Mana Mahina: Earth’s Moon - Bishop Museumresources.bishopmuseumeducation.org/.../lesson/LM_Earths_Moon.pdf · Mana Mahina: Earth’s Moon ... Quarter moons occur twice during a

These lessons have been developed in partnership with the University of Hawaiʻi College of Education and Polynesian Voyaging Society. Funding has been provided by the Department of Education Native Hawaiian Education Program.

© Bishop Museum, 2014. All rights reserved. 1

Mana Mahina: Earth’s Moon

(Photo source: Edith Kanakaʻole Foundation)

Summary & Goals:

Students will

Become familiar with the English and Hawaiian names for the various phases of the

Moon.

Understand how and why the Moon’s appearance changes.

Learn about how the Moon affects life on Earth.

Background | Standards | Resources and Materials | Instructions | References

Background:

SCIENTIFIC The moon is the only natural satellite of the Earth and is in synchronous rotation with it,

always showing the same face. It is the brightest object in the sky after the Sun, and its

current orbital distance causes it to coincidentally appear (from Earth) to be almost the same

size as the Sun, allowing it to cover the Sun precisely in total solar eclipses. Thought to have

formed nearly 4.5 billion years ago (from debris knocked from the Earth by a Mars-sized

projectile), it is the only other celestial body on which humans have thus far set foot. It also

exerts gravitational influence on the Earth’s oceans, causing tides.

The Moon cyclically changes phases, which are most readily distinguished by the location

of its terminator (i.e., the line that divides its light from its dark side). A new moon occurs

when the moon is directly between the Sun and the Earth; lost in the light of the sun, we

cannot see a new moon at all. During a crescent moon, only a sliver of the Moon is visible,

resembling a banana or a smile. Quarter moons occur twice during a lunar cycle (or one

month). The term ‘quarter moon’ and ‘half moon’ are interchangeable. The term ‘half moon’

refers to the fact that we see exactly half of the moon’s disc lit up during these times. The

term ‘quarter moon’ refers to the fact that this moon phase occurs when the moon is either one

quarter of the way through its monthly orbit around the earth (first quarter moon), or three

Credit: Anela Benson, Loke Roseguo

Grade Level: 6-8

Learning Time: Multi-Session

Keywords: anahulu, ecliptic, gibbous, mahina,

terminator



quarters of the way through its monthly orbit around the earth (third quarter moon). That,

said, during quarter moon, half the moon appears lit up; the right side of the moon appears lit

during a first quarter moon, and the left side of the moon appears lit during a third quarter

moon. A full moon is the phase in which we see the entire lit side of the moon, and the full

moon evenly divides the lunar cycle into two halves. The term ‘gibbous’ Moon refers to the

moon when it is fatter than a half moon, but not a full moon. Waxing is when the Moon’s

visible portion is increasing in size, whereas waning represents when the lit portion is

decreasing in size.

(Photo source: CRDG, 2011)

(Photo source: PVS, http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_lunar_month.html)

CULTURAL One of the Hawaiian names for the Moon is mahina. Traditionally, Hawaiians divide the

lunar cycle of approximately 30 pō (i.e., 24-hour periods) into three anahulu (i.e., 10-day-

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_lunar_month.html



long weeks) named Ho‘onui (i.e., to grow bigger), Poepoe (i.e., rounding), and Emi (i.e., to

fade away or decrease in size).

The pō of Ho‘onui include Hilo, Hoaka, Kūkahi, Kūlua, Kūkolu, Kūpau, ʻOle

Kūkahi, ʻOle Kūlua, ‘Ole Kūkolu, and ‘Ole Pau;

Poepoe includes Huna, Mōhalu, Hua, Akua, Hoku, Māhealani, Kulu, Lā‘au

Kūkahi, Lā‘au Kūlua, and Lā‘au Pau; and

Emi includes ‘Ole Kūkahi, ‘Ole Kūlua, ‘Ole Pau, Kāloa Kūkahi, Kāloa Kūlua,

Kāloa Pau, Kāne, Lono, Mauli, and Muku.

Activities relating to fishing, agriculture, and worship were carried out only on certain

days, when predicted to be most fruitful. A chant was composed (and, subsequently, a hand

game by Kaipo Freitas and Kaipo Kanaka‘ole) to help children, namely, remember the names

and sequence of the Pō Mahina:

Kamali‘i ‘ike ‘ole i ka helu pō

Muku nei, muku ka malama

Hilo nei, kau ka Hoaka

‘Ehā Kū, ‘ehā ‘Ole

Huna, Mōhalu, Hua, Akua

Hoku, Māhealani, Kulu

‘Ekolu Lā‘au, ‘Ekolu ‘Ole

‘Ekolu Kāloa,

Kāne, Lono, Mauli nō.

