Phases of the Moon

Grade 6 Science Worksheet - Building Confidence

Circle the best answer.

1. 1.

   Ari sketches the Moon from the backyard after school. The right half is lit and the left half is dark. Which phase is it?

   • Full moon
   • Waxing gibbous
   • Third quarter
   • First quarter
2. 2.

   At a backyard star party, the Moon is so bright the stars look shy. Kira sees its whole round face lit. Which phase is it?

   • New moon
   • Waxing gibbous
   • Full moon
   • First quarter
3. 3.

   Jun wonders why the full moon shines at night when the Sun is down. Where does moonlight come from?

   • Earth's shadow lit up by the stars
   • Glowing hot rock on the Moon's surface
   • Sunlight that bounces off the Moon
   • Light the Moon makes during the night
4. 4.

   Luz looks at a first quarter Moon. How much of the whole Moon is lit by the Sun right now?

   • No sunlight, since the Moon glows by itself
   • A quarter of it, since Earth's shadow covers the rest
   • Half of it, the half facing the Sun
   • The half facing Earth, since the far side stays dark

5. Read this first

   Use this

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

6. 5.

   Noah studies an orbit diagram for a science quiz. Which phase does someone on Earth see when the Moon is at position E?

   • New moon: no lit face showing
   • Full moon: whole face lit
   • First quarter: right half lit
   • Third quarter: left half lit
7. 6.

   Pia points to position G on the orbit diagram. Which phase does someone on Earth see when the Moon is there?

   • New moon: no lit face showing
   • First quarter: right half lit
   • Full moon: whole face lit
   • Third quarter: left half lit
8. 7.

   Ren wants to mark the new moon on the orbit diagram. At which position is the Moon at new moon?

   • Position G, three-quarters of the way around
   • Position A, between Earth and the Sun
   • Position E, on the far side of Earth
   • Position C, a quarter of the way around
9. 8.

   Tala marks a new moon on the class calendar. Which main phase comes next, about a week later?

   • Full moon
   • New moon again
   • First quarter
   • Third quarter

10. Phase strip of the four main phases in order

    New moon, first quarter, full moon, third quarter, then new moon again, about 7 days apart. The full moon is circled.

11. 9.

    On a camping trip, the full moon is bright enough to read a comic by. Which main phase will Zee see about a week later?

    • Full moon again
    • Waning gibbous
    • First quarter
    • Third quarter
12. 10.

    Esme sees a third quarter Moon on a Monday morning. Which main phase comes next, about a week later?

    • Third quarter again
    • New moon
    • Waning crescent
    • Full moon