How Do We See Light?

1. How Do We See Light? By: Kimberly Haliburda & Nichole Brown

2. Grade Level Content Expectation:P.PM.03.52 Explain how we need light to see objects: light from a source reflects off objects & enters our eyes. • Students will be able to: • Understand that light is reflected off an object and into their eyes to see objects • Define opaque, transparent, and translucent • Identify objects as being opaque, transparent, or translucent • Understand light passes through objects differently

3. Materials • Wax paper • Foil • Plastic wrap • Flashlight • Shoe boxes (with ‘peep holes’) • Small objects • Science journal • Pencil/Pen

4. Engage • Students go around the room and pick out small objects • Students get into groups and are given a flashlight • Turn off all lights in the room • Place an object in front of a flashlight • Challenge students to guess what is being projected • Students will be asked to make shadows smaller and bigger and if some objects have a lighter or darker shadow and why?

5. Explore • Students will take turns looking into each shoe box. • 1 covered with foil, 1 covered with wax paper, and 1 covered with plastic wrap • A different object will be placed in each box • Students will shine a flashlight on top of each covered box and look through the hole of each. They will be asked: - Can you see anything inside each box? If so, what? • Students will tell whether they saw anything in each box and if so, what they saw. • Students will explain why they can or cannot see anything in each box. • REMEMBER to write all your observations and explanations in your science journal!

6. Explain • Columns will be on the board labeled: Foil, Wax paper, and Plastic wrap • Each student will come to the board and write what they saw in each box • There will be a whole class discussion to compare what students saw and explain the reasons they could see objects, not see objects, or somewhat see objects. • everyone needs to participate to receive credit • The teacher will introduce and define new vocabulary terms: opaque, translucent, and transparent • The teacher will do a demonstration to show how no light passes through opaque objects (foil), some light passes through translucent objects (wax paper), and all light passes through transparent objects (plastic wrap) • The teacher will explain that we see objects because light reflects off objects and into our eyes, if there is absolutely no light shining on an object then we cannot see it, and the amount of light shining on an object determine how well we are able to see the object

7. Elaborate • Students will brainstorm what objects they think are opaque, translucent, and transparent • Students will look at home for items that represent each category • Students will write individual examples on index cards and tape the cards under the proper title labeled on the wall • The class will discuss the various examples of opaque, translucent, and transparent objects they found

8. Evaluate • Students will be evaluated by: • the observations, predictions, and explanations in their science journal • participation in the class discussion • choosing the proper title on the wall to place their found items