Observation and prediction

For the past four weeks, fourth graders have been recording their observations of the moon.
 

They used the same tools Galileo had: drawings, words, and the naked eye.
 

In class, they’ve been compiling their observations and adding them to a calendar.

 

Today, they looked at a month’s worth of data, and looked for a pattern.

 

Using only their data - with no working theory of planetary motion, or model of the solar system - they made a prediction.
 

In the days and months ahead, they will tease out more theories of the relationship between the sun, the moon and the earth.
 

They will generate ideas about light, shadow, orbits, rotations, dark sides and light sides.
 

But for today, four weeks after October’s full moon? 
 

They are pretty sure they will see another full moon tonight.
 

After a month of careful work, that little idea is deeply satisfying.
 

Tonight, their month of study will culminate in an early-evening field trip to the moon.

They will gather in the front circle at 4:30pm for a final shared observation. 

For tonight, Mr. Terry will bring out the twenty-first century tech, with a catadioptric sky-tracking telescope and ipads loaded up with the Night Sky app.

Friends, family and moon lovers are welcome to join!
 

Update! Dozens of photos from the evening moon observations are online now.

More lessons in planetary motion from last year’s eclipse at www.gordonschool.org/eclipse

Support hands-on science instruction with a gift to the Gordon Fund, at www.gordonschool.org/give