Physics Classroom
Total Internal Reflection
Scholars work through three different activities applying their knowledge of total internal reflection (TIR). First, they simply identify which diagrams create TIR and which don't. Next, they match different types of boundary behaviors...
Physics Classroom
Law of Reflection
Reflection seems simple to understand, but without a complete understanding, pupils struggle with ray diagrams, specular versus diffuse reflection, total internal reflection, and image formation. An engaging interactive provides three...
9/11 Memorial & Museum
The Destruction and Rebuilding of the World Trade Center
How did an investigation into the causes of the collapse of the Twin Towers, as a result of the 9/11 attacks, inform the construction of the new 1 World Trade Center? That is the central question of a resource that asks class members...
Curated OER
Reflection and Refraction
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...
Curated OER
Words That Reflect Art
Observe International Art Appreciation Day by viewing, reading, and creating original works of art.
Curated OER
Typical Conceptual Questions for Physics I - Light and Quantum
This is a stellar overview of everything light and quantum! There are 30 multiple choice questions, none of them requiring any mathematical computation. There are a few diagrams to analyze: light rays striking reflective and refractive...
Curated OER
Japanese American Internment
Students create a presentation based on the primary sources they have researched about the Japanese Americans that were held in internment camps during World War II. In this Japanese Americans lesson plan, students read different points...
Curated OER
Light
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...
Exploratorium
Laser Jello
The concepts of refraction and reflection gel with your physical science class during this colorful exploration. Shining lasers through Petri-dish-shaped gelatin desserts, they will notice how the light travels and bounces off the sides....
NPR
Civil Rights of Japanese-American Internees
Prompted by a viewing of Emiko and Chizu Omori’s Rabbit in the Moon, a documentary about the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, high schoolers examine a series of documents, including the Bill of Rights and the UN’s...
Curated OER
Reflection, Refraction & Lenses
High schoolers are able to describe what happens to light when it strikes different materials. They describe the law of reflection. Students are able to explain why a mirror froms a virtual image. They are able to describe diffuse...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Internment: The Art of Gaman
Students explore Japanese-American internment. In this World War II lesson, students view a PowerPoint lecture that features the art of Gaman and determine what the art reveals about the experiences of the interned Japanese-Americans.
Curated OER
World Trade Center Design Proposals
Learners explore architectural design. In this critical thinking and architecture instructional activity, students view a number of websites providing proposals for design plans of a new World Trade Center. Learners choose and evaluate...
Curated OER
The War: Japanese Americans and Internment
Students examine the experiences of Japanese-Americans at the beginning of World War II in America. After watching an excerpt from "The War", they answer reflection questions about the Japanese being put into internment camps. In groups,...
Curated OER
Writing about Internal & External Conflicts in Lois Lowry's The Giver
Seventh graders examine the internal and external conflicts that Jonas faces in "The Giver" in an essay. Students use SMART Board and Inspiration to organize their ideas graphically before combining them into their paper.
Curated OER
DISCOUNT LENSES ( GELATIN WAVE GUIDES)
Students study attributes associated with concept of fiber optics is done using a labmade fiber optic from clear molded gelatin. A variety of shapes can be cut and pieced together to form a conduit to transmit the laser beam by internal...
Curated OER
Refraction B2—When is Light Reflected Internally?
Physics is phun in this lesson. Young physicists use a lightbox to test how and where light is refracted and reflected as it travels through transparent materials. Angles of incidence and refraction, sine of both angles, and the ratio...
Curated OER
Japanese-American Relocation
Consider the causes and effects that led to the internment and relocation of Japanese Americans during WWII. Learners read the story "Baseball Saved Us" and selected chapters from Farewell to Manzanar. Then, they view a slide-show, and...
American Institute of Physics
Optics and Anthony Johnson
Message sending has come a long way since the days of Morse code's dots and dashes. Young scientists study the research of optical physicist Anthony Johnson and his work in fiber optics, lasers, and the principle of total internal...
Curated OER
Foreign Economics
Why do so many countries export cars? Economists examine this and other foreign economics principles through this introductory worksheet. A brief text explains international trade, then lists the top 11 leaders in global trade, along...
American Institute of Physics
The Black Scientific Renaissance of the 1970s-90s: African American Scientists at Bell Laboratories
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...
Curated OER
Reflected Triangles
Your learners find and construct the line of reflection between a triangle's pre-image and its reflection image in this short activity.
Exploratorium
Cylindrical Mirror
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...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Light Reflection and Absorption
Students discover what types of objects reflect and absorb light. In this science inquiry activity, students use flashlights to determine whether different objects absorb or reflect light.