• Assess how much students already know about technology for studying the solar system with the list they create at the beginning of the lesson. On Day 2, check their additions to the list.
• Check students’ notes as they write a description of how telescopes work.
• Assess students’ summaries of the Hubble telescope article for comprehension.
• Collect and check the Living on the Moon worksheet and the essay to assess whether students can compare the characteristics of Earth and the Moon.

Day 1: Using Telescopes to Study the Moon

Introduce the lesson and tell students the objectives. Challenge students to brainstorm a list of instruments we can use to learn about the Moon. Have them work silently for about 3 minutes; then have the class share their answers. Record the answers on chart paper. (The list may include technologies such as telescopes, satellites, probes, space observatories, cameras, and analysis of samples from the Moon.) It is not necessary to make a complete list at this time.

Tell students that today’s lesson will focus on the telescope. Tell them that Galileo is believed to be the first person who used a telescope to study the Moon, in 1609. Using his telescope, Galileo could see bright spots and shadows that showed the Moon’s surface has mountains and valleys.

Show students a diagram of a telescope and explain how it works (S-7-9-1_Telescope Information.docx). Explain that Galileo’s telescope was much simpler than the telescopes we use today. (This diagram shows a basic refracting telescope). Have them each write 1–2 sentences in their notes that explain how telescopes work.

Tell students that the first person to map the Moon was Johannes Hevelius, in 1647. Read aloud the short article at http://amazing-space.stsci.edu/resources/explorations/groundup/lesson/scopes/hevelius/discovery.php?return=true (S-7-9-1_Hevelius Maps the Moon.docx). Have students explain why it is useful to have a map of the Moon. Accept all reasonable answers in the discussion.

Then, have students read the article “Hubble: A Lunar Prospecting Machine” (S-7-9-1_Hubble.docx). Have them write a one paragraph summary of what we have learned about the moon using the Hubble space telescope.

Close the lesson by having students explain why telescopes are important.

Day 2: Missions to the Moon

Begin the lesson by reviewing the list of instruments that students brainstormed on Day 1. Display the list and have them copy the list into their notes. Instruct the students to circle the name of each instrument as they learn about them throughout this lesson. Direct students to add instruments to their lists as well.

Give students copies of the Moon and Earth Comparison Chart (S-7-9-1_Moon and Earth Comparison Chart.docx). Use a transparency of the chart or copy it on the board. Guide students through the answers to the chart one at a time, comparing the features of the Earth and Moon as you go. Have them fill out the chart and fill in the blanks in the statements below.

Discuss the importance of the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon and ask students to share what they know about the mission. Use a projector to show students a panoramic view of the Moon during the Apollo 11 mission with the Web site Explore the Moon at www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/tothemoon/explore.html. Have students share their observations of the Moon. If you wish to go into more detail, two Web sites with timelines of lunar exploration are included in Related Resources.

Tell students that the Moon impact of the LCROSS mission took place in October 2009, and that the data from this mission suggests that there might be water on the Moon, in the form of ice. Scientists are analyzing the materials from the impact using a machine called a spectrometer, which examines the light emitted or absorbed by materials and helps identify them. Ask students what it would mean for humans if there is water on the Moon.

Note: For information see “LCROSS Impact Data Indicates Water on the Moon” at www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/LCROSS/main/prelim_water_results.html.

Close the lesson by reviewing the list of instruments for studying the Moon on the chart paper. Have students add to the list and tell you which instruments were included in today’s lesson.

Day 3: Can We Live on the Moon?

Take a class vote on how many students think that humans could establish a colony on the Moon in the future.

Have students answer the questions on the Living on the Moon worksheet (S-7-9-1_Living on the Moon and KEY.docx). Discuss students’ answers to the questions.

Have students write a three-paragraph essay on “Why I Think We Can Live on the Moon,” or “Why I Think We Cannot Live on the Moon.” Have them justify their position using information about characteristics and conditions on the Moon that they have learned from this lesson.

Extension:

• Students who may be going beyond the standards can read about astronaut Neil Armstrong’s career from one of the following sources (feel free to find others) and write a mini-biography of his accomplishments.

o   http://space.about.com/od/astronautbiographies/a/Biography-of-Neil-Armstrong.htm

o   http://www.nasa.gov/centers/glenn/about/bios/neilabio.html

o   http://www.aerospaceguide.net/spacehistory/neilarmstrong.html

• Have students work in a small group to create a large timeline of our exploration of the Moon for display in the classroom.
• Provide students who might need an opportunity for additional learning with writing strategies to support them with essay-writing, such as creating a concept map and peer reviewing the essays.