Fifth Grade Performance Task: Sun, Earth Moon (Trimester 1)

Fifth Grade Performance Task: Sun, Earth Moon (trimester 1)

Goal: You will understand the positions of the Earth and moon relative to the sun and be able to explain the cycles of day and night and also the monthly moon phases. Task:

Your task is to identify a misconception about the relationship of the Earth, sun, and/or moon. You need to create a plan to disprove the misconception and explain the phenomenon/cycle accurately. Audience:

The audience for your response is your classmates and teacher. Problem/Purpose:

Your plan will identify and correct misconceptions about the reasons for day and night and about the phases of the moon. You may use evidence from your moon logs, science notebooks, and/or your vocabulary cards to create a plan that (1) disproves the misconceptions and (2) explain the cycles accurately.

Procedure for Moon Misconceptions Task: 1. Review the list of (false) beliefs about the moon phases.

2. Choose one false belief from the list. 3. Create a plan/explanation (write a letter, draw a picture, create a presentation, or make a model) that disproves the false belief you chose. 4. In your plan, be sure to give the correct explanation of the reasons for the cycle. 5. Be sure to include vocabulary from your moon journal and science notebook.

6. Support your explanation of the reasons for the moon phases with evidence from your own moon journal.

Procedure for Sun Misconceptions Task: 1. Review the list of (false) beliefs about the causes of day and night.

2. Choose one false belief from the list. 3. Create a plan/explanation (write a letter, draw a picture, create a presentation, or make a model) that disproves the false belief you chose.

MPS Performance Task Grade 5 Sun, Earth Moon 4. In your plan, be sure to give the correct explanation of the reasons for the cycle. 5. Be sure to include vocabulary from your science notebook.

6. Support your explanation of the reasons for day and night with two or more pieces of evidence from your own science notebook.

Moon Misconceptions List (choose one) 1. The phases of the moon change according to the time of day.

2. The phases of the moon are caused by the moon moving into the sun's shadow.

3. Other planets block our view of the moon from Earth as they orbit the sun. 4. The Earth casts a shadow that causes monthly changes in how much of the moon we can see from Earth. 5. The moon grows a little bigger each day until it is full and then it gets smaller again. It repeats this cycle each month. 6. The moon does not rotate on its axis as it revolves around the earth.

7. The moon can only be observed at night. 8. The dark side of the moon is always dark.

9. The moon orbits the earth one time per year.

Sun Misconceptions Task (choose one)

1. The sun moves from the sky from north to south each day. 2. At sunrise, the sun begins growing brighter and stronger and at sunset, the sun begins growing dimmer and weaker. 3. While the northern hemisphere is experiencing day, the southern hemisphere is experiencing night. 4. As the Earth orbits the sun, all parts of the world receive the same amount of direct sunlight. 5. The sun is always directly south at 12:00 noon.

6. Light from the moon illuminates the sun. 7. The sun rises exactly in the east and sets exactly in the west every day.

8. The sun orbits the earth one time per year. 9. We experience seasons because of the earth's changing distance from the sun (closer in the summer, farther in the winter).

MPS Performance Task Grade 5 Sun, Earth Moon Rubric for The Moon and Sun Misconception Tasks Name

3-Excellent 2-Proficient 1-Developing Self Teacher D A misconception is A No I named and disproven. misconception misconception S is named but is named or P not disproven. disproven. R O V E E Some combination of Explanations, Explanations, X written explanations, pictures, or pictures, or P pictures, and models models are used models are not L are used to explain the to explain the used or the A phenomenon/cycle cycle accurately. cycle is not I accurately. explained N accurately. C Several personal Some personal There is no O observations (i.e. observations evidence of N moon logs) are used to are used to personal N effectively support the support the observations or E explanation. explanation. they do not C support the T explanation. E All parts of the Most parts of The explanation D explanation are neatly the explanation is not neat; I drawn, labeled, and are neatly labels or writing T written. drawn, labeled, are missing or and written. unclear. V Relevant scientific Scientific No scientific O vocabulary is used vocabulary is vocabulary is C appropriately. used. used or its use is A not appropriate. B