Lesson Plans
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- light is all around us
- light comes from 3 sources (chemical, electrical, nuclear)
Materials
Introduction
- Provide students with pretest
Development
- Light hunt:
- Brainstorm and create concept map to show what they know
about light.
- Students form a light web (explain connections between
descriptors)
-- ie. Light ----travels (in) ---- waves
- Look around the room and list and draw as many things as
you can that produce or use light.
- Tour de School: Record places were light is produced or
used.
- Reading page 1 – add to
- How would you classify your light sources (3 types)
Activity/Practice
- Questions:
- Why is light important?
- What things produce light?
- How is light produced in each instance?
- How would you classify the sources of light?
- Are there other ways?
- What senses did you use to observe light?
- How would you compare the light given off by various
sources?
- Add to concept map
- Students create own concept map for the science logs.
Evaluation
- In response journal:
- How would you compare outside sources of light to inside
sources?
- What sources gave off light naturally? Artificially?
- Can you imagine a world without light?
- What are some of the ways in which you depend upon light
produced by electricity?
- Challenge Question:
- How fast does light travel?
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- recognize that white light is a combination of 7 different
colours of light
- recognize the relationship between an object’s colour
and the light that it is reflecting.
Materials
- objects that can be used to refract light (break it apart)
[ie. prisms, crystals, mirrors
- diffraction grating
- slides painted dull black and scratched finely
- glass
- finely meshed material such as nylon stockings, fine cotton
- water
- drinking glass
- magnifying glass
- spectroscopes
- cardboard
- Reading 2
- How can different colours of light be combined to make
other colours?
Introduction
- Questions
- What have you noticed about the colours of the rainbow?
- Are the colours always the same and in the same order?
- What conditions are always present when rainbows are
formed?
- Does this help you to figure out how rainbows are formed?
- Have you ever tried splitting light apart?
- How would you go about this?
Development
- Listen to students’ ideas and carry out any that are
feasible and simple.
- If students are stuck, use the pan of water and mirror
experiment.
- What did we catch on the mirror?
- What happened to the light when we reflected it back to the
screen?
- What does this show about white light?
- Tell students that the band of colour that is produced is
called the visual spectrum.
Activity/Practice
- Show students the different materials. Have groups select
different materials and experiment with them to see if they can create the spectrum
- Have students record what they did and what was seen.
- After students have had time to investigate, gather them
together to discuss findings.
- Were you able to construct a device to split light into
colours?
- What difficulties did you encounter in designing something
t pass light through narrow openings?
- How did your spectrum compare to others?
- How many colours did you see and in what order?
- Do you think there is a way to turn your spectrum back into
white light? How? Do you want to try?
- Colour combination activity
- Reading 2 & questions
Prism demonstration
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about light today?
- How did you try to split light into colours?
- Were you successful? Why or why not?
- Add to concept map (ROY G BIV)
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- give examples of radiant energy
- recognize that all forms of radiant energy travel in the
form of waves
- Compare the properties of light waves with those of sound
waves
- Recognize that light travels in straight lines from a
source
Materials
- Shallow pan of water
- piece of paper
- Reading 3
- Full Spectrum overhead
- rope
- pinhole camera instruction sheet
- waxed paper
- aluminum foil
- paper clips (to make holes)
Introduction
- Who can tell me the characteristics of light? What does
light do?
- Float piece of paper in shallow pan. Have students observe
the motion of the paper as the waves move under it.
- Is energy transferred from one place to another by waves of
water?
- How do you know?
- Are there other forms of energy that travel as waves?
Development
- Students read reading 3
- Can anyone name other kinds of radiant energy?
- Where do we find these energies?
- Demonstrate wave action – rope on door knob, and class
circle wave. Discuss amplitude and frequency.
- Show overhead of spectrum and discuss what happens to
frequency as one move to the right.
- Demonstrate infrared and ultraviolet lights.
- What do you feel – which is hotter, which is cooler?
- If this is ultraviolet/infrared light, why can we see it?
Activity/Practice
- Short review - characteristics of light, characteristics of
waves
- Pinhole cameras.
- Supply students with directions
- Answer questions in science books
- If light moves in a straight path, what happens when we put
something in its way?
