A Science Notebook Story: Investigating Moon Phases

Erica spent a few months exploring phases of the moon with her fifth grade students. She adapted lessons from Lawrence Hall of Science’s GEMS in order to give her students lots of opportunities to answer the Essential Question: Why does the moon look different on different days? Erica’s students used their science notebooks to record observations of the moon, formulate initial ideas about moon phases, and revise their thinking after developing a kinesthetic model.

Read on to see how several notebook strategies worked together to help students build their science ideas. To view examples of student work and to download the complete unit plan, click the links below.

In order to elicit students’ prior knowledge, Erica administered a formative assessment probe from the NSTA series Uncovering Student Ideas in Science. The probe offered two possible explanations for why, on some days, we see only part of the moon.

Students selected the explanation with which they most agreed, and explained their reasoning. Students kept their answers in their notebook as a record of their initial understanding.

They returned to these probes again at the end of the unit, to see if the investigation either changed or confirmed their thinking.

After this first experience with the kinesthetic model, students returned to the questions they had captured during the month of keeping moon journals.

They wrote all their questions on post-its and sorted them onto four class posters: Questions to Test (we can figure it out with our model); Questions to Research (we can find the answer in a book or online); Questions to Ponder (nobody knows the answer); and Questions Already Answered (during this investigation).

Erica gave them another class period with the kinesthetic model so that they could explore some of their Questions to Test, and continue refining their understanding of the phases of the moon.

Erica Katz teaches fifth grade at the French American International school in San Francisco, CA. She is an alumna of the California Academy of Sciences' Teacher Institute on Science and Sustainability. She finds that "science notebooks get all the students involved and interested in science. Whether they like to write, or like to draw, or like asking questions, there is an entry point for all of them."