Teaching Lessons About the Moon to Senior Infants
The focus of new learning will involve learning basic facts about the moon, exploring cultural stories, and engaging students with an interactive activity to understand moon craters. This lesson can be broken into a scheme of work to teach over a week.
Introduction
I will show the class a photograph of the moon on the IWB . I will ask them for any facts they already know about the moon.
Discussion and Exploration
We listen to answers. In groups there will be a photograph of the moon for each group to study in detail. I will ask them if they can see any shapes that resemble real life objects..
We will then search for the “Man in the Moon” using a detailed picture of the moon, the children will eagerly search for the familiar face. This activity will help them observe the moon’s surface.
Multicultural Aspects
Introducing cultural stories about the moon will enrich the lesson. For example sharing the Chinese story of Chang’e, the moon goddess, will captivate their imaginations. They will be fascinated by the idea of someone living on the moon. Similarly, the Native American story of the rabbit on the moon will provide a different perspective.
Students will compare the stories, noting similarities and differences. This part of the lesson will highlight the diversity of cultural interpretations and allow the children to appreciate different viewpoints.
Making Moon Craters
The activity will involve using sand and tinfoil balls, in groups, students will create craters, simulating meteoroids hitting the moon’s surface. Students will observe how different sizes and shapes of tinfoil balls create varying crater depths and diameters.
This activity will solidify their understanding of how the moon’s surface is shaped by external forces.
Conclusion and Reflection
In concluding the lesson, we will revisit what the students have learned and look at photographs taken of the craters made by tinfoil.