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6th grade Phases of the Moon worksheet

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Phases of the Moon

Grade 6 Science Worksheet

NameDate

Circle the best answer.

  1. Just after sunset at the lake, Bo sees a thin sliver of Moon low in the west. The lit edge is on the right. Which phase is it?

    • Waxing crescent
    • Waning crescent
    • New moon
    • First quarter

  2. “as seen from the Northern Hemisphere” On the last morning of the lake trip, Jun spots a thin sliver of Moon in the east before sunrise. The lit edge is on the left. Which phase is it?

    • Waning crescent
    • Waxing crescent
    • Third quarter
    • New moon

  3. Read this first

    Use this

    Orbit diagram, top view from above the North Pole, not to scale.

  4. Kira reads the orbit diagram. Which phase does someone on Earth see when the Moon is at position B?

    • First quarter
    • Waning gibbous
    • Waning crescent
    • Waxing crescent

  5. Luz checks position F on the orbit diagram. Which phase does someone on Earth see when the Moon is there?

    • Waning gibbous
    • Waxing gibbous
    • Third quarter
    • Waning crescent

  6. Milo is labeling the orbit diagram for a poster. At which position is the Moon when it is full?

    • Position C, a quarter of the way around from A
    • Position A, with the Moon between Earth and the Sun
    • Position E, with Earth between the Sun and the Moon
    • Position D, just before the far side of Earth

  7. Noah's Moon journal shows a waxing gibbous Moon tonight. Which phase name comes next in the cycle?

    • New moon
    • Full moon
    • Waning gibbous
    • First quarter

  8. In Ren's Moon journal, Tuesday's drawing is a first quarter Moon. Which phase name comes next in the cycle?

    • Waning gibbous
    • Full moon
    • Waxing gibbous
    • Waxing crescent

  9. Tala circles a new moon on the wall calendar. About how many days until the next full moon?

    • About 30 days
    • About 15 days
    • About 7 days
    • About 28 days

  10. Zee sees a first quarter Moon on the first day of a field-trip week. About how many days until third quarter?

    • About 15 days
    • About 22 days
    • About 7 days
    • About 28 days

  11. “no other phases marked” A full moon shines on Ari's birthday party, and even the cake looks moonlit. About how long until the next full moon?

    • About 15 days
    • About 29.5 days
    • About 56 days
    • About 7 days
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6th grade Phases of the Moon worksheet – printable
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About this worksheet

Phases of the Moon. Every version has 10 questions, and the answer key prints on the second page.

What your child will learn

  • I can explain that the Sun always lights half the Moon, and a phase is how much of that half we see from Earth.
  • I can name all eight phases, in order, from a drawing or from the Moon's place in its orbit.
  • I can predict the phase days later, and when the Moon is up, using a cycle of about 29.5 days.

Standard: MS-ESS1-1

Words to know

phase: The shape of the lit part of the Moon that we see from Earth

orbit: The path the Moon takes around Earth

new moon: The phase when the lit half faces away from us, so we see no lit part

full moon: The phase when we see the whole lit half, a round bright face

first / third quarter: A quarter or three-quarters of the way around the orbit; half the face looks lit

crescent: Less than half the face lit, a thin curved sliver

gibbous: More than half the face lit, but not all of it

waxing / waning: Growing (lit on the right, from the US) / shrinking (lit on the left)

Common mistakes

Your child thought Earth's shadow makes the Moon's phases. Try shining a flashlight on a ball in a dim room and walking around it together: the half facing the light stays lit.

Your child thought the Moon makes its own light. Ask where moonlight starts, and point out that the Moon is lit only on the side facing the Sun.

Your child thought the far side of the Moon is always dark. Explain that the far side is the side we never see, and that it gets sunlight at new moon.

Questions parents ask

What is the most common mistake with phases of the moon?

Your child thought Earth's shadow makes the Moon's phases. Try shining a flashlight on a ball in a dim room and walking around it together: the half facing the light stays lit.

Are these 6th grade science worksheets free to print?

Yes. All 6 printable versions at each level are free to print, with the answer key, and no account is needed.

More grade 6 science

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