Curated OER
Light Week
First graders experiment with prisms to explore sequence of colors of light created.
Chicago Botanic Garden
Albedo, Reflectivity, and Absorption
What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...
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Spectrophotometry Lab
Students use a machine called a spectrophotometer to determine how much light is absorbed by certain substances. Students record the absorbance and the % of light transmitted for different color solutions, graph their results, and then...
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network
Synthesis and Characterization of CdSe Quantum Dots
Does the size of a sample change the physical properties of that substance? It turns out it can! Young scientists combine physics and chemistry to synthesize CdSe quantum dots and record their color properties. Learners should...
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The Effects of Color on Heat Absorption And Climate
Students conduct an experiment to determine the effects of soil color on its day and night time temperatures. In small groups, they prepare dishes of black soil, brown peat moss, and white sand. They record the temperature changes when a...
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THE MANY COLORS OF SUNLIGHT
Students examine rainbow components, spectral colors, colors perceived by the eye, hot solids, glowing rarefied gas, absorption, that light is a wave, and optics.
Wild BC
The Greenhouse Effect: Warming the Earth Experiment
First in a two-part lesson on the greenhouse effect, this lesson involves a classroom demonstration of the phenomenon, and a lab group experiment with color and absorption. Although there are easier ways to demonstrate the greenhouse...
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Iron in Foods
Students determine the amount of iron in a sample of cereal. In this iron lesson plan, students use a computer colorimeter to measure the amount of light absorbed by the solutions. They create a calibration curve using standard solutions...
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Frozen Film
Students discover how light reflects off surfaces. In this hands-on demonstration, students examine how variations in color are produced by light interference.
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It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy
Ninth graders examine how dark surfaces absorb more light than light surfaces. They perform an experiment that compares various surfaces abilities to absorb heat, then record and analyze the results.
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(S-4) The Many Colors of Sunlight
Students observe and explore the characteristics of light.
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Frozen Film
Students are introduced to the topic of light interference through this hands-on activity. They observe how light reflects off two surfaces and then meets to form an interesting variation of color on a film surface.
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Obtain a visible spectra of chlorophyll a
High schoolers become familiar with the concept of spectroscopy or the study of the interaction of matter with electromagnetic radiation. They prepare solutions and measure absorbance at different wavelengths. Pupils comprehend that...
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Discovery 4-1 Atomic Emission Spectra
For this emission spectra worksheet, students use a spectroscope to observe three types of spectra. These include continuous spectrum, emission spectrum and absorption spectrum.
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Star Wars Activity
Students investigate radiant energy by completing discrepant events and identify various temperature changes through absorption and how radiant energy can be used for solar panels. They experiment with different color fabrics in order...
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Pattern
Students describe examples of the relationship between structure and function in living systems, particularly with regard to specialized tissues and organs. They describe examples of biological diversity and adaptation of organisms with...
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Photosynthesis
If you need summary notes for independent study, or a Powerpoint to review as a class, then these slides will fit your need. There are really great, quite detailed, diagrams and some slides to summarize the 2 stages of reactions in...
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Online Exploration: Telescopes From the Ground Up
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...
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Musical Rhythm Instruments
Pupils develop a better understanding of rhythm instruments and their relationship to music. It also provides an understanding of the importance of color and shape in creative expression.
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Stellar Fingerprints: the Spectra of Stars
Students explain how an element can be identified using emission spectra. They relate the emission spectrum of hydrogen to its absorption spectrum and identify hydrogen absorption lines in the spectrum of stars.
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Using Spectrophotometers to Examine Photosynthetic Rates
Students examine how photosynthetic rates can change by using different qualities of light. They practice using spectrophotometer and the scientific method to detect the absorbance values in light treatments.
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Musical Rhythm Instruments
Students design a unique instrument using containers, beans, markers, crayons and colored construction paper. At the end of the lesson each student have a working rhythm instrument decorated with at least two colors.
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Spectral Surprise
Students create spectral colors. For this hands-on science lesson, students examine the electromagnetic spectrum as they follow steps to create a model that separates and displays light.
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Taking In The Heat
Students discover that different textured materials can absorb more heat than others. Students work with thermometers, clocks, and graphs.