This booklet of 10 hands-on elementary STEM lessons is the foundation for a comprehensive unit on Light and Optics. From reflection and refraction to a model for how we see and an introduction to color, these activities are scaffolded to leave your students ready to take on the next level.
Grade Range: 1 to 8
Duration: 10 hours of activities
Supplies:
- Tech Light Lab
- 3 Light Blox (red, green, blue)
- 2 Mirrors with mirror supports
- 1 Diffraction grating
- 3 Acrylic lenses (concave, convex and trapezoid)
- A protractor
NGSS Connections
1-PS4 – Waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer
- make observations to construct an evidence based account that objects can be seen in darkness only when illuminated
- plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with various materials in the path of a beam of light.
4-PS4 – Waves and their applications in technologies for information transfer
- develop a model to describe that light reflecting from objects and entering the eyes allows objects to be seen
