Curated OER
Making Waves, Making Music, Making Noise
Students construct "talking cans" and instruments to explain how vibration of objects produces various sounds.
Curated OER
The Color Spectrum: How Does it Work?
Create models of the infrared, visible, and ultraviolet portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Working in small groups, your class can investigate metric conversions calculations. They will find the length of the waves in nanometers,...
Discovery Education
Sonar & Echolocation
A well-designed, comprehensive, and attractive slide show supports direct instruction on how sonar and echolocation work. Contained within the slides are links to interactive websites and instructions for using apps on a mobile device to...
Curated OER
Take-Home Midterm Exam #3, Part A
Let your physics learners take this electromagnetic radiation exam home to show what they know. You could also use it in class or assign it as a review. The content covers concepts pertaining to color, wavelength, frequency, refraction,...
Curated OER
Capturing Light: The Science of Photography
Students explore light, and how it travels in straight path, recognize that light-sensitive chemical processes can be used to create images using light as catalyst, discover that light can be refracted by convex lens to focus camera,...
Curated OER
Chandra Spies the Longest Sound Wave in the Universe!
In this black hole learning exercise, students use an x-ray image and a sound waves image to determine the size and the wavelength of the sound wave. This learning exercise has 3 problems to solve.
Curated OER
E3 Project Instructional Plan: Light
Eleventh graders investigate the nature of light. For this physics lesson, 11th graders determine how light intensity varies with the distance of the light source.
Virginia Department of Education
Light and the Electromagnetic Spectrum
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...
Curated OER
My World is Upside Down
Students observe a demonstration on light. They construct a pinhole viewer, and explore and discuss the concept that light travels in a straight line.
Curated OER
What Really Matters When it Comes to Sound?
Young scholars conduct experiments to learn about sound wave vibrations in objects and pitch. Students test how varying the volume of water in a vessel changes frequency and pitch.
Curated OER
Electromagnetic Spectrum Worksheet
These six multiple-choice questions ask pupils to evaluate the energy, wavelength, and frequency of particular electromagnetic wavelengths. Further questions then require them to apply their knowledge and convert certain values or give...
Curated OER
Capturing Light: The Science of Photography
Young scholars create their own cameras to understand how artists use light to capture an image in a photograph. In this light lesson plan, students use tape, wax paper, rubber bands, and more to create their cameras.
Curated OER
Diversity: Using Light to Filter Prejudices
Pupils use physics to discuss diversity. In this social interaction lesson, students use their knowledge of colors and filters to relate it to stereotyping and prejudices.
Curated OER
What You See Is What You Get
Young scholars explore light and colors. They see how white light is made up of various colors. They need to have some background knowledge about prisms, light wave lengths, and behavior of light, primary and secondary colors, and ratios.
Curated OER
Transmitter Hunt
Students experiment with radio transmitters. In this transmission of waves lesson, students use an FM radio, an attenuate, and the frequency to locate a radio transmitter. Students discuss outcomes.
Curated OER
Polarization
Eighth graders study the basic facts of polarization. In this light waves lesson students demonstrate some activities illustrating interference patterns.
Exploratorium
Hot Spot
Not only does a concave mirror focus light waves, it can also concentrate infrared radiation into a hot spot. If you have a small electric heater and such a mirror, demonstrate this for your physical science class.
Curated OER
Spherical Mirrors
Some formatting issues will need repair (a few overlapping text boxes and pictures), but overall this is a comprehensive presentation on how light reflects off of spherical mirrors. Both convex and concave mirrors are explained,...
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: "Just One Touch"
Are you preparing for state testing or hoping to develop literacy skills in your classroom? Give your class this short reading assignment and the questions that follow. The reading passage is about a page in length, and there are 15...
Curated OER
Investigation of Polarized Light
Students investigate how polorizers filter light. In this physics lesson, students record their data and plot their results using a computer logging software. They discuss practical applications of polarization.
Curated OER
Polarization Of Light
Students discover that polarization filters block incoming light from passing through when filters are positioned perpendicularly to each other. They explore some of the uses of polarization filters within our society.
Curated OER
How Do Bats Navigate At Night?
Through an experiment, learners explore how bats use echolocation. First, they discuss how sound travels through air waves. Then, they talk about the ways bats navigate in the dark. As an extension, they can write about what they have...
Curated OER
How Does Sound Travel As Waves?
Seventh graders participate in a number of activities designed to increase their understanding of how sound is generated and how it travels.
Curated OER
Solar Storm Timeline
In this solar storm timeline, students read about a series of events that took place in space beginning with a solar flare. Students gather the information and create a time line of events mentioned. They determine the length of time it...