first
A grown-up helps if you need scissors.

You found the Moon's cycle! Tomorrow you read your own moon log.