Light Teacher Resources

Light the way to a better understanding of UV radiation. After exploring how UV beads work, future engineers design investigations to answer questions about UV radiation. They then create and test prototypes of a device that detects UV...

Choose a person to be the stoplight. Have everyone else line up on the opposite side of the gym. If "green light" is called out, the players run toward the stoplight person until they hear "red light," which means stop. Anyone that does...

How bright are your classes? An interactive lesson has scholars explore how light interacts with carbon dioxide in the air and the surface of the earth. They watch a temperature scale as light interacts with the environment.

In space, there is no wind—but there is an unlimited amount of light. An electrifying video that is part of a larger physics playlist shares current technology scientists use to power spacecraft with light. The narrator is not explaining...

As the rates of skin cancer rise to become the most common type of cancer in the United States, scientists directly relate sunscreen usage to skin cancer prevention. Doctors research exactly how ultraviolet light changes cells. Viewers...

What do the northern lights look like from the inside? A team of scientists, teachers, and students head to Alaska to study the aurora borealis using weather balloons. The installment of the Veritasium video playlist shares the...

An enlightening installment of the JFR Science series explains the steps for lighting a Bunsen burner. It demonstrates each step in order from collecting the materials to extinguishing the flame.

Could you reinvent the light bulb? Scholars tap into their inner Thomas Edisons to build a light bulb prototype out of a jar and some wires. They see how long the filament wire glows in the jar (batteries not included) to measure their...

A few slides at the beginning of the presentation give the definition of ultraviolet light and some important dates in its research. The role of ozone in protecting Earth from excessive radiation is mentioned. Practical applications of...

Illuminate your physics class with this examination of a photovoltaic cell. Teach the structure and operation of the device using a diagram. Then make a human-powered, larger-than-life sized model of a PV cell. Learners become electrons...

Your older elementary students investigate electromagnetic energy and the electromagnetic spectrum. They will observe 7 items represented in the electromagnetic spectrum and make a poster of all the things the items have in common. After...

To illuminate how afterimage occurs, create a star, square, or other geometric-shaped light for learners to look at for 30 seconds. Then, have them explain what they see as they shift their focus to a blank wall. A full explanation of...

Use a container full of water as a prism and show that as light is bent, the individual colors from different wavelengths become visible. This explains why the sky appears to be blue midday, and why as the sun nears the horizon, it looks...

The inverse square law is revealed when your class participates in this activity. They move a graph paper or perfboard square back and forth in a square of light to see how the intensity changes. You will definitely want to add this...

Kindle knowledge of how light travels by using this activity in your physical science curriculum. By setting up a candle flame or flashlight bulb and viewing it through a slit, observers of light see evidence of its wave characteristic....

"To understand the phenomenon of color, it helps to think about light as a wave." This is a brief and very informative instructional video on what color is and why we are able to see it. Your young scientists will learn such terms as the...

Using a pinhole in an index card, learners of light find that it can be used as a magnifier. 

Physics lab groups finagle with laser lights to determine the critical angle of refraction for both water and Lucite. Because there are no detailed steps or an answer key for this enlightening exercise, an inexperienced physics...

Take a look at astronomy through the light lens. From radio to gamma, light waves exist in every corner of the universe. An enlightening PowerPoint presentation gives an overview of the different categories of light and then discusses...

Data can tell us a lot about celestial objects that are just too far away to study otherwise. Learners examine data on the brightness of an asteroid to predict its rotation rate. Graphing the data reveals a periodic pattern that allows...

Students recognize preventitive measures that can be taken to reduce the risks associated with exposure to solar radiation. They explain why solar radiation can be harmful. They utilize beads that turn color when exposed to UV rays. Good...

Students explore the concept that not all light is visible to the human eye. Although UV light is not visible, it can still be harmful, causing sunburns or skin cancer. They use special beads to detect UV light around the school....

Young scholars identify and define that invisible UV rays can be harmful. Then they explore the effects of UV radiation on objects that react UV rays and what products are most effective in blocking UV rays. Students also make...

In this light spectrum worksheet, students will read a diagram and a chart listing information about the different types of light rays from Gamma rays to radio waves. Then students will write a short essay about a new life-form that...