Optical Instruments Teacher Resources

How does a lens work? A thorough video lesson addresses this question by looking at the lenses of human eyes, telescopes, and microscopes. Light waves play an important role function of each of these objects. This is the 41st lesson in...

Students identify the parts of a human eye.  In this eye lesson students compare a human eye to the lenses of a camera and explain what a hologram is.

Experiment with optical resolution using an inquiry-based lesson. Young researchers calculate fellow classmates' optical resolutions. They apply the information to understand the inner workings of optical instruments.

All aspects of the path of light are included in a great summary. Internal reflection and the angles of paths in different materials are explained and the behavior of visible light through lenses and the effect on focal points are...

Students investigate lenses and mirrors showing how they bend and reflect light waves.

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.

In this letter o words worksheet, students match the letter o words to their definitions. Students complete 10 matches for letter o words to definitions.

Students research space flight exploration and technology. In small groups, they research a significant event from early time until the start of the space age. A class time line is created from the research groups.

Students work together to test how the color of a material affects how much heat it absorbs. They make predictions and take notes on their observations. They discover how engineers use this type of information.

Students explore photographs from the Civil War Era. In this Civil War lesson, students consider how photography impacted public opinion of the war as they analyze the provided photographs and discuss the evolution of early photography.

Students explain how telescopes work and how they can contribute to our knowledge of the universe.

Fourth graders use circles to "home in" on particular spots, showing the ability of scientists to locate unseen objects in space. This activity shows how scientists know certain objects exist in space due to the forces exerted by...

Students work in teams to research common categories of inventions and their development over time. They access primary and secondary sources; create timelines, glossaries and oral presentations and include a developed bibliography.