Common Core Carnival

Read the passage and answer the questions to the right.

The Moon

Look up at the sky at night and you will often see something special brightly shining. That "special something" that always seems to be with us is called the Moon. We talk about the way it changes during the course of a month. We give special names to the Moon. We even have terms like "once in a blue moon." The Moon is an important part of our lives. It is an amazing object in many ways.

What is the Moon?

For hundreds of years, humans looked at the Moon and wondered about it. No one knows exactly what the Moon is, but scientists think it was once a part of Earth. Many years ago, the Earth may have been hit by a big object racing through space. Rocks broke away from the Earth after the object hit it. Then, the rocks came together in the space near the Earth to form the Moon.

Why does the Moon change shape?

The Moon moves around the Earth once every twenty–seven to twenty–nine days. As it does, the Moon spins. This makes it seem to change shape. It grows from a banana shape to a half moon. In time, it appears as a full moon. Sometimes, these full moons are given special names. People might call a full moon a strawberry moon or a wolf moon. Then, the Moon slowly grows smaller until it cannot be seen. This is called a new moon. The Sun actually causes these changes. The light of the Sun bounces off the Moon, making it glow. The amount of light we can see changes over time. So, it looks like the Moon is changing shape, but it really is not.

What are those spots on the Moon?

If you look closely at the Moon, it has dark spots and light spots. The dark spots are called seas. There is no water in these seas. In fact, there is very little water on the Moon. The seas were made of what is called old, smooth lava. Sometimes, these darks spots seem to take on shapes. To some people, the shapes make it look like there is a giant rabbit on the Moon. Other people think that the shapes make it look like a large frog is roaming the Moon.

The Moon also looks like it has a bunch of holes on it. These holes are called craters. Objects in space hit the Moon and leave craters behind. These craters do not change much over time. The craters you see probably have been that way for many years.

Can people live on the Moon?

Life on the Moon would truly be an adventure. The Moon is a hard place to live. It is quite hot during the day, but at night it turns cold. It also has no air. This means that people cannot live there without special clothing and tools. However, that has not stopped people from visiting the Moon in rockets. Neil Armstrong became the first man to visit and walk on the Moon in 1969. He and a man named Edwin Aldrin stayed on the Moon for less than a day. But, it took years to plan the trip. Since that jaw–dropping moment, several other men have walked on the Moon too. Some people have even driven in special trucks on the Moon.

The Moon is definitely a bright object in the night sky. However, it is more than just a big night–light. It is an amazing part of our lives and has been important ever since people started looking up.