Cloud Shadows

It's cloudy with a good chance of learning! An inquiry-based lesson begins with an exploration of transparent, translucent, and opaque materials. Young scientists then connect their learning to the different cloud types as they take the...

Fifth graders must use a pencil to draw in the shadows they think will be formed by a house, a greenhouse, and a tree. The sun is behind each of these objects, and an open field is in front of them. That's where pupils draw their...

How much rain can that cloud make? Through a simulation, the class estimates the amount of candy rain contained in different cup clouds. After probing the clouds using different methods, class members adjust their estimates. Participants...

Exactly what do groundhogs know about weather? Not as much as your science students will after completing these lessons and activities that cover everything from the earth's rotation and the creation of shadows, to cloud...

In this light and shadows worksheet, students find 5 transparent items and 5 opaque items from the classroom and categorize them underneath their appropriate headings. Students look at 4 boxes with shadows and draw a little sun to show...

Students examine different objects. In this appearance activity, students watch a video about translucent, transparent and opaque objects. Students work in pairs to examine a bag of objects and then discuss the results.

Lights, shadows, action, and inquiry await your artistic scientists. They explore the way light travels, absorbs, reflects, and transmits through shadow play. They create folktale-inspired shadow puppets, explore the science of light,...

Have you ever wondered how clouds float in the sky, or why they seem to change so much in just a few minutes. Watch a short video about the way clouds are identified and named, and how they are affected by the Earth's conditions.

The definitions of transparent, translucent, and opaque can be found here. The article explains how the density of a material and its ability to absorb light determine which of these three properties it has. A list of examples is given...

This resource provides information about light and shadows. In addition, there is a short quiz that can be taken.