Pupils explore light. In this properties of light lesson, students define the terms refract, reflect, and diffract after listening to the teacher's description. Pupils listen to the book Light Magic and observe a spoon in a glass of...

Don't worry, optics is a light topic! The presentation covers reflection, refraction, fiber optics, mirages, prisms, rainbows, dispersion, mirrors, lenses, telescopes, diffraction, the human eye, and much, much more. Presentation is...

What would happen if your entire world was flipped upside down? In addition to changing the distance and size of an object, lenses flip the image upside down. The simulation allows scholars to vary the object, move the object, move the...

Middle schoolers compare and calculate the light gathering power of lenses. They determine the ability of various lenses and mirrors to gather light.

Students identify the characteristics of mirrors and lenses. In groups, they describe the types of images formed by converging and diverging mirrors and calculate the magnification of a spherical mirror. They follow the same procedure...

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...

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...

In this lenses activity, students 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...

Students define reflection and refraction. In this Physics lesson, students compare a variety of items to find properties of reflection or refraction. Students record their findings.

What better way to learn how to use a microscope than building your own? A lab investigation has scholars use lenses from magnifying glasses and sheets of cork to design their own compound microscopes. They calculate focal length...

Fifth graders analyze optical images. in this optical lesson, 5th graders look at how light reflects and refracts. They discuss different types of lenses and how they change the picture that is taken. 

This well-designed presentation covers many important aspects of the science behind light. In it, pupils view slides that have a lot of the important vocabulary associated with science, slides of famous scientists who made important...

High schoolers are introduced to the relationship between light and vision. In groups, they participate in experiments to discover how different wavelengths are divided in the visible spectrum. They record their answers and discuss their...

Students analyze a microscope and study what they do.  In this investigative lesson students study how microscopes were first invented, and how ray diagrams are used in conjunction. 

This is not exactly a lesson plan, but rather a six-page document detailing how to build a solar oven. A bit of background information, materials list, diagrams and photos, and clearly-written procedures are all included. There are no...

Fifth graders observe the video, Exploring Light and Color. They access a website to create their own light show. They conduct lab experiments to investigate refraction, reflection,and other light-related topics.

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...

In this light worksheet, high schoolers read what makes light, the speed of light, and the electromagnetic spectrum. Students complete 12 matching, 8 fill in the blank, and 9 word problems.

In this light learning exercise, students match 12 terms related to light and the electromagnetic spectrum to their definitions, they order waves by their speed, they analyze the energy and wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum and...

For this biology lesson, students label and identify the different parts of a microscope. They complete 16 short answer questions about each part's function and complete 12 review questions in the end.

Fifth graders explore electromagnetic waves and light. In this light activity, 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...

Students explore various types and characteristics of fungi. In this fungi lesson plan,students view drawings of how mushrooms grow, examine samples of fungi and complete a handout.

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...

Students practice analyzing skeletal remains for clues by using the Internet.  In this scientific investigation lesson, students research the La Belle shipwreck using the Internet and written materials, later completing a Skeletal...