A Pattern in the Sky

This article describes an integrated unit designed to teach second graders about the phases of the Moon. The science department at the author's school had been reshaping their curriculum to match their state standards as well as the "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS"). Their primary goal was for students to be constantly challenged to make and test predictions with exciting labs designed to meet the goals of the "NGSS." This author also had another goal in mind: to integrate the science curriculum with the rest of the curriculum, so that what students learned in science would illuminate what they were learning in other classes. She discussed her idea with the dean of faculty, and then contacted the other teachers in the second grade. In designing the unit, she worked backward from the goals of the unit to the activities, a strategy described in "Understanding by Design" by Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe (2005). The result was a four-week Moon extravaganza. All involved agreed that adding the phases of the Moon unit would enhance the popular solar system unit the general studies teachers were planning.