Curated OER
Energy and Control
Students investigate the question, "how does understanding the properties and characteristics of light help us to enhance our quality of life?". They apply knowledge gained though the unit in order to create an optical device.
Curated OER
Take-Home Midterm Exam #3
The University of Hawaii has published a vast collection of midterm and final exams for their Physics 152 course. This particular exam offers a variety of assessment methods, and covers the topic of electromagnetic radiation....
Curated OER
Reflections
Students are given materials with various textures and light sources to investigate specular reflection, diffuse, reflection, angle of incidence, and angle of reflection. Students draw and label an everyday scenario showing specular and...
Curated OER
Frozen Film
Students are introduced to the topic of light interference through this hands-on activity. They observe how light reflects off two surfaces and then meets to form an interesting variation of color on a film surface.
Curated OER
The Lighter Side of Color
Students explore light and color, including how colors are mixed to produce new colors, how light is filtered, and how light is reflected off of surfaces. They read materials provided, complete worksheets, and complete hands-on activities.
Exploratorium
Vocal Visualizer
Make sound visible with an activity that provides directions for how to build a vocal visualizer meant to create light patterns. Making noise into the visualizer causes a mirror to vibrate, reflecting a laser beam, and creating the...
Curated OER
Making a Periscope
Students experiment with a simple periscope to see how it reflects light. They draw a diagram of the path a ray of light follows as it travels from an object, through the periscope, and into your eye.
Curated OER
Fiber Optics
Students explore the uses of optical fibers, are exposed to the principles of refraction and total internal reflection, solve problems relating to the design of fiber optic cables, and compare them to copper transmission lines.
Curated OER
What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
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Lighten Up!
Third graders observe light as a form of energy, that it can be reflected/bounced, refracted/bent and absorbed. They explore how different types of light affect our lives as a whole. Songs are researched that involve light (ex. "You...
Curated OER
Echolocation
Learners explore echolocation. In this bats science lesson, students compare sunlight reflecting off a mirror to sound waves hitting a bat's ears. Learners complete a worksheet about bats.
Curated OER
Investigation 3 - What is Moonlight?
Third graders observe a demonstration explaining that the moon reflects sunlight in ordr to shine.
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Enlightening Explorations, Part II
Sixth graders review their results from the previous experiments. After viewing a kaleidoscope, they make their own pattern on paper and describe the role of light. To end the lesson, they examine light being relfected and refracted and...
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Optical Images
Ninth graders study optics and the law of reflection. In this optical images lesson students use a laser and conceptualize the law of reflection.
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How We See Things
Students explain that mirrors reflect light. They examine how when a beam of light is reflected from a surface, its direction changes.
Curated OER
Applied Science - Technology (5A) Lab
Fifth graders explore electromagnetic waves and light. In this light lesson, 5th graders draw the parts of a wave of the electromagnetic spectrum. They compare a flashlight to a laser to see how the light looks when shined through...
Curated OER
Online Exploration: Telescopes From the Ground Up
Students explore a web-based illustrated text and interactive graphics to determine the relationship between the operation of telescopes and light. optics. They work in small groups to become an expert on one of the ten eras of telescope...
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Practical Illustrations of Astronomical Concepts Relating to the Solar System
Eighth graders are introduced to concepts related to the Solar System. In groups, they participate in an experiment in which they must describe a ray of light and how it travels. They draw a diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum and...
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The Connection Between Pigment and Light Colors
Students learn the procedure for mixing secondary colors from primary pigments and observe the results of mixing two primary colors.
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Radiation from Space
In this radiation worksheet, students review the different types of radiation waves that come from space and the different telescopes used to detect this radiation. This worksheet has 17 true or false questions.
Curated OER
Microscopes, Telescopes, and Cameras
In this lenses worksheet, learners will explain how microscopes work by completing 4 short answer questions. Students will compare refracting telescopes with reflecting telescopes by writing the terms given under the correct column. Then...
Curated OER
Create Your Own Kaleidoscopes
Seventh graders create a kaleidoscopes after researching Sir David Brewster and his ideas on light. They recognize the properties of optics from making and using the kaleidoscopes.
Curated OER
Gel-O-Colors!!
What distinguishes the differences between refraction and reflection? Learners identify the properties of light as they mix colored light to create new color variations. As they work they gather data about the properties of light and...
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Starring...Bears!
Students illustrate a First Nations' legend. For this legend of bears lesson, students read several legends which involve bears and groups of stars or constellations. After reading, students illustrate portions of the stories. Also,...