[Children who do not know how to count the nights]

[Here is Muku, cut off is the moon/month]

[Here is Hilo (Faint streak of light), the Hoaka (Crescent) rises]

[There are 4 Kū days, and 4 ‘Ole days]

[Huna (Hidden), Mōhalu (Blooming), Hua (Fruit), Akua (God)]

[Hoku (Full Moon Night), Māhealani (Full Moon Night), Kulu

(Trickling away)]

[There are 3 Lā‘au (Plant) days, and 3 ‘Ole days]

[There are 3 Kāloa (Kanaloa) days]

[Kāne, Lono, and Mauli (Life-Spirit). Kanaloa, Kāne and Lono are

three major gods of ancient Hawai‘i.]

There is also a mo‘olelo (story) about Hina, the goddess of the Moon:



Hina by Polynesian Voyaging Society co-founder Herb Kawainui Kāne

(Material above does not utilize modern Hawaiian orthography.)



(Photo source: http://isaacsartcenter.hpa.edu/sites/default/files/images/Kane_Hina.jpg)

VOYAGING As the Moon orbits the Earth, it appears to travel along a wavy pathway through the sky

called the ecliptic. Over the course of approximately 29.5 days (i.e., the time it takes to go

from one new moon to the next new moon), the Moon “voyages” through a sequence of

constellations (i.e., Pisces, Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo, Libra, Scorpio,

Sagittarius, Capricorn, and Aquarius) collectively called the zodiac. During the month, the

Moon rises in east about 48 minutes later each night, and sets about 48 minutes later each

night. The moon will rise and will set a slightly different position on the horizon from where

it rose and set the night before. Navigators who use Hawaiian navigator Nāinoa Thompson’s

star compass (i.e., a mental construct for organizing the relative positions and directions of

natural phenomena) would anticipate that the Moon always rises somewhere between the

“houses” (the thirty-two equal-spaced divisions on the horizon in the Hawaiian Star

Compass) of ’Āina Ko‘olau (east-northeast) and ’Āina Malanai (east-southeast) and sets

between the houses of ’Āina Ho‘olua (west-northwest) and ‘Āina Kona (west southwest).

During Hōkūlea’s 1980 voyage to Tahiti, Nāinoa (on his first attempt at deep-sea non-

instrument navigation) was able to determine the Moon’s position without even being able to

see it. According to him,

I think it was because I was so tired that I just gave up forcing myself to find the clues

visually. All of a sudden I felt warm, but it was raining and cold. When I gave up trying

to force myself to find answers, I knew. … Then there was a break in the clouds and the

moon showed—exactly where I thought it was supposed to be. Even when I saw it, I

http://isaacsartcenter.hpa.edu/sites/default/files/images/Kane_Hina.jpg



wasn’t surprised. That’s my most valuable moment, that one. (Kyselka, 1986, p. 232)

When attempting to determine direction, the Moon serves as a clue, especially when as a

crescent. The Moon’s terminator or the “cut of the Moon” (as Nāinoa calls it) is sometimes

oriented north-south, when both the Sun and Moon are on the celestial equator (i.e., the

imaginary line in the sky that serves as a projection of the Earth’s equator outwards, lying

equidistant from both the north and south celestial poles). Because of the Sun’s and Moon’s

continually oscillating positioning, the “cut of the Moon” is usually used when other clues

are not otherwise available.

BISHOP MUSEUM The Pō Mahina chant and hand game are based on an ‘ōlelo no‘eau (# 1471) that Bishop

Museum Hawaiian cultural authority Mary Kawena Pukui originally included in ‘Ōlelo

No‘eau: Hawaiian Proverbs & Poetical Sayings (published in 1983 by Bishop Museum

Press): “Kamali‘i ‘ike‘ole i ka helu pō: Muku nei, Muku ka malama; Hilo nei, kau ka

Hoaka. Children who do not know the moon phases: Muku is here, Muku the moon; Hilo

comes next, then Hoaka” (p. 159).

