The lunar phases are typically hard for students to learn, mostly because they are really hard to visualize. Thus, I created a simulation using styrofoam balls stuck on pencils to help students see exactly why the moon "changes shape." This lesson focuses on the integration of diagramming, keen observation, and logic. As students rotate, diagram and discuss, they begin to understand how our perspective determines everything.
In a later lesson, we explore what the moon looks like from "above" o