This 4th grade moon phases check fits on one page, with the answer key on page 2. Students name four drawn moons (full moon, first quarter, waxing crescent and waning gibbous) from a word bank, then number four phase names from 1 to 4 starting with new moon. Two multiple choice questions finish the page, one on why the moon seems to change shape and one on how long a full cycle of phases takes. The key lists all seven answers.
“Name the phases of the moon from pictures of the lit part.”
Items 1 to 4 ask students to tell a crescent, a quarter, a gibbous and a full moon apart.
“Put the phases in the order they happen across a month.”
Item 5 asks for new moon, waxing crescent, first quarter and full moon in that order.
“Explain that the moon seems to change shape because we see different amounts of its sunlit side as it orbits Earth.”
Item 6 offers four causes, including the common idea that Earth's shadow covers the moon, and item 7 asks for the length of the cycle.
Four drawn moons numbered 1 to 4 and a word bank of Waning Gibbous, Full Moon, Waxing Crescent and First Quarter. Students write one name under each picture.
Four cards labeled Full Moon, Waxing Crescent, New Moon and First Quarter. Students write 1 to 4 in each card, with 1 already given to New Moon.
Why does the moon seem to change shape, with choices about Earth's shadow, clouds, orbiting Earth and a moon that grows and shrinks. Then how long one cycle takes, from about 1 day to about 1 year.
The four names, the order of phases and the two multiple choice answers, with 29.5 days given for one cycle.
Quick check
Use it at the end of the moon unit, or at the start to see what students already believe. The one-page layout takes about ten minutes.
Look at item 6
Earth's shadow is the most common wrong idea about phases. Choice A is written to catch it, so go over that answer with the whole class even if most students get it right.
Draw the missing phase
After item 5, ask students to sketch the phase that falls between first quarter and full moon on the back. That shows who understands the sequence rather than four separate names.
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