The museum offers other opportunities to learn about the Moon (among other

astronomical entities) through its Jhamandas Watumull (formerly Kilolani) Planetarium,

which was the first planetarium in Polynesia, having opened in 1961. This planetarium in

particular served as an invaluable educational resource for students of non-instrument

navigation, most especially Nāinoa Thompson. Starting in 1976, after sailing on Hōkūlea’s

return voyage from Tahiti to Hawai‘i, Nāinoa was determined to learn how to navigate but,

without a teacher at the time, he had to rely heavily on books to make sense of the stars, Sun,

and Moon. During an extended training voyage on Hōkūle‘a, he attempted to navigate, but,

according to him,

The moon rose in a place I didn’t expect. … Why? I thought I had understood the

relationships between the path of the sun and moon fully. This just didn’t make sense.

When I got back home, I grabbed my astronomy books, but I couldn’t find an answer in

them—I had no teacher! I thought the planetarium at the Bishop Museum might have an

answer to this riddle. … So, at 6 A.M., I called Will [Kyselka] and said, “I’ve got this

problem with the moon!” (PVS, 2013)

From that point in 1977 and onwards, planetarium presenter Will Kyselka would become

one of Nāinoa’s most revered teachers, spending hours with him under the planetarium’s

dome, so that he could observe and learn in weeks and months what might otherwise have

taken years or decades. Besides rectifying Nāinoa’s misunderstanding of where the Moon

rises, Will’s astronomical knowledge and teaching within the planetarium helped prepare

Nāinoa to derive his own system of non-instrument navigation that he would eventually use

to successfully guide Hōkūle‘a from Hawai‘i to Tahiti (and back) in 1980 and throughout the

Pacific on subsequent voyages.

The planetarium continues to serve approximately 75,000 visitors (including students)

per year through its daily shows, all of which feature the moon in some capacity



(http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/#.Ucyku5y0Qls). Upon NOAA’s Science of a

Sphere (SOS) within the planetarium’s lobby, a global view of the moon can be projected

onto the 6-foot-diameter sphere, rendering even the moon’s dark side visible. The museum’s

website also displays the current moon phase as well as astronomical highlights for the entire

year, including the dates and times of new, first quarter, full, and third quarter moons and

lunar eclipses (http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/).

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Standards:

Na Honua Mauli Ola

‘Ike ‘Ōlelo (Language Pathway)

ʻIke Naʻauao (Intellectual Pathway)

GLOs

GLO 3 Complex Thinker: 3.1 Applies prior learning experiences to new situations; 3.2

Considers multiple perspectives in analyzing and solving problems.

GLO 5 Effective Communicator: 5.1 Listens to, interprets, and uses information effectively;

5.2 Communicates effectively and clearly; 5.3 Reads with understanding various types of

materials and uses information; 5.5 Observes and makes sense of visual information.

HCPS III

Grade 8 –Physical, Earth, and Space Sciences

SC.8.7.1: Explain that every object has mass and therefore exerts a gravitational force on

other objects.

SC.8.8.9: Explain the predictable motions of the Earth and moon.

Common Core

Grades 6-8 Reading Literacy Science & Technical

6-8.RST.4: Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, domain-specific words and

phrases.

6-8.RST.7: Integrate quantitative or technical information expressed in words with a version

of that information expressed visually.

Grades 6-8 Speaking and Listening

http://www.bishopmuseum.org/planetarium/#.Ucyku5y0Qls



6-8.SL2: Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats.

Grades 6-8 Writing

6-8.W.2:Write information/explanatory text to examine a topic and explain ideas, concepts,

and information.

6-8.W.7: Conduct short research projects to answer a question, drawing on several sources.

NGSS

Middle School Earth’s Place in the Universe—Students will understand the following DCI:

ESS1.B: Earth and the Solar System--What are the predictable patterns caused by Earth’s

movement in the solar system?

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Resources and Materials:

Books:

Papakū Makawalu (Kanahele, P. K., Kanahele-Mossman, H., Nuuhiwa, K., and

Kanahele, K. H.). (2011). Mahina. Hilo, HI: Edith K. Kanakaʻole Foundation. Retrieved

from http://edithkanakaolefoundation.org/wp-

content/uploads/2012/06/Mahina_BookDigital_v2.pdf.

