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Moon Phases & Tides

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When you look up in our night sky, you will see the ____! The way that the moon looks changes during the month. We say that the phases of the moon are a cycle in nature.

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The Earth has 1 moon that revolves around the Earth. It is a _____ of

Earth.

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It takes ___ ½ days – almost __ month – for the moon to move (revolve) around the

Earth.

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The moon ________ make any light of its own. The lighted parts that we see are

called ______.

The moon ______ light from the ___.

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As the moon moves

(revolves) around the

Earth, it looks like it

has different shapes. The shape of the moon does not really change. It

just changes its location in space.

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Let’s take a closer look at the phases of the moon.

During a ________, the moon looks dark.

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As the surface of the moon that we see gets bigger, we say that the moon is

______.

This is a ________ .

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When the moon is ¼ of the way around the earth, it is in its first quarter phase. We

see it as half lit.

This is a __________

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After the quarter moon, the moon is moving towards a full moon. We call this a

waxing ______ moon.

Notice that the bright part of the

moon is getting larger.

That’s what we mean by “waxing.”

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Now it’s time for a ________. The entire face of the moon that we are able to see

shines during the ______.

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Following the full moon, the surface of the moon seems to be getting smaller. We

call this a _________moon.

This is a waning ______ moon.

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Now that the moon is ¾ of the way around the Earth, it seems to be half lit. We call

this a waning _______ moon.

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Before we get to the new moon, we see a sliver of moon shining up in the sky. This

is a _____________.

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Now we see a new moon again.

It takes the moon about 1 month (29 ½ days) to go through the phases

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When it is summer in North America, we are tilted towards the rays of the hot,

bright sun.

Sun’s raysN

S

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When it is winter in North America, we are tilted away from the sun’s rays.

N

S

Sun’s rays

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The moon affects the oceans.

The moon’s pull is called gravity.

Gravity pulls on the oceans and causes the tides.

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The location of the tides changes as the Earth rotates (spins).

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Now you know about the moon and its phases.

**Do you remember when a moon is waxing and when it is waning?

**Do you know what causes the tides?