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?

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

   “as seen from the Northern Hemisphere” Before breakfast, Bo spots the Moon in the morning sky with its left half lit. Left side lit means waning. Which waning phase is it?

   • New moon
   • Third quarter
   • Waning gibbous
   • First quarter
3. 3.

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

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

   “Orbit diagram, top view, not to scale” Tonight is a new moon, and Milo can't find the Moon anywhere. What is happening on the Moon's far side, the side facing away from Earth?

   • It is dark, because sunlight cannot get there
   • It is hidden in Earth's shadow
   • It is fully lit by the Sun
   • It is glowing by itself

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?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

    • Third quarter
    • First quarter
    • Waning gibbous
    • Full moon again
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