Curated OER
Wave Action
In this wave worksheet, students compare the different ways a wave can react: absorption, reflection, refraction, and diffraction. Students also read about constructive and destructive interference. This worksheet has 13 matching, 10...
Curated OER
Wave Actions
In this waves worksheet, students read about the ways waves react depending on the boundary they encounter. They read about natural frequency, resonance, phases and interference in waves. They match 13 terms with their definitions, they...
Curated OER
Super Gelatin
Students measure angles of refraction as the light travels through gelatin. For this experimental lesson students complete a refraction lab and plot their data.
Curated OER
Electromagnetic and Physical Waves
High schoolers compare and contrast electromagnetic and physical waves. In this wave lesson, students discover that all waves reflect, refract, and diffract energy. High schoolers work in small groups to experiment with waves and...
Curated OER
Hot Air
Students conduct an experiment to determine how hot air affect the path of laser. In this physics instructional activity, students explain why stars appear to twinkle at night. They discuss how light travels from space to Earth.
Curated OER
Mirrors and How They Reflect
Students experiment with mirrors. In this Mirrors and How They reflect lesson, students read how mirrors reflect light. Then students perform over ten experiments and record their conclusions about mirrors and reflection. Students create...
Curated OER
Basic Space
Three basic slides cover information about light years and how images of space are viewed. Some facts about light years are given and then a labeled diagram of a telescope is shown. One basic slide is included with definitions of...
K12 Reader
What Causes Reflections?
Your kids probably use mirrors every day, but do they know how they work? A reading passage about reflection and reflective objects can address both physical science and reading comprehension. Kids read the paragraphs and use context...
Curated OER
Waves, Sound, and Light
Ninth graders explain waves in terms of energy transfer and describe their basic types and characteristics. They solve mathematical problems involving wavelength and frequency. Students conduct experiments in reflection and refraction.
Teach Engineering
Bubbles and Biosensors
Bubbles aren't just for children. In the third installment of a seven-part series, teenagers use bubble solution to create bubbles and observe patterns of refraction on the bubble surfaces. Application of this concept to thin films in...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Science and Math Post-Lab
Students explore optical illusions. In this Applied Science lesson plan, students view optical illusions and record the data of what they see. Students graph the data that they collect.
Curated OER
Physical Setting: Physics Exam 2004
Twelve pages of mostly multiple-choice questions comprise this comprehensive New York Regents physics exam. It covers an entire year's worth of physics curriculum and requires about three hours for completion. Review the questions to...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains...
Curated OER
E3 Project Instructional Plan: Light
Eleventh graders investigate the nature of light. In this physics lesson, 11th graders determine how light intensity varies with the distance of the light source.
Curated OER
Lighten Up!
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...
Curated OER
Light And Shadows
Fourth graders explore the properties of shadows. In pairs they trace each other's shadows in chalk and re-draw their shadow outlines every three hours, design their own shadow investigation, and complete various worksheets related to...
Curated OER
Waves
An incredibly colorful PowerPoint presents all the facts and definitions about waves that you could need for beginning physical scientists. There are several useful links to online animations of wave action. This may have been produced...
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
Changing Your View
In this refraction worksheet, students will explore the property of light called refraction. Students will conduct a quick experiment to understand how light is refracted. Then students will complete 2 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Radiation From Space
For this space worksheet, students will review different aspects of light, sound, and radio waves in space and the use of different types of telescopes. This worksheet has 17 fill in the blank statements.
Curated OER
What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
Curated OER
Rain and Rainbows
Students explore the weather system by analyzing water properties. For this precipitation lesson, students review weather related vocabulary terms and discuss how rainbows are created by light hitting droplets at the right time. Students...
Curated OER
Fiber Optics
Students explore the uses of optical fibers, are exposed to the principles of refraction and total internal reflection, solve problems relating to the design of fiber optic cables, and compare them to copper transmission lines.
Curated OER
Waves Worksheet
In this light waves activity, students complete 7 short answer questions where they analyze and record findings about the properties of light waves.