Three senior-level high school classes performed versions of the experiment. Pretests given to the most recent class showed that no student had a prior understanding. One incorrect concept is the idea that phases of the moon are caused by the earth blocking sunlight that would otherwise reach the moon. The activity presented here is a kinesthetic astronomical activity for use in teaching the cause of phases of the moon. Following the principles of kinesthetic instruction, the students form the apparatus themselves, take data from their reference frames, and make observations from their point of view.
Test data follow presentation of the activities.
The model is constructed, used and discussed in the classroom before the actual moon phase activity. The students are told to pretend the sun is a specific point on a wall of the room or a bare light bulb. Students state the approximate local time, starting with the student facing directly toward the point on the wall representing the sun. The midnight student is facing directly away from the sun 3. Two students are found who are facing exactly 90 degrees away from the sun.