The nature of Light and Interactions by Summer Weekley

What is light?

sw25275 — 2024-06-04 20:05:32 UTC

This video introduces what light it and how it helps us see around us. It allows students to learn new facts and understand that light helps us see and how objects can let light go completely through, partially through, or is blocked. This means transparent, translucent, and opaque. The video also helps students understand what refraction is with a use of demonstrating a pencil in water, which students can then do in person to see how light bends. Students can then be able to experience with flashlights or lasers (with supervision and reminders of rules when using a laser pointer) to see what objects are transparent, translucent, and opaque.

Interactive: How light is needed to see

sw25275 — 2024-06-04 22:33:07 UTC

This interactive lesson can be used in whole groups while going through each slide. This can be used as a review or as a check in to see what students may know. The teacher could call on students during the lesson or have students discuss among themselves before answering together in pairs or groups as well. This helps show how light helps us see things and being able to draw on the pictures on the screen and discussing as well.

Objects and Light: PEEP and The Big Wide World

sw25275 — 2024-06-04 22:39:20 UTC

PEEP and The Big Wide World has many educational videos for students that can keep their attention due it being a cartoon. This video is more for the K-2 students but could be used for some upper grades if needed as a review before introducing more to the light unit. This video goes over objects being seen in dark spaces and how light interacts with different objects.

Opaque, Transparent and Translucent

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 14:22:31 UTC

This website gives a summary from the start on what happens when a light reaches a material: it can be absorbed, reflected, or transmitted. Each word is described for those reading and examples are given as opaque, transparent and translucent is introduced. The website gives an intro and focuses on the different materials, same with color and what happens to light energy when absorbed. A quiz is given at the end for review. This website can be added to a Google Classroom for students to use easily.

Interactive Light Lab

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 14:28:52 UTC

This website is an online interactive lab for light. The light starts with seeing how it interacts with air, water and glass. Light travels differently through each object and the students can see this happening with the lab. It continues to go into light traveling through (or on) different shapes like a a mirror (reflection), glass (refraction), and a prism to make a rainbow (dispersion). Each new vocabulary is described to the student and can be used for more of the upper grades but can be used for younger grades if done in whole group to introduce what light can be do. There is also a matching game in the lab and then interacting with the light to use what was just learned to meet the target.

Opaque, Transparent and Translucent Small Group Worksheet

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 14:34:37 UTC

A small group with a sorting chart, picture cards, and a recording sheet. Students will decide if the item they have are transparent, translucent or opaque before they place the card on the chart and record it on their recording sheet. This can be used during small groups to have students work on showing what they know and practice evaluating different objects.

Natural Light Sources vs Artificial Light Sources

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 15:00:13 UTC

Light sources are sorted in two categories: natural and artificial (man-made). Some examples of natural include lightening bug, the sun, stars, fireflies and more. Artificial (man-made) include TVs, phones, flash lights, candle and more. Students learn these differences in the lower grades and this worksheet can help students understand with sorting them after a lesson. One misconception is that a mood is a light source, which it is not. This is something to remember when finding these worksheets for students and other sources.

Experiment: Transparent, Translucent and Opaque Objects

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 15:06:22 UTC

This is an experiment that can be done in the classroom with multiple objects and can use a recording sheet with students. Students could even look for objects around their desk or in the classroom to test a hypothesis that they came up with and then record their answers after testing them out. This can be done many ways as a whole group, in small groups or in pairs even. This helps with using scientific method in the classroom more while keeping a light unit engaging for students.

Light Sources

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 15:30:09 UTC

Another PBS program video on light for students. PBS is also a great source for learning due to the sources they provide after learning from their videos like activities, teaching tips, discussion questions and even handouts. With their handouts, they have them in English and Spanish to accommodate for their diverse learners.

Communication with Light

sw25275 — 2024-06-06 15:43:33 UTC

Communication with light is taught in the lower grades but can be reintroduced to upper grades as well. Light is not just used to see around us, but can be used for communication. A common one kids may know a stop light/signal light. Green means the cars can go, yellow means to slow down/come to a stop, and red means to stop at the light. Light can also be used to talk like morse code that can be learned in the classroom as a way to practice. PBS, as mentioned in the light sources link with PBS, provides different sources and activities to use in a classroom.