Substitute Lesson Plan: Exploring the Moon — Surface Features and Why the Moon Matters

Objective

Students will be able to describe the two major types of lunar terrain (highlands and maria), explain how each type of terrain formed, and explain why the Moon's surface holds clues about Earth's early history that Earth itself has lost.

Materials

• "Exploring the Moon — Teacher's Guide" (specifically the excerpt from "The Moon: Gateway to the Solar System," page 1)
• Whiteboard or chart paper and markers
• Printed or projected copies of the Moon photo description (nearside/farside comparison) for students to reference, if available

Warm-up (~5 min)

1. Write on the board: "What do you notice when you look at the Moon from Earth?"
2. Ask students to call out anything they've noticed about the Moon's surface (light patches, dark patches, spots, etc.). List responses on the board.
3. Tell students that today they will learn the scientific names for what they're seeing, and why scientists care so much about studying the Moon's surface.

Main Activity (~25 min)

1. Read aloud (or have a student read aloud) the passage from the Teacher's Guide describing the Moon's photos, "front and back" (the section describing the telescopic image and the Apollo 16 image).
2. As a class, identify and write on the board the two major types of terrain mentioned in the text:
3. Highlands — light-colored, heavily cratered
4. Maria — darker, smoother; formed when lava flows filled depressions
5. Discuss the farside vs. nearside comparison from the text:
6. Point out that the farside photo (from Apollo 16) shows many craters "standing shoulder to shoulder," which the text says chronicle the Moon's early, intense bombardment.
7. Note the mystery the text raises: there are fewer maria on the farside than on the nearside, and scientists don't fully know why.
8. Read aloud the paragraph describing Apollo astronauts as "time travelers" who dug into the Moon's surface. Discuss as a class:
9. What kinds of clues does the text say the Moon rocks and sediment contain? (How Earth and the Moon formed, the nature and timing of early melting, the intensity of impact bombardment and how it changed over time, and even the history of the Sun.)
10. Why can't we get this same information by studying rocks on Earth? (According to the text, Earth is so geologically active — through mountain building, volcanism, weathering, and erosion — that it has erased much of its own early record.)
11. Have students copy a simple two-column chart into their notes:
12. Column 1: "Highlands" — light-colored, heavily cratered
13. Column 2: "Maria" — dark, smooth, formed by lava filling depressions
14. Add a note underneath: "Craters = record of early bombardment"

Wrap-up / Exit Ticket (~10 min)

Have students answer the following on a half-sheet of paper to turn in:

1. What are the two main types of terrain on the Moon, and how is each one described (color and texture)?
2. According to the reading, how did the maria form?
3. Why does the text say Apollo astronauts were like "time travelers" when they dug into the Moon's surface?
4. Why can't scientists find the same kind of early history clues by studying rocks on Earth?

If Time Remains

Lead a short class discussion on the "mystery" mentioned in the text: why there are fewer maria on the farside of the Moon than on the nearside. Ask students to brainstorm possible explanations as a group, and write their ideas on the board. Remind students that the text itself says this is still a mystery — there is no single correct answer expected, just thoughtful reasoning based on what they learned about highlands, maria, and craters.