This ASSIST CLE helps teach Year 7s astronomy concepts.

The resource is an ASSIST Connected Learning Experience (CLE) aimed at helping teach Year 7s astronomy concepts using the example of Earth's moon.

Description: In this investigation, students explore how our understanding of the Earth and the moon has changed through examining the validity of the common anecdotal reference to ‘the dark side of the moon’. In the process they will discover why the moon undergoes a cyclic change in appearance over the course of its movement around the Earth and how its movement influences tidal changes.

Learning intentions

Students will be able to:

• identify questions that can be investigated scientifically;
• identify that the Moon rotates on its axis as it moves around the Earth, and hence experiences day and night just as the Earth does;
• describe the way the Moon moves around the Earth and hence explain why the same side of the Moon always faces the Earth as it moves around the Earth;
• explain why the shape of the Moon that we can observe from Earth, changes as it moves around the Earth;
• analyse information from digital technologies and images to arrange the different phases of the Moon in chronological order;
• appreciate the importance of scientific discovery in changing people’s understanding of the world around us;
• communicate their ideas using appropriate scientific language and representations.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S7U03 (Year 7)