Learning objective
Explain why we see different portions of the Moon's sunlit half, without confusing phases with eclipses.
Sunlight always illuminates roughly half of the Moon. As its position changes relative to Earth and Sun, we see different fractions of that illuminated half.
What you'll need
One small ball or paper sphere
An ordinary shaded lamp, supervised
A clear table or space to move
A pencil and observation sheet
Session sequence
4 steps / 40 minutesPredict
Sketch what a crescent, half and full Moon look like. Ask which object supplies the Moon's light.
Ask better questions
01Where does moonlight come from?
02Why do phases change without the Moon changing shape?
03What does the lamp-and-ball model not show accurately?


