Lesson Plan

Getting Ready for the All American Eclipse!

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Getting Ready for the All American Eclipse! lesson plan also includes:

Give your pupils a front row seat at the biggest light show in the sky this year! In addition to admiring the total solar eclipse, young astronomers can explain the phenomenon with a little help from an inquiry-based lesson. The focus of the plan is on investigating the relationship between the sun, Earth, and moon through easily assembled experiments aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards.

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Instructional Ideas
  • Use the North American map of upcoming total solar eclipses to illustrate the infrequency of the event
  • Keep an eye on the lunar calendar and plan to implement the inquiry regarding the changing color of the moon
Classroom Considerations
  • Consider the age of the class when using the Moon Journal; teachers can easily modify it into worksheet format for younger learners
  • As the inquiries work as stand-alone activities, the time required for the resource heavily depends upon the number of investigations you plan to conduct
Pros
  • The diverse assortment of hands-on investigations works well for learners of every age
  • The thoughtfully planned teacher's guide is full of NGSS guiding questions and storylines, making it perfect for teachers that are new to these standards
  • Educators can modify activities for pairs or individual work
Cons
  • None