Skip to content
MeerkatSkool Afrikaans
Summaries · Grade 4 Natural Sciences › Moon phases and the Earth’s orbit
Free summary · Grade 4 Natural Sciences

Moon phases and the Earth’s orbit

Why the Moon looks different every night, the phases in order, and the Earth’s orbit. Read one part at a time and tap “I know this”. Then test yourself in the quiz.

Know it already? Jump straight to the quiz

Your progress0 of 3

The phases in order

NewmoonWaxingcrescentFirstquarterWaxinggibbousFullmoonWaninggibbousLastquarterWaningcrescent
From new moon to full moon and back.
  • New moon: the Moon is between the Earth and the Sun; we can barely see it.
  • Full moon: the Moon is on the far side of the Earth; we see the whole lit side.
  • A half moon is called the first quarter: the Moon has finished a quarter of its cycle. Sun, Earth and Moon then form an L shape.
  • A crescent is a thin curved sliver; a gibbous moon is more than half but not yet full.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Orbits

A satellite is something that orbits another object. The Moon orbits the Earth in about a month. The Earth orbits the Sun in one year. The side of the Earth facing away from the Sun has night.

  • If the Earth stopped spinning, the days and nights would be very long.
  • Stars look small, because they are unimaginably far away.
  • We live in the Milky Way galaxy.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Eclipses

  • Lunar eclipse: the Earth’s shadow falls on the Moon.
  • Solar eclipse: the Moon moves in front of the Sun.
  • Pluto is no longer called a planet: it is small and shares its orbit with other objects.
Tap when you could tell someone without looking.

Remember this and test yourself

Remember this: your summary
  • The Moon reflects sunlight; the half facing the Sun is always lit.
  • Each night we see a different part of the lit side: the moon phases.
  • One full cycle takes about 29½ days; from new moon to full moon about 15 days.
  • Waxing: the lit part gets bigger. Waning: it gets smaller.
  • The Earth goes around the Sun in one year; gravity keeps it in its orbit.

Write these points in your book. Read them again the night before the test.

Memory trick

Grow, grow, full; shrink, shrink, new: like a biscuit that is first baked and then eaten, in 29½ days.

Flash cards · Tap to turn over

Important words

First say what the word means, then turn the card over.

Test yourself · Part 2

True or false?

Read the question and the answer. Is the answer right? Tap True or False.

    Now the real quiz!

    The quiz has many more questions on this topic. Every question shows straight away whether you are right and explains why.

    Take the quiz: Moon phases and the Earth’s orbit
    All Grade 4 Natural Sciences summaries
    For parents
    • Read one part together and ask your child to tell it back in their own words.
    • The ticks (“I know this”) are saved on this device only. We never ask for names or emails.

    Follows CAPS for Grade 4 Natural Sciences and Technology. Always check your teacher’s notes and textbook too.

    Free PDF