Activity
Exploratorium

Cylindrical Mirror

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Using flexible mirror-like paper, physical scientists experiment with images produced by curving it and looking into its reflective surface. They find that concave mirrors cause reflected light waves to cross and actually flip the image...
Lesson Plan
Michigan Technological University

Giant Mirrors

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Did you know some retailers use curved mirrors in their fitting rooms to make customers look thinner? Pupils view themselves in convex and concave mirrors to understand the difference. The resource includes big ideas for multiple age...
Activity
Exploratorium

Parabolas

For Teachers 9th - 12th
A parabolic mirror toy demonstrates how concave mirrors objects reflect light and produce a realistic image at their focal point. This resource probably doesn't explain any more than the printed insert that accompanies such an apparatus...
Activity
Exploratorium

Touch the Spring

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Concave mirrors and the images they produce are traditional topics in the physics classroom. This resource explains how to set up an investigation of them, and it provides you with the explanation of concepts.
Unit Plan
Core Knowledge Foundation

Light and Sound Tell It Again!™ Read-Aloud Anthology

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Light and sound are the running themes of a read-aloud anthology. Over three weeks, third graders listen to discuss readings in preparation for completing extension activities. Pupils work through the writing process to compose an...
Lesson Plan
Chandler Unified School District

Art Masterpiece: Leonardo’s Inventions—Leonardo da Vinci

For Teachers 6th
Leonardo da Vinci is the focus of a hands-on activity that encourages scholars to become inventors. Pupils brainstorm and sketch their idea, compose a detailed depiction using a mirror writing technique, and antique the paper for a...
Lesson Plan
Math by Design

Transformations – Reflections

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
Scholars use interactive resources to figure out how to mathematically draw a reflection of a geometric shape viewed in a mirror. To conclude the activity, class members are asked to deduce the result of multiple reflections across...
Lesson Plan
Chandler Unified School District

Art Masterpiece—Leonardo da Vinci Inventions

For Teachers 6th
After getting to know the inventor, Leonardo da Vinci and his many inventions, scholars think up their own invention. Following a written description and a hand-drawn picture, learners use a method of mirror writing and antiquing to give...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Self-Portrait, Mirrors and Metamorphosis!

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using M.C. Escher's Hand with Reflecting Sphere as inspiration, learners create their own set of self-portraits using various reflective surfaces. The lesson plan begins with a discussion about portraiture and ends with a presentation of...
Unit Plan
Curated OER

Light and Geometric Optics

For Students 10th - 11th Standards
It's time to see the light  with a unit that focuses on light and geometric optics, including concave and convex mirrors. A variety of experiments, worksheets, and online activities are included. 
App
Tayasui.com

Drawing with Carl

For Students Pre-K - 6th
Who is Carl? Carl is a little monster that will help your learners draw and create in any way imaginable. Get those kids to activate creative and imaginative thinking skills with a really fun app. There are endless options that can...
Handout
Curated OER

Reflection and Refraction

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
What is a prism? A place for light waves that commit minor refractions! The thorough resource includes three hands-on investigations covering light reflection and refraction; mirrors, lenses, and images; and optical systems. Subject...
Lesson Plan
Dick Blick Art Materials

Have a Ball!

For Teachers K - 12th
M.C. Escher's "Hand with Reflecting Globe" and the work of Dick Termes, inspire this activity. Kids check out their reflection in a Christmas ornament or a bubble filter and recreate this distorted image on a vinyl ball.
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

One Look Is Worth A Thousand Words

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Facial expressions can communicate complex emotions. Examine expressions in several hyperrealistic works of art before beginning a project. Learners will create their own clay faces that show an emotion using either photos or their own...
Activity
Exploratorium

Pupil

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Give pupils a magnifier, a mirror, and a flashlight so that they can examine their own pupils. As they shine a light on their eyes, the light is shone on how this structure dilates and contracts to control how much is allowed into the...
Activity
Exploratorium

Whirling Watcher

For Teachers 4th - 7th
Pupils put together their own stroboscopes so that they can observe how cyclically moving images appear to merge into a singular object. This, and several other activities published by the same source, illuminate the way the brain...
Lesson Plan
California Mathematics Project

Reflections

For Students 8th - 10th Standards
Reflections are the geometric mirror. Pupils explore this concept as they discover the properties of reflections. They focus on the coordinates of the reflections and look for patterns. This is the third lesson in a seven-part series.
Activity
PBS

Using Symmetry to Create Corporate Logos

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Young mathematicians investigate the use of symmetry in graphic design. After first learning about reflection, translational, and rotational symmetry, children use this new knowledge to identify symmetry in letters of the...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

Who Am I?

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Connect design elements and principles to identity a culture with a discussion and related art activity. After analyzing artwork in relation to design, class members talk about personal and cultural identity. Using items that...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Symmetry of the Addition Table

For Teachers 1st - 3rd Standards
Help your class discover the commutative property of addition with this exploration of the addition table. By folding and coloring the table, a symmetry is found that directs students to an understanding of this crucial mathematical...
Activity
Exploratorium

Polarized Sunglasses

For Teachers 8th - 10th
Reflected waves of light move within a plane, and because of this, polarizing materials can reduce the glare our eyes see. This resource explains how to set up a demonstration of this effect. Consider it for use in your physical science...
Activity
Exploratorium

Cheshire Cat

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Divide your field of vision in two and see what happens when your two eyes behold two different scenes! This is a way to demonstrate to body-systems buffs how the two eyes usually blend pictures to create a three-dimensional view. This...
Activity
International Technology Education Association

Dampen That Drift!

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
The spacecraft is drifting too far off course! Two games help explain how a spacecraft can use its thrusters to maintain its position. The games have pupils be the components of vectors in order to create and counteract the...
Lesson Plan
American Institute of Physics

The Black Scientific Renaissance of the 1970s-90s: African American Scientists at Bell Laboratories

For Teachers 9th - Higher Ed Standards
A two-part lesson asks young scientists to research the contributions of African American scientists at Bell Laboratories. After presenting their findings, class members watch two demonstrations that introduce them to total internal...

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