Exploring Shadows

This hands-on STEM exploration gives students a chance to develop an intuitive sense of light and shadow. In this Exploring Shadows Lesson, students will have a hand-on experience that teaches them that shadows are created when light is blocked and Shadows change shape and size, depending on the location of the light and the object.

Grade Range: 1 to 5

Duration: 1/2 Hour – 1 Hour

Supplies:

  • 3 Light BLOX in Red/Green/Blue
  • A pencil or pen
  • A blank wall or screen

NGSS Connections

PS4.B: Electromagnetic Radiation

  • Plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials in the path of a beam of light.
  • Some materials allow light to pass through them, others allow only some light through and others block all the light and create a dark shadow on any surface beyond them, where the light cannot reach. (1-PS4-3)
  • Cause and effect relationships are routinely identified (4-PS4-2)
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