- How can we make the shadow larger/smaller?
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about light today?
- What are the characteristics of light?
- Add to concept map
- Nature of light worksheet
- Mark worksheet
- Mark questions from pinhole camera instruction sheet
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- Describe 3 things that can occur when light strikes matter
- Compare transparent, translucent, and opaque objects.
Materials
- flashlight
- mirror
- aluminum foil
- squares of bristol board (various colours, incl. white)
- matte black squares of cardboard
- various other opaque, transparent, and translucent
materials
Introduction
- Review the things that send out light naturally. (Very few
things give off their own light naturally)
- What do you think happens when light shines on a mirror? On
a piece of glass? On a piece of cardboard?
- How does that help us see the light?
- Do other things reflect light? What are they like?
- How do you think we might go about investigating which
kinds of things or surfaces reflect light?
Development
- Consider student suggestions as a group and try as a group
- Students predict which materials will absorb, reflect light
or let light pass through.
- Develop a way of recording your observations - Discuss as
class
- If students become stuck with either of the above
challenges, supply them with setup and a template recording sheet.
Activity/Practice
- Students record their observations and debrief after they
have tested their materials
- Students complete question sheet to later be discussed in
class.
- Two extra columns on recording sheet
- What happened to the light?
- Opaque, Transparent, or Translucent?
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about light today?
- What 3 things can happen when light is directed at an
object?
- Mark label designations (O,T,T – transmit, absorb,
reflect) on recording sheet
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- describe what happens when light hits a mirror
- compare the angle of incidence to the angle of reflection
Materials
- PREVIOUS MATH LESSON USING ANGLES
- mirrors
- flashlights
- black paper
- drawing paper
- spoons
- Questions for Lab 5
- Reading 5
Introduction
- Review
- What do we know about mirrors from the last science class?
- What happens when light hits a mirror?
- Motivator Questions
- In what direction does it bounce off of the mirror?
- How do you know? It is always like this?
- If light hits the mirror straight on, how will it bounce
off?
- What if it hits at an angle like this? (demonstrate on
overhead)
- How could we test our predictions?
Development
- Give out materials and ask students to develop an
experiment to test their predictions.
Activity/Practice
- Discuss findings:
- Why do you think mirrors bounce or reflect light so well?
- In what way does the reflected light from a mirror act like
a bouncing ball?
- Do you think this would be equally true if you used other
shiny surfaces?
- Was it difficult to measure the approaching angle and
reflecting angel of light? How did you try/do this?
- What light designs did you make with your mirrors?
- How many times were you able to keep the light bouncing?
Can you show us by standing how you positioned your mirrors?
- Do you think there is a limit in reflecting light through
the use of mirrors? Why do you think this?
- Laser handout and activity in gym.
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about reflection today?
- What are some ways in which mirrors help people? (Think of
where they are used)
- Where do you use reflection in your day to day activities?
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- recognize that light can be bent
- determine what factors effect how much a light beam is bent
- differentiate between reflection and refraction
Materials
- different glass containers
- clear plastic drinking cups
- flashlights
- shoeboxes
- cards with slits
- liquids (water, cooking oil, milk)
- Reading 6
Introduction
- Review with students the nature of light (how does it
travel)
- Demonstrate using large jar and long stick
- What does the stick look like? Why do you think the image
is bent?
- Can you think of other occasions when you have seen
something similar? What were they?
- Have you ever stood in shallow water and looked into the
water at your legs?
- What have you noticed? What do you think is happening?
- Do you think a light beam changes its path as it passes
from the air into water? Why?
Development
- Can you predict what kinds of things might happen to a
light beam when it passes from air to other liquids? … or through other materials
such as glass?
- How could you find out for sure?
- Consider groups ideas and have them try out reasonable
suggestions.
- Provide students with materials
- Cut two slits vertically about 2cm apart and parallel to
each other (one end of the box)
- Put sheet of white paper in the bottom
- Place test jar in the box (line up with slits)
- Shine flashlight through slits and record what happens
Activity/Practice
- Students record what happens in diagrams
- Does moving the jar make any differences?
- What do you see happening to the light beam?
- What do you think would happen if you used a rectangular
container of water?
