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Extreme Flashlight Tag
Fifth graders view a Powerpoint show about reflecting light. They experiment through a reflection simulation on the internet. Students complete the activity by using mirrors and light to complete send light to a specified spot.
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Electromagnetic and Physical Waves
Students compare and contrast electromagnetic and physical waves. In this wave instructional activity, students discover that all waves reflect, refract, and diffract energy. Students work in small groups to experiment with waves and...
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Making a Simple Film Canister Kaleidoscope
Students use clear film containers with 1/4 inch holes drilled in the bottom to create kaleidoscopes. They use mirror board folded into a triangle shape and cake decorating sprinkles to create the kaleidoscope effect.
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Reflections Of
Students create angles using mirrors. In this angle reflection activity, students draw angles, then use mirrors to create angles using reflections and measure the new angles.
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Energy and Control
Students investigate the question, "how does understanding the properties and characteristics of light help us to enhance our quality of life?". They apply knowledge gained though the unit in order to create an optical device.
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Take-Home Midterm Exam #3
The University of Hawaii has published a vast collection of midterm and final exams for their Physics 152 course. This particular exam offers a variety of assessment methods, and covers the topic of electromagnetic radiation....
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Reflections
Students are given materials with various textures and light sources to investigate specular reflection, diffuse, reflection, angle of incidence, and angle of reflection. Students draw and label an everyday scenario showing specular and...
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Pastel Drawing like Vincent Van Gogh
Learners discuss the elements of art and design found in a series of flower paintings by Vincent Van Gogh. They explore art, shading, and color as they create mirrored representations of the master's art, using oil pastel.
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Frozen Film
Students are introduced to the topic of light interference through this hands-on activity. They observe how light reflects off two surfaces and then meets to form an interesting variation of color on a film surface.
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The Lighter Side of Color
Young scholars explore light and color, including how colors are mixed to produce new colors, how light is filtered, and how light is reflected off of surfaces. They read materials provided, complete worksheets, and complete hands-on...
Exploratorium
Vocal Visualizer
Make sound visible with an activity that provides directions for how to build a vocal visualizer meant to create light patterns. Making noise into the visualizer causes a mirror to vibrate, reflecting a laser beam, and creating the...
California Mathematics Project
Reflections
Reflections are the geometric mirror. Pupils explore this concept as they discover the properties of reflections. They focus on the coordinates of the reflections and look for patterns. This is the third lesson in a seven-part series.
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Making a Periscope
Students experiment with a simple periscope to see how it reflects light. They draw a diagram of the path a ray of light follows as it travels from an object, through the periscope, and into your eye.
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Fiber Optics
Students explore the uses of optical fibers, are exposed to the principles of refraction and total internal reflection, solve problems relating to the design of fiber optic cables, and compare them to copper transmission lines.
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What's Up?
Students compare and contrast the various heavenly bodies found in the sky at night. They identify the moon and stars in the sky as well as how the stars form pictures called constellations. Students also experiment with reflection and...
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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Needs Math in Life at All?
Learners think and talk about the ways in which they use math throughout the day. They add each way to a "math in real life" bulletin board and reflect in writing on the ways they use math.
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REFLECTIONS OF SCIENCE
Students discover the different types of mirrors, their properties and some of their applications. They have already been introduced to some of the properties of light and have already experienced some of the different types of mirrors...
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Lighten Up!
Third graders observe light as a form of energy, that it can be reflected/bounced, refracted/bent and absorbed. They explore how different types of light affect our lives as a whole. Songs are researched that involve light (ex. "You...
Anti-Defamation League
Diverse Books Matter
A campaign by Marley Diaz sheds light on the importance