Resources
The resources listed here are books which we have used in the creation of this website and in teaching this unit to grade 5 students.
Student Resources
Burnie, David. Light – Eyewitness Science. London: Dorling Kindersley Ltd., 1992.
EVERY aspect of light is examined with all the augmented factoids that Eyewitness is known for. Explanations are all made clear through the use of easy to understand language and ample use of pictures and diagrams. The potential for this resource spans from teachers building their knowledge base to the student’s use as a primary research source.
Colour Light Fantastic Videocassette. Prod. National Geographic Society: Educational Division. Dir. Donald M. Cooper. National Geographic Society, New York, 1988.
The video discusses the role of colour in our lives (social aspects), the visible light spectrum, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Throughout the video, a number of experiments are carried out to illustrate light concepts. The one outstanding merit of this video is that when all of the concepts have been examined, a small review is shown, outlining what was just watched. This would be a good resource in order to hook students into light and in order to get them to try some simple experiments.
Morgan, Sally, and Adrian Morgan. Colour in Science. London: Evan Brothers Limited, 1993.
Diagrams, pictures, and experiments fill this book. Anything and everything you wanted to know about colour is in this resource. Investigations about lasers, polarized light, colour blindness, and colour vision are made easy to understand. This is a Ministry recommended resource for science 8-10, however, I don’t think the middle range to high achieving grade 5 student would have any problems understanding the language used. This book could be used both as a information source for students or as a teacher resource.
Siepak, Karen Lee. Light & Color. North Carolina: Carson-Dellosa Publishing Company, Inc., 1994.
This book provides background information for each topic, then step by step instructions to follow activities. The activities are geared from Grade 4 - 6 and cover the following topics: Creating Shadows, Lenses, Bending and Bouncing Light, The Eye, Primary Colors of Light, and Pigment.
Montshire Museum of Science. Light Exploring the Energy You See. New York: Scholastic, 1995.
Developed for the young reader, this book looks at the common everyday-side-of-light. It is packed with simple activities that can be done with a minimal amount of materials. Lots of colourful pictures and easy to understand diagrams. Very well laid out.
Parker, Steve. Science Project Book of Light. New York: Marshall Cavendish Corporation, 1988.
The main focus of this book is experimentation. All aspects of light are examined. After each topic is read, a small experiment is described in order for the reader to fully understand the concept. Many diagrams and colourful pictures are included. The special merit of this book is that is provides two pages of safety considerations which loosely follow WHIMIS. Primary use would be as a source for a research project or as enrichment for a unit.
Gold, Carol. The Jumbo book of Science: 136 of the best Experiments from the Ontario Science Center. Ontario: Kids Can Press Ltd., 1994.
This has science experiments on many different topics, and light is one of them. There is one experiment for optical illusions, and several others dedicated to the concepts of light.
Science Essentials: Light Videocassette. Prod. Martha Hopkins. Dir: Greg Lithru. British Columbia Ministry of Education, Victoria, 1989.
Broken into parts, this Ministry resource examines four aspects of light in an interactive approach: [1] What is colour? [2] What is light? [3] How does light travel? [4] How do lenses work? In each segment, students take part in the experiments shown. Data recording sheets are included with the video. This resource could be used by both teachers and students for research and hands-on experience.
Taylor, Kim. Light – Flying Start Science. New York: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1992.
Like the other resources selected, this book covers all of the concepts for the study of light. However, one special merit brings it into the spotlight: Its’ use of language. The large typeface and ease of reading will definitely help the low learners in the classroom. Diagrams, pictures, factoids, and experiments are riddled throughout the book. This resource would be a primary source for the low learners.
Teacher Resources
Dickinson, Terence. Exploring the Sky by Day: The Equinox Guide to Weather and the Atmosphere. Ontario: Firefly Books Ltd., 1988.
Although a lot of the information in this book is about weather there is also information on: Sky Colour, Rainbows, the sun and moons.
Parratore, Phil. Light and Sound. CA: Creative Teaching Press Inc., 1996.
This book is set up for teachers to teach a unit on sound. It has background information, activities, and blackline masters. The topics covered include: Waves, Light, Color, and Sound. Teachers can use the assessment tools, extensive resource list, and glossary of terms. It is designed to be used for students Grade 4 - 8.
Maton, A., et al. Sound and Light: Teacher’s Edition. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1994.
Sound and Light thoroughly examines most aspects of light and optics: The electromagnetic spectrum, reflection, refraction, colour, and the eye. One of the topics not addressed in the other resources is the determination of whether light is a wave or a particle. A very interesting and debatable topic. This book would be used primarily as a teaching tool (teach a unit) or as primary source in order to build a teacher’s background information.
Wood, Robert W. Physics For Kids -- 49 Easy Experiments with Optics. New York: McGraw Hill, 1990.
This book is filled with easy to do experiments that will teach students about light and optics through hands-on experiences. All topics of light are covered; from the spectrum to the nature of light. This book could be used for developing learning centers or for student centered research or learning projects.