|
Curriculum Tie: Group Size:
Small Groups
|
|
Summary:
This lesson contains three student experiments: How Light Travels, Comparing Light Sources, and Reflective Surfaces.
Main Curriculum Tie:
Science - 6th Grade
Standard 6 Objective 2
Describe how light can be produced, reflected, refracted, and separated into visible light of various colors. Materials:
- Several prepared shoeboxes
How Light Travels:
(for each student)
- How Light Travels worksheet (pdf)
- Book on light
- Bag of assorted objects: canning jar
lid, foil, transparency, waxed paper,
fabric, netting, square of
construction paper, 3 x 5 card,
penny, empty spool, plastic test
tube, 1 oz. food container, clear
plastic cup, etc.
- Flashlight
- White board or white cardstock
Comparing Light Sources:
- Comparing Light worksheet (pdf)
- Situation Cards (pdf)
- Three different types of flashlights
that vary in intensity and size
- Laser pen
- Incandescent bulb in base (will need
electric outlet nearby)
- Fluorescent bulb in base (also needs
electric outlet)
- Set of situation cards copied on
cardstock and/or laminated (master
included)
Reflective Surfaces:
(for each student)
- Reflective Surfaces worksheet (pdf)
- Square of aluminum foil (cannot be
reused)
- Flashlight
- Laser pen
- A sample of each of the following:
sandpaper, white cardstock, black
construction paper, stiff plastic (CD
case), metal (canning jar lid,
underside of stapler), glass baby
food jar, small glass container, etc.)
- White board or white cardstock
Additional Resources
Books
- Light! Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can
Teach It , by William C. Robertson (NSTA Press);
ISBN 0-873355-215-6
- Eyewitness Science: Light , by David Burnie; ISBN 1-879431-79-3
Focus on Light , by Barbara Taylor; ISBN 0-531-17381-X
Video
- Light (National Geographic, 21 minutes, $69.00, 800-368-2728);
ISBN 0-7922-6812-1
Attachments
Background For Teachers:
Light travels so fast that it seems we see things the instant they
happen. Light travels at 300,000 km per second, or 186,000 miles per
second. Light travels in straight lines. When light hits an object, it can be
absorbed, reflected, or pass through (transmitted). If light passes through
a transparent object at an angle, it can also be refracted, or bent, because
the speed of light slows as it passes from one transparent object to
another.
All objects reflect some light, because we can see them, but objects
that are smooth and hard are better at reflecting light than others. Mirrors
are excellent reflectors because the surface is smooth, and light is able to
bounce back. When light hits a surface, it is always reflected at the same
angle it strikes the surface. The law of reflection states that the angle of
incidence equals the angle of reflection. This is best demonstrated by
throwing a ball at a smooth surface. The angle at which it hits will equal
the angle at which it bounces back (45° going in equals 45° going out).
With a transparent object (air, water, clear glass) almost all light
passes through. Translucent materials (wax paper, bathroom windows)
allow some light to pass through while some light is reflected. Opaque
materials (wood, metal) block all light and either reflect or absorb the
light. As light passes from one transparent material to another at an angle
(from air to water, or air to glass), the light will slow down and appear
bent. This is called refraction. A good example of this is placing a pencil
in a clear glass of water. The part of the pencil above the water appears to
be broken off from the part below the water. Light shining through a
glass or Pyrex® baking pan filled with water demonstrates refraction.
Intended Learning Outcomes:
1. Use Science Process and Thinking Skills
2. Manifest Scientific Attitudes and Interests
3. Understand Science Concepts and Principles Instructional Procedures:
Invitation to Learn
Send one or two prepared shoeboxes (1” hole cut in the
lid with Look Here written next to the hole; line the inside
with pictures, bright paper, etc.) around the room for students
to look in. Instruct students not to open the box, but only to
look in. After each student has looked in the box, discuss
what was seen. Most students say that there was nothing in
the box. Have someone open the box, then show what is
inside. Why couldn’t they see it? There was no light. We
can’t see anything without light. Today we’re going to
experiment to discover some of the properties of light.
Instructional Procedures
The following experiments could be used as centers in a
science lab, or as whole group activities. If you have limited
materials and books, centers are a great way to keep
everyone involved with minimal materials. Students rotate
from center to center, working and taking notes as they
complete each experiment. If using centers, care will need to
be taken to ensure that each center takes about the same
length of time, and that all materials are carefully returned to
the kits.
If you have adequate materials and books for the whole
class to do the experiments at the same time, it will be easier
to explain the procedure to everyone, and then you can have
a discussion at the end of each experiment to ensure that
students learned what was expected in the experiment.
Prepared worksheets that teachers can run off for the light
centers are included with this activity. However, greater
learning takes place when students are able to design and
construct their own lab sheets instead of continually using
prepared ones. The best way to facilitate this process is to
have prepared worksheets for the teacher to model and
demonstrate, and students to fill in. Discuss what should be
written and show examples of good and poorly completed
lab sheets to help students gain the experience necessary to
construct their own lab sheets. By the middle of the year, or
after quite a few labs, students may be given a lab sheet with
one or two guidelines of what they should do. By the later
part of the year, students should be given blank paper or a
science journal to draw and write what they have learned.
As we do the labs together at the CORE Academy, we begin with
completely outlined lab sheets, then learn how to create our own lab
sheets, and finally blank paper will be distributed for the last light labs.
Center Set up
For easier set up and clean up, place materials for each student in
gallon-size Ziploc® bags in a bin or container for each center. It is helpful
to tape a list of what is in each kit on the bag. Number the centers so
students will know which worksheet to use for each center. Instructions
can be taped on the outside of the bin so that everyone understands what
is expected. Explain how students rotate through the centers and how
much time is allowed for each center. Spend some time explaining what
you are expecting them to write about in their lab write-ups. It is helpful
for students to see both good and poor examples of completed lab sheets.
Discuss how these examples could be made better, helping them focus on
what is expected.
If this is a first time students are working at centers, stop everyone at
the end of the first center and have each group share one thing they did
well as a group, and one way they could improve. Repeat one or more
times as needed.
Extensions:
- Challenge students to list as many different reflective surfaces as
they can (at least 100). A section of poster paper or bulletin board
can be used to compile a class list. Encourage students to look for
extremely unusual surfaces.
- Learners with special needs can be put into groups with others.
Instruct each member of the group to help the whole group
complete the task. Provide alternative options for demonstrating
knowledge, such as diagrams of what was learned, instead of
written work.
Family Connections
Assessment Plan:
Use the lab sheets to assess what students do and do not understand.
Mastery
- Completed the
task required at
the center.
- Wrote and drew
what happened in
the experiment.
- Explained in their
own words what
they discovered.
|
Sub-mastery
- Completed the
task required at
the center.
- Included some
drawings and
observations of
what was seen.
- Somewhat
explained what
was discovered.
|
Needs
improvement
- Task was
somewhat
completed.
- Few drawings and
observations
included.
- Little or no
explanation of
what was
discovered.
|
Author:
Utah LessonPlans
Created Date :
Nov 16 2004 14:10 PM
|
Share