Curated OER
The Energy of Light
Students discuss different ways engineers use light. In this engineering lesson, students are introduced to the properties of light and the way light is used. They view a demonstration of light waves using a slinky, and practice using...
Curated OER
Reflect and Refract
Young scholars explore light. In this properties of light lesson, students define the terms refract, reflect, and diffract after listening to the teacher's description. Young scholars listen to the book Light Magic and observe a spoon in...
Curated OER
Light
Students observe how light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed. In this light lesson, students discover that light travels in a straight path. This lesson contains a "bonus" activity that explains how to make a kaleidoscope.
Curated OER
You Light Up My Life
Third graders participate in various experiments involving light. They demonstrate how light travels in a straight line until it strikes an object. Students show ways that light can be reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
Georgia Department of Education
Ga Virtual Learning: Astronomers' Tools
In this interactive tutorial students will learn about a few of the instruments used to further our knowledge of the Universe around us.
Texas Education Agency
Texas Gateway: Light: Reflection and Refraction
This tutorial reviews over the properties of light. Students will learn about reflection and refraction through videos, questions, and interactive activities.
Utah State Office of Education
Utah Science: Properties and Behaviors of Heat, Light and Sound
How can scientists lump heat, light and sound together when investigating properties and behaviors? This learning module will address that question through a series of activities.
CK-12 Foundation
Ck 12: Index of Refraction
[Free Registration/Login may be required to access all resource tools.] In this module, discover and solve problems involving the index of refraction, and investigate problems involving Snell's Law.
Exploratorium
Exploratorium: Make Your Own Telescope
At this site students can make their own telescope and see how it works with this experiment. Out of a light, a pair of glasses, a magnifying glass and wax paper.
Wikimedia
Wikipedia: Refracting Telescope
Wikipedia provides detailed information on refracting telescopes, including an image, technical difficulties, and a hyperlinked list to info on notable refracting telescopes.
Scholastic
Scholastic: Study Jams! Science: Light Absorption, Reflection, & Refraction
A video and a short quiz on the properties of light.
University of Wisconsin
The Why Files: Make a Rainbow
Make a rainbow by changing angles and placement of the observer, the sun, and the rain.
Other
Rice University/ats: Virtual Museum of Telescope History
This virtual museum has information on early telescopes which are mostly refractors. It contains research information on telescopes and early observatories as well as navigational equipment. Some parts still under construction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Reflection and Mirrors: Optics Bench Interactive
Find out about the physics behind those fun-house mirrors. Students manipulate a virtual optics bench to explore the images formed by mirrors and lenses.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and Ray Model of Light: Refraction and Sight
Through illustrated diagrams and animations, students explore the broken pencil phenomenon and light refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction/ray Model of Light: The Cause of Refraction
Through illustrated examples and animated tutorials, students discover what causes refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom:refraction/ray Model of Light: Optical Density/light Speed
In order to understand refraction, students will explore the factors that affect the speed at which a light wave is transported through a medium.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction/ray Model of Light: If I Were an Archer Fish
Students learn how the Archer fish can reach out of the water and catch its prey with pinpoint accuracy, despite the physics that causes refraction of light.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction/ray Model of Light: The Angle of Refraction
Focusing on the question, "By how much does light refract when it crosses a boundary?" this physics tutorial will allow students the opportunity to explore these concepts of refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and the Ray Model of Light: Snell's Law
In this interactive physics tutorial, students will learn about a mathematical equation relating these two angles and the indices of refraction of the two materials on each side of the boundary.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and the Ray Model of Light: Ray Tracing
In this illustrated physics tutorial, students investigate several of the types of problems that you will have to solve, and learn the task of tracing the refracted ray if given the incident ray and the indices of refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction/ray Model of Light: Determination of N Values
Through illustrated examples and interactive practice problems, students explore the details of Snell's Law.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and Ray Model of Light: Boundary Behavior
In this illustrated physics tutorial, students investigate the connection between light reflection and light refraction.
Physics Classroom
The Physics Classroom: Refraction and Ray Model of Light: The Critical Angle
Illustrated examples and interactive practice problems that introduce students to the concept of the critical angle, the angle of incidence that provides an angle of refraction of 90-degrees.