Materials:

Hawaiian Moon Calendar for Fishing (2 pages)

Hawaiian Moon Calendar for Farming (2 pages)

http://edithkanakaolefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Mahina_BookDigital_v2.pdf

http://edithkanakaolefoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/Mahina_BookDigital_v2.pdf



The Woman in Moon mo‘olelo (2 pages)

Small (about 2” radius) Styrofoam balls (with hole punched partway through)

Bright light (e.g., a lantern)

Globe or ball (larger than Styrofoam balls)

Worksheets:

Moon Log Format sheet

Websites:

Descriptions of the Hawaiian lunar month and the cycle of moon phases and lyrics to the

Pō Mahina chant and hand game:

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/hawaiian_lunar_month.html

Hawaiian lunar phases and brief descriptions: http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-

http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Weather.moon



bin/hawaii?Weather.moon

Ke Ala o Ka Mahina interactive moon calendar (Kamehameha Schools):

http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org/multimedia/apps/mooncalendar/

Video of the Pō Mahina chant and hand game with lyrics and pictures of moon phases

(by Natalie Kurashima): www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6TsQEQ9GY

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Instructional Procedures:

1. ENGAGE:

Have students take turns reading aloud the mo‘olelo The Woman in Moon.

Next, have them learn and practice the Pō Mahina chant and hand game by

watching the YouTube video and studying copies of the lyrics.

Setup:

Take a series of pictures of the moon (these can even just be cardboard cut to

represent the different phases of the moon) and place them in random order on the

blackboard.

These should include:

o Full moon

o Crescent moon, with the right side of moon lit as you look at it

o Half moon, with the ‘lit’ side on the right side of the moon

o Gibbous moon (i.e. the moon when it’s between half moon and full

moon), with right side lit

o Half moon, with left side of moon lit

o Crescent moon, with left side of moon lit

Let the students know that they are to place these moon phrases in the correct

order, as you’d see them if you go through a month of moon watching. What is

the first phase you would see, after a ‘new’ or invisible moon? (In discussion,

and with back and forth, lead them to suggest that the crescent moon is the first

phrase we’ll see).

Continue this discussion, until you have consensus for the ‘correct’ order of moon

phases on the blackboard.

Correct sequence would be: 1) crescent lit from the right side; 2) Half moon lit

from the right side; 3) Gibbous moon lit from the right side; 4) full moon; 5) half

moon lit from left side’ 6) crescent moon lit from the left side. However, if this

is not the order the students agree on, indicate that we’ll revisit this sequence after

we model the phases of the moon and what causes them.

2. EXPLORE:

Place the bright light source in the center of the classroom, and direct students to

http://www.instanthawaii.com/cgi-bin/hawaii?Weather.moon

http://www.kamehamehapublishing.org/multimedia/apps/mooncalendar/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn6TsQEQ9GY



stand in a large circle around it. The light should be bright enough to cast strong

shadows.

Have each student pair up with the student next to them and give each pair a

Styrofoam ball and pencil. Direct them to mount the Styrofoam ball on the

pencil. One student will act as the Earth, holding the ball-mounted pencil that

will serve as the Moon, while the other student will observe what happens as

conditions change.

Darken the room and turn on the central light source, which will serve as the Sun.

Hold the light at a height above the students’ heights so that its light falls

unobstructed on the students’ Earths and Moons.

Ask the students (within their pairs) to experiment with moving the moon ball

around the student’s earth head, noticing how the moon goes through phrases as it

orbits the ‘earth head.’ Remind the student acting as the Earth to hold his or her

Moon at arm’s length but also above his or her head level (so that the Sun may

shine unobstructed upon it).

This first activity is to help students get just the general idea of what causes lunar

phrases. In discussion, ask questions such as:

o How much of the moon is lit at any one time? (A: half the moon is always

lit; what changes is not how much of the moon is lit. What changes is

how much we on earth see of the lit side.

o Where do you hold the moon so that the earth sees none of the moon’s lit

side at all? (When the moon is right in between the earth and the sun,

when it is a ‘new’ moon).

o Where do you hold the moon so the earth can see all of the moon’s lit

side? (on the other side of the earth from the sun, when the moon is full).

Now, look at the phrase of the moon on the blackboard.

o We said that the first phrase in this sequence is this crescent moon, lit

from the right side as you look at the moon. Where will you hold the

moon ball so that you see just a little bit of the right side of the moon lit

up? (When you hold the moon ball just a little to the left of where you

hold it for a new moon).

o The moon keeps going in the same direction; so move your moon ball

around until you on earth will see half of the moon’s lit side; make sure

that the right half is the side lit up, since we agreed that the next phrase in

the order on the blackboard will be a half moon lit from the right. (Have

students move the moon balls around till they are holding the moon ball at

a right angle to the sun, on the left side of the ‘earth head.’). You can see

why this is called a ‘half moon’; we on earth can see half of the moon’s lit

surface. This phase is also called a ‘quarter moon,’ because the moon is

now one quarter of the way around the earth in its orbit. It takes the moon

a month to orbit the earth; one quarter of a month is, roughly, a week. So

this phrase of the moon occurs when the moon is about one week into its

orbit.

