Dark at Noon

About this resource

On August 21, 2017, the sky near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, went dark in the middle of the afternoon and the air turned cooler. Every month, at new moon, the Moon swings around to the Sun’s side of Earth. So why doesn’t noon go dark every month? One spinning Earth, one orbiting Moon, one tilted axis: a model of three moving objects explains moon phases, eclipses, and seasons. In this one-week, 5-level Moon Phases, Eclipses & Seasons unit for middle school science (NGSS MS-ESS1-1), students investigate a real mystery, then use their evidence to crack the case.

Dark at Noon is part of Science Unlocked, a series of mystery-driven lesson sets. Every set opens with a real, surprising phenomenon, builds the science one level at a time, and ends with students solving the mystery in a claim-evidence-reasoning (CER) write-up.

Topics: moon phases, solar and lunar eclipse, claim evidence reasoning (CER), science phenomenon, review games.

What's included

• Teacher Deck (85 slides, PowerPoint). Answers are highlighted on the slides. Speaker notes tell you what to say and do, what to watch for, and how to support students or push GT students further. Prep slides and answer keys are hidden, so they skip during a slideshow.
• Interactive Student Deck (51 slides, PowerPoint + PDF). Students type in boxes, drag cards and check marks, and rate their confidence. Assign one copy per student in Google Classroom or your LMS.
• Google Slides versions of both decks. Click a button in the Google Slides Links PDF to make your own copy in Google Drive.
• Teacher Guide (26-page PDF). The standard, a week at a glance, a materials list, misconceptions to watch for, a run-of-show for every level, answer keys and sources.
• Student Printable (18-page PDF + a low-ink greyscale copy). The same tasks on paper in 12 pt type, for students without devices, sub days, or anyone who learns better with a pencil. Slide numbers match the Student Deck.
• Self-grading digital activity. SCORM 2004 and SCORM 1.2 packages for an LMS that accepts SCORM uploads, a web package, and a single HTML file that opens in any browser. Notes, sorts, matches, tables and multiple-choice items grade themselves, and students get a copy-and-paste backup of their work. A 2-page teacher quick start is included.
• Two whole-class review games that open in any browser: a Jeopardy-style game (6 categories, 30 clues) and Trashketball, where teams answer on whiteboards and then shoot for points.
• Kahoot! and Blooket import files. 48 review questions, one file per level plus an all-levels file, with a printable answer key.
• Start Here guide, HTML & SCORM how-to guide and Terms of Use, so you know which file to open first.

The 5 levels (about one 45–50 minute class each)

1. Spin, Orbit, Repeat. The Sun–Earth–Moon system: spin, orbits, reflected light, repeating patterns. Key activities: Dark at Noon mystery, Three Motions, “Which Motion?” sort.
2. Half Lit, Always. Lunar phases: the Sun always lights half the Moon; 29.5-day cycle. Key activities: Lamp-and-ball Moon Lab, phase model labels, Moon Timetable match.
3. Shadow Play. Solar and lunar eclipses; why there isn’t one every month. Key activities: Eclipse shadow model, Solar/Lunar sort, Tilted Orbit Test.
4. Tilted Toward Summer. Seasons: tilt, sunlight intensity and day length (NOT distance). Key activities: Kentucky sunlight data, Flashlight Angle Lab, seasons model.
5. Crack the Case. Stretch HS-ESS2-4: slow tilt/orbit cycles and ice ages. Key activities: Stretch CER, Crack the Case CER.

Built for real classrooms

• Every level follows the same routine: "I can" targets with a confidence check, a warm-up, copy-it notes with a word bank, hands-on practice, a checkpoint students must pass to unlock the next step, and an exit ticket. A 10-item Mini Quiz wraps up the week.
• Level 1 opens with a Power-Up on the earlier-grade ideas this standard builds on (3-PS2-2, 5-ESS1-2, 5-PS2-1).
• The last level includes a high school Stretch (HS-ESS2-4) that every student tries and advanced students can take further.
• Hands-on lab (Moon Lab: Lamp and Ball). Student materials list: A lamp with the shade removed (bare LED bulb) = the Sun; A white foam ball on a pencil or stick = the Moon; Your head = Earth (your eyes are someone on Earth); A dark room; The Moon Lab Data table (next slide). Safety notes are on the slides and in the Teacher Guide.
• Support is built in: word banks, sentence starters and support notes on the slides, plus GT extensions.

Standards

• NGSS MS-ESS1-1: Develop and use a model of the Earth-sun-moon system to describe the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses of the sun and moon, and seasons. (Kentucky 6-ESS1-1 uses the same wording.)
• SEP: Developing and Using Models · DCI: ESS1.A, ESS1.B · CCC: Patterns
• Stretch: HS-ESS2-4
• CCSS connections: 6.RP.A.1, 7.RP.A.2, MP.4, SL.8.5

Try the digital activity first

• Not sure the self-grading activity will work in your LMS? Download the FREE HTML & SCORM Sample and test it with your students before you buy.

Save with a bundle

• Space Systems (3 sets)
• Middle School Earth & Space Science (15 sets)
• Science Unlocked Mega Bundle (all 89 sets)

Teach next

• The Planet Found With Math (MS-ESS1-2)
• The Seven-Planet Squeeze (MS-ESS1-3)

More from Mystery Lab Learning

• See every Science Unlocked set, and follow to hear when new ones are added, at Mystery Lab Learning.

Good to know

• The illustrations in this resource were created with AI image tools, and AI tools helped draft the lesson text. Every slide, answer key and lab step was then fact-checked against the sources listed in the Teacher Guide and proofread.
• Kahoot!, Blooket, Jeopardy!, Google Slides and PowerPoint are trademarks of their owners. This resource is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
• License: one teacher, for use with their own students. Please buy an additional license for each colleague who uses it.