I discovered this project at NSTA’s Freebies for Science Teachers site- The Moon Project (grades 4-8) is organized by Texas Tech University and encourages learners around the globe to record observations of the Moon this fall. The site features a pre-test, a registration process, and materials to support observations: a teacher guide, student guide, and more.

The project revolves around two phases (get it?… sorry). In phase 1 (6 weeks), students record daily observations of the Moon. In phase 2 (9 weeks), students post essays to explain their observations, examine other essays/observations, and finally make sense of what was observed.

If you are teaching students about the Earth, Moon, Sun System this fall- then you may want to give this project a try. It seems like a great way to collaborate with a larger community of science learners.

I’m embedding one of my favorite Bill Nye clips below- his explanation of Moon phases using baseball.