- What happens if you use larger/smaller glass jars?
- Discuss findings afterward
- Get students to draw conclusions about the behaviour of
light they learned about today
- Tell class what just occurred: refraction. How is it
different from reflection?
- Can and water demonstration
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about refraction today?
- Where have you seen refraction used before?
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- compare the effects of concave vs. convex lenses on light
waves
- differentiate between refraction and reflection
Materials
- concave lenses
- convex lenses
- flashlight
- plain glass
- comb
- Reading 7
Introduction
- Have students compare the two different types of lenses and
the plain piece of glass
- What similarities and differences can you observe between
the glass and the lenses?
- How could you go about discovering how these differences
affect the way light travels through them?
- What do you expect to happen when light passes through the
lens? Why?
Development
- Students are asked to design an investigation that will
test the lenses. (record predictions, record what you did [steps], and then record what
you found out. Include diagrams.)
- Alt Activity: Making a lens (waxpaper & water drop)
Activity/Practice
- Create a cone-shaped piece of dark construction paper and
place over flashlight.
- place a comb in from of the cone and test each piece of
material.
- Again, record predictions, what you did, and what you found
out.
- Complete the question sheet.
- Alternate activity for those done:
- What are some properties of a convex lens?
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about refraction today?
- Where have you seen refraction used before?
- Hand in questions (both activities)
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- (IRP) relate differences in colour to difference in
wavelength
- recognize the relationship between an object’s colour
and the light that it is reflecting
Materials
- clear, green, red and blue cellophane
- objects of the three primary light colours
- flashlights
- white paper
- absorbing light reading
- pans painted black and white
- sunny day or heat lamp
- overhead of roses
- overhead of visible spectrum
Introduction
- Review
- What are the three primary colours of light?
- What colours do we mix to get orange? purple? yellow?
- What are the three things light can do when directed at an
object?
- In what way does light get from one location to another?
- Today, we’re going to tie all of these concepts
together in order to show how we see colour.
Development
- Have the pan / water absorption demo set up. Take students
outside and have them measure and observe what has happened to the water
- Read absorption handout and discuss
- Questions
- Have you ever worn glasses with coloured lenses?
- Did the colour of objects you looked at change? How?
- Have you ever seen the same effect other than using
coloured lenses? When?
- Have students predict what would happen to [blue, red,
green, yellow, white, black] objects if viewed through various lenses
Activity/Practice
- Materials are handed out to groups
- Groups investigate and answer questions on the question
sheet.
- After completed, students read and complete reading 8.
- Discuss why a yellow banana looks yellow
- Pull out spectrum overhead – calculate wavelength
- Talk about difference between transmitting and reflecting
(in relation to colour)
- Television screen / Computer screen / comic book / magazine
dot activity.
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about refraction today?
- Where have you seen refraction used before?
[1] - [2] - [3] - [4]
- [5] - [6] - [7] - [8] - [9]
Objectives/Concepts
- (IRP) describe how the eye uses light to see
- describe two afflictions of the eye and describe how they
can be corrected
- determine how the eye can be "tricked" through
the use of optical illusion.
Materials
- Overhead of eye
- Reading 9
Introduction
- Questions
- Which sense organ does the job of seeing?
- How do you depend on your eyes everyday?
- Students close their eyes
- What wouldn’t you be able to do if you could not see?
- Which of your other senses would you depend upon to help
you find your way and learn about the world around you?
- Most of the material that people learn about during their
lives is done through seeing.
Development
- Students break into pairs
- Each pair look into each other’s eyes and list what
they can tell about the eye just from looking
- List responses on chalkboard
- Students close eyes again
- What can you see of the classroom?
- Why can’t you see anything?
- What has to happen before you can see?
Activity/Practice
- Pupil experiment
- Partners observe the approximate size of the pupil.
- One partner covers their eyes (not pushing on them) for 20
seconds.
- Partner observes, partners switch roles and repeat.
- What happened to the pupils?
- Why do you think the size of the pupils change?
- Demo balloon lenses - eye stress.
- Optical Illusions (M.C. Escher slides)
Evaluation
- Response journals
- What did you learn about the eye today?
- What kind of daily routines might you have to change if you
suddenly lost your vision?