Moon Shapes for Four Weeks is a free printable Grade 1 science worksheet on describing and predicting the moon's changing shape from a class diary, aligned to NGSS performance expectation 1-ESS1-1. It prints 7 questions with an answer key on its own sheet of paper, in 25 versions that each ask different questions, so no two students in the class work from the same page. Print it from the browser or download it as a PDF — no account, no email.
Set 1 of 25 · the same problems every time you open this link.
Drawings the class made of the moon, one each week for four weeks.
THE MOON WE DREW
Week 1: a thin curve, like a fingernail
Week 2: half a circle
Week 3: a full round circle
Week 4: half a circle again, the other side
We drew it at the same time each week.
1. What was kept the same when the drawings were made?
2. What does this record not tell you?
3. What claim does this record support?
4. What happened to the moon's shape over the four weeks?
2.After the full moon, what happens to the shape night by night?
A.It gets smaller again
B.It stays full
C.It gets bigger
3.You know today's moon shape. What can you do with the pattern?
A.Make the moon full sooner
B.Predict tomorrow's weather
C.Predict the shape you will see next week
4.The moon was a full circle last night. About how long until it is full again?
A.One year
B.One night
C.About four weeks
5.Does the moon's shape change in a pattern?
A.No, it changes at random
B.Yes, the same shapes come back about every four weeks
C.No, it is always round
6.On some clear nights the moon cannot be seen at all. When in the pattern does that happen?
A.At the full moon
B.At the half moon
C.Just before the thin curve appears again
7.Can the moon sometimes be seen in the daytime?
A.Yes, on some days it is in the sky with the sun
B.Only in winter
C.No, never
LessonPrint · 1-ESS1-1 · Set 1 · free to copy for classroom use
Answer key — Moon Shapes for Four Weeks
Set 1. Prints on its own sheet.
1.1. They were drawn at the same time each week. 2. It does not tell you what the moon looked like between the weeks. 3. The moon's shape changes in a pattern that can be predicted. 4. It grew from a thin curve to a full circle and then began to shrink.
2.It gets smaller again
3.Predict the shape you will see next week
4.About four weeks
5.Yes, the same shapes come back about every four weeks
6.Just before the thin curve appears again
7.Yes, on some days it is in the sky with the sun
Questions about Moon Shapes for Four Weeks
What does the Moon Shapes for Four Weeks worksheet cover?
It practices describing and predicting the moon's changing shape from a class diary — 7 questions for Grade 1, all on NGSS 1-ESS1-1: Use what the sun, moon and stars do to say what will happen next. The instruction to students is “Read the record, then answer the questions”, and the answer key follows on the next sheet.
Which NGSS performance expectation does Moon Shapes for Four Weeks practice?
1-ESS1-1, under Earth and Space Science for Grade 1. The published performance expectation reads: “Use observations of the sun, moon, and stars to describe patterns that can be predicted.” The worksheet assesses that performance expectation rather than a paraphrase of it.
What age or grade is this worksheet for?
Moon Shapes for Four Weeks is written for Grade 1, typically ages 6-7. It is one of the sheets on 1-ESS1-1, so it suits any student working at that standard — including older students revisiting it and younger ones working ahead.
Does Moon Shapes for Four Weeks come with an answer key?
Yes. All 7 answers are generated from the same problems as the questions, so the key cannot drift out of step with the sheet. It starts on a fresh sheet of paper, after the questions, so it is not handed out with the class by accident.
How many different versions of Moon Shapes for Four Weeks can I print?
25 — one per student, and all 25 ask different questions. Set 1 downloads the whole class as a single PDF. Every version is fixed to its own address, so a sheet printed today holds the same problems when you reopen it next week.
Is Moon Shapes for Four Weeks free to print and photocopy?
Yes. Moon Shapes for Four Weeks, its answer key and its 25 versions are free to print and photocopy for your own class, with no account, no email capture and no subscription at the download step. Please do not resell them or republish them as your own.
More practice for 1-ESS1-1
Use what the sun, moon and stars do to say what will happen next.