Seventh graders describe and conduct an experiment that identifies the physical properties of light. They explore sources of visible light and an electromagnetic spectrum. Students explain the conversion of one form of energy to another.

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 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 word search worksheet, students locate 12 words related microscopes. The word list includes ocular lens, and stage clips.

Students, working independently and in groups, apply the distance formula to practical situations. After solving various problems, students in pairs design coordinate planes from the school blue print to measure the distance from the...

Students explore the basic principles of the operation of the NASA's KAO telescope. They construct a simplified model of it using film canisters and other everyday objects. Step by step directions are included in plan.

In this online interactive reflection and refraction learning exercise, students respond to 7 multiple choice and fill in the blank questions regarding the information included in the provided paragraphs.

Students study the history of the invention of the kaleidoscope by Sir David Brewster. They create a kaleidoscope using art supplies.

Students make a pinhole viewer to demonstrate how it inverts light passing through it which produces inverted images.

Find out about the physics behind those fun-house mirrors. Students manipulate a virtual optics bench to explore the images formed by mirrors and lenses.

This site from Georgia State University discusses the means by which mirrors and lenses are combined to produce an optical instrument which accomplishes a specific purpose. Good illustrations.

Article explaining what lenses are and how they work. At the end of the article, there are links to several hands-on activities for investigating lenses.

Physiclips thoroughly presents geometrical optics concepts like rays, refraction, Snell's law, total internal reflection, dispersion, mirrors, and lenses with animations and film clips.

Determine the location of the image in this interactive simulation of a lens and mirror optics bench. Both converging and diverging lenses and mirrors are included.

This resource explores the science behind light and how mirrors reflect it. Also contains information on lenses both convex and concave.

A very comprehensive unit including topics such as light and its source, visible sources of light, transparency of objects and much more. Also offers a resource list, blackline masters, and expectation list, expectation summary and a...

This site from NASA provides an interestinnng approach to telescopes. "Almost all telescopes nowadays use mirrors, not lenses, to gather and focus the light from celestial objects. We have just seen, though, that mirrors reverse the...

From the Yerkes Observatory Virtual Tour web site. Compares and contrasts reflecting and refracting telescopes. A link from the page leads to a second page which explains why most modern research telescopes are reflecting telescopes.

[Free Registration/Login Required] This flipchart introduces fifth graders to the science of light. Principles such as transparent, translucent, opaque, reflection, and refraction are covered. Concave and convex mirrors and lenses are...

[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] What a lens is and what it does, concave and convex lenses.

Learn and understand geometric optics with this review resource.

Part of an anecdotal history of optics and the study of light. Extremely thorough treatment of the invention of the telescope. Includes a short biographical sketch and discusses the work of Isaac Newton which focuses on his contribution...

Kids learn about telescopes in the science of physics including lenses, mirrors, refracting, reflecting, the history, and the Hubble Space Telescope.