Phases of the Moon Activity Book

How does the moon change over the course of a month? As we observe the night sky, we see noticeable changes in the moon’s appearance. On some days, the moon is full and bright; on others, the sky appears to be without a moon.

If your students are beginning to study and observe the different phases of the moon, Teach Starter has created a mini-book that your students can use all month long! 

With this downloadable resource, students will observe and draw a picture of the moon each night, identify the phase, and explain how they determined the phase. Additionally, students will complete a reflection at the end of each week and at the end of the month. Reflection questions are included at the end of the mini-book for students to reflect on what they have learned.

The purpose of this resource is for students to practice tracking moon data and analyzing the data after each week and a full month.

Tips for Differentiation + Scaffolding 

A team of dedicated, experienced educators created this resource to support your science lessons. 

In addition to individual student work time, use this mini-book to enhance learning through science groups, whole class lessons, or remote learning assignments. 

If you have a mixture of above and below-level learners, check out these suggestions for keeping students on track with the concepts: 

🆘 Support Struggling Students

For students who need extra support, laminate a phases of the moon diagram and allow students to take it to and from school to use as a resource.

➕ Challenge Fast Finishers

For students who need a challenge, allow them to make predictions in class each day about what phase the moon will be in that night and discuss their ideas with a group.

Plan lessons for all ability levels with our 10 Best Scaffolding Strategies! 

Easily Prepare This Resource for Your Students

Use the dropdown icon on the Download button to choose between the PDF or editable Google Slides version of this resource. 

Print the mini-book double-sided and staple it along the left-hand side.

This resource was created by Madison Evans, a teacher in North Carolina and Teach Starter Collaborator. 

Don’t stop there! We’ve got more activities and resources that cut down on lesson planning time:  

teaching resource

Moon Phases – Task Cards

Review information about the different moon phases with this set of 24 task cards.

teaching resource

Moon Phases – Vocabulary Cards

Reinforce science vocabulary with a set of 15 vocabulary cards covering the different phases of the moon and related terms.

teaching resource

Moon Phases Mini-Book

Read, learn, and complete comprehension exercises while studying the 8 moon phases.