Lesson Plan
NASA

Supernova Chemistry

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
By measuring the wavelength, frequency, and intensity of electromagnetic radiation, scientists determine the temperature, density, and composition of far away items. Scholars rotate through ten lab stations using a spectroscope at each...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Starlight

For Teachers 9th - 12th
An introductory exploration of the nature of light is provided via activities and demonstrations. Science superstars observe various light sources, learn how to apply inverse square law, and practice using a light meter. Follow-up...
Activity
Exploratorium

Spectra

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Make a class set of spectrum tubes by first purchasing some diffraction grating, and then constructing the tools with mailing tubes or shoe boxes. If you aren't up for assembling them, you could purchase prepared spectroscope kits. This...
Lesson Plan
NASA

Discovering Some of Your “Yardsticks” Are Actually “Meter-sticks”

For Teachers 9th - 12th
The Milky Way gets great reviews on Trip Advisor — 100 million stars. The activity allows scholars to rethink their assumptions and prior knowledge. Pupils observe a set of two lights at equal distance and brightness, but they believe...
Activity
Exploratorium

Bird in the Cage

For Teachers 5th - 9th
When your life science class is learning about the eye and how it works, you can add this activity as a demonstration of how the retina holds an afterimage. After staring at a red, green, or blue bird shape, pupils glance at a cage and...
Activity
Big Kid Science

Exploring Shadows

For Teachers 8th - 12th
What's that lurking in the shadows? An activity that demonstrates how eclipses happen. Science scholars investigate how light and distance interact to form shadows. The experiment uses simple materials to generate data and observations...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Waves

For Teachers 5th
Light waves and sound waves are the focus of this science lesson designed for 5th graders. Besides discovering how these waves travel, learners also discover the basic properties of waves, and analyze data tables and graphs. The...
Activity
Exploratorium

Corner Reflector

For Teachers 5th - 7th
If you set up a triad of mirrors into a corner figuration, they act as a kaleidoscope, bouncing light waves back and forth indefinitely, changing the light that your eyes perceive. Although the materials required are very specific and...
Activity
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IOP Institute of Physics

Physics in Concert

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
What do physicists and musicians have in common? A lot more than you might think. After first viewing a slide show presentation and completing a series of skills practice worksheets on the physics of light, sound, and...
Lesson Plan
Virginia Department of Education

Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Lead your class in a fun-filled team activity that encourages collaboration while learning important concepts. Pupils actively participate in a discussion on the experimental design and the role of mirrors. They perform group activities...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Skin Cancer Investigation: A Multi-Component Project

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students compare the perceived and actual risks of getting skin cancer, while looking at ways to minimize these risks. They may have very little grasp of the severity of the threat of skin cancer or be unaware of the increase in the...
Lesson Plan
National Gallery of Canada

The Camera Obscura

For Teachers 7th - 9th
You can create a camera with even the most unassuming materials. Learners view photographs and talk about the art. Some background information is included about the camera obscura for you to present before individuals make their own...
Activity
National Academy of Sciences

Lights at Night Webquest

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Help learners find ways to become more efficient energy consumers. To start, individuals research how different countries address energy efficiency and then analyze their own carbon footprint. They use their research to identify ways to...
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Activity: Bubbling Plants

For Teachers 5th - 8th
Students study a way to quantify the process of photosynthesis during a given time using the Elodea plant. They design a hypothesis that they test in the hands on activity. They compare the amounts of photosynthesis that occur during low...
Worksheet
Curated OER

My Shadow and Me

For Students K - 2nd
Practice making shadows with a kindergarten science experiment. After deciding which picture would represent the biggest shadow, kids use a flashlight to experiment with their own shadows. For extra fun, have kids mark their shadows...
Lesson Plan
National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network

Jell-O® Waveguide and Power Loss

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Jell-O® can help model the transmission of light through fiber optic cables. Young scientists use the jiggly dessert to make a waveguide to transmit a laser beam from one point to another. Their models help them learn the function...
PPT
Curated OER

Thomas Edison's Bright Ideas

For Teachers 4th - 8th
Thomas Alva Edison may be one of the most well-known scientists to elementary or middle schoolers. Use his story to show that he invented more than just the light bulb and to inspire youngsters to work hard! You could use this on the...
PPT
Curated OER

Color

For Teachers 8th - 12th
An interesting set of details about the light spectrum, these slides explain how objects reflect and absorb light to affect how they appear to the human eye. The differences in mixing lights or pigments is explained and some everyday...
Activity
Exploratorium

Soap Film Painting

For Teachers 9th - 12th
If you are up for constructing a wooden frame, you can do this demonstration of the interference patterns when light reflects off of layers of soapy film. Both constructive and destructive interference can be seen as evidenced by the...
PPT
Urbana School District

Optics

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
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...
Assessment
Curated OER

Physics 152 ~ Fall 2003 Midterm Exam #3, Parts A, B

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Illuminated physics stars show what they know about light by taking this exam. They match several related vocabulary terms to descriptions and answer multiple choice questions about the characteristics of light, magnification, and...
Lesson Plan
NASA

What's the Frequency, Roy G. Biv?

For Teachers 6th - 9th Standards
While all light travels at the same speed, each color in the visible light spectrum contains a different wavelength and frequency. Scholars determine the relationship between frequency and wavelength as they complete the activity. They...
Unit Plan
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NASA

Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
Astronomy is literally over your head, but this lesson will explain how we study it. Young scientists make telescopes, calculate and compare the light gathering power of lenses, and simulate detection of infared radiation....
Lesson Plan
Lawrence Hall of Science

Photolithography

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Examine the use of photolithography in the fabrication of circuit boards and other components. An advanced activity teaches pupils a process for transferring a pattern onto a surface. Using UV light and a light reactive substance,...

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