Topic – Earth And the Moon

 

Earth And the Moon

Earth

We live on a big, round ball of rock called Earth. On the outside of the ball are oceans, rivers, forests, and cities—and lots of people! Just above Earth’s surface are air and clouds, which are always moving around Earth. Clouds move across the sky. When air moves quickly, there is wind.

Earth orbits the Sun. This means that Earth moves in a circle around the Sun. It takes one year for Earth to complete one circle around the Sun.

The Moon

The Moon is also a ball of rock, but it is much smaller than Earth. On the outside of the ball, there is no water, no plants, no air, and no people. Plants can’t grow on the moon because they need air and water. The surface of the Moon is covered with large holes called craters.

The Moon orbits Earth. It takes almost four weeks for the Moon to complete one circle around Earth.

Planets and Moons

Large round objects that orbit the Sun are called planets. Earth is one of eight planets that orbit the Sun.

Smaller round objects that orbit a planet are called moons. Two planets have no moons. Earth has one moon called the Moon. Moons that orbit other planets are called by different names. For example, Mars has two moons, and their names are Deimos and Phobos. Some planets have dozens of moons!

---

Now, show what you know!

Complete some questions about the reading selection by clicking “Begin Questions” below.

Brain Stretch: View some Internet photos of the Moon’s surface taken by astronauts. Point out any craters shown.