o Move the moon in the same direction till to see more than half the lit side



of the moon. Make sure it’s the right side that is lit. When the moon is in

between a half moon and full moon, it’s called a ‘Gibbous moon.’

o Keep on going now, with your moon ball around your earth head, till the

moon is full. Notice that, when the moon is full, there is a straight line

between the sun, earth and moon; as the sun sets at this time of the month,

the full moon is straight across from the setting sun, rising in the east.

o Keep going around past the full moon. Now, notice (this, as the students

have the moon now the right side of their bodies) that it’s the left side of

the moon that is lit. Move the moon till you have a half moon again, but

this time with the left side of the moon lit. This is again called a half

moon, and again called a quarter moon. However, when the moon is lit

from the left like this, it’s called a ‘third quarter moon.’ The moon is now

three quarters of its way around the earth (or, three weeks into its month-

long trip).

o Keep going with your moon till you have a crescent again, but this time lit

from the left.

o Finally, hold the moon in between you and the sun again. We’re back to a

new moon again, just under 30 days from the last time it was new.

Hawaiian phrases:

o We have seen the major phrases of the moon used in the European

calendar. That European calendar has only seven big phrases:

1. New Moon

2. Early Crescent Moon, with the moon lit from the right side

3. First Quarter moon (moon lit from right side)

4. Waxing Gibbous moon (between a first quarter and a full moon;

moon lit from right side)

5. Full moon

6. Waning Gibbous moon (between a full moon and third quarter

moon; moon now lit from left side

7. Third Quarter moon (moon lit from left side)

8. Waning crescent moon (moon lit from left side)

o However, the Hawaiian Calendar recognizes far more phrases; every night

is a recognized phase.

o Demonstrate and name each moon phase in Hawaiian calendar, starting

with Muku or the first waxing crescent phase immediately following a

new moon. After completing an entire lunar cycle, have students switch

roles.

Finally, challenge students to position their moon in the appropriate place after

hearing only the Hawaiian and/or English name for that phase. Do this several

times.

3. EXPLAIN:

Have students explain the movement of the moon and earth in relation to the sun

over the course of 24 hours, 1 month, and 1 year.



Ask them to describe in what direction each of the following rotate: the Earth

around the sun, the Moon around the Earth, and the Earth on its axis.

Have them draw the relative positions of the Sun, Earth, and Moon during a full

moon, a new moon, a first quarter moon and a third quarter moon.

Have students compare their observations from the solar system model to the real

world. What does the model display correctly? What does the model not

represent correctly?

Tell them: gravity is the cause of the orbits of the Earth around the Sun and the

Moon around the Earth. The Earth and Moon are constantly pulling on each other

due to gravity. What other effects might the Moon have on the earth and vice

versa?

4. ELABORATE/EXTEND:

Have the students observe the Moon for at least 10 days (1 anahulu) and complete

moon logs (for each pō) using the Moon Log Format sheet as a guide.

5. EVALUATE:

Allow students to choose a medium (e.g., an acted-out story, a three-dimensional

model, an illustrated calendar, a data poster with graphs) through which to

demonstrate their understanding of the Moon’s phases, including their

appearances, names (in English and Hawaiian), causes, and affects.

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References

Kyselka, W. (1987). An ocean in mind. Honolulu, HI: University of Hawaii Press.

Moon. (n.d.). In Wikipedia. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon

Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). (2012). The celestial sphere. Hawaiian Voyaging

Traditions. Retrieved from http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/celestial_sphere.html

Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS). (2013). Nāinoa Thompson. Hawaiian Voyaging Traditions.

Retrieved from

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/index/founder_and_teachers/nainoa_thompson.html

Thompson, V. L. (1966). The woman in moon. Myths of earth, sea, and sky. Honolulu, HI:

University of Hawaii Press.

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/ike/hookele/celestial_sphere.html

http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/index/founder_and_teachers/nainoa_thompson.html



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Documents

Mana Mahina: Earth’s Moon - Bishop Museumresources.bishopmuseumeducation.org/.../lesson/LM_Earths_Moon.pdf · Mana Mahina: Earth’s Moon ... Quarter moons occur twice during a