Light it up!

General

Students will learn about light and develop a basic understanding of light in terms of energy and its sources. Students will then investigate in a hands-on manner how light is altered when different materials are placed in front of a flashlight. The exploration should take about 15-20 minutes.

Standards

Next Generation Science Standards
1-PS4-2
1-PS4-3

Learning objective

Students will be able to identify where light comes from and explain the effects of light on different materials.

Introduction

Students will discuss where they see lights, what light is, and why light is needed.

Instruction

Students will continue the discussion about what would happen if there was no light. They will talk about different sources of light. Students will also learn about reflections and shadows. They will use a flashlight to make shadow puppets.

Activity

Students will sort the materials described below into four different categories: light shines through really well, light partially shines through, light does not shine through (completely blocked), and light reflects off of the material. They will discuss transparent, translucent, and opaque objects, and use these terms to describe the objects they sorted.

Quiz

Review light concepts with your class with 5 true/false, 3 multiple-choice, and 2 fill-in-the-blank questions.

Closing

Students will split into pairs and discuss sources of light. They will also talk about what happens when you shine light on transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Students will also answer an extension question about why the moon appears to be a source of light.

Instruction materials

On slide 12, the students will explore how light passes through different materials. Please collect the following materials ahead of time:

- 1 flashlight per group (partners preferred)
- foil
- construction paper cardboard
- wax paper
- light-colored tissue paper
- plastic wrap
- clear plastic bag
- plastic mirrors
- wooden blocks
- any other materials that may be of interest