Here is the Revised Earth-Moon-Sun lab. If you have any comments about the lab, or if you successfullly (or not so successfully) used it in your class, please let me know!
Schyuler Patton tried this lab in his 6th grade class. He said:
Doing the lunar phase project in class went pretty well. My classroom doesn't have blinds and it definitely would have worked better with less light in the room. Conceptually, the project definitely helped the kids understand the phases. they had a hard time with the "time of day" part, but I think I know how to phrase the questions better for the kids for next time. Overall, the project is good.
Sometimes I like to do a project and then explain, and sometimes explain first. I believe that this one is one that needs to be explained first. I am not a good artist, but even for those that might be, drawing the orbits in two dimensions is tough, especially when trying to show the six degree difference with the moon. Since then, I've located a few good animated videos that will definitely help for the next time i teach this lesson. The time-of-day part was tough for the kids, but some better visual aids will help on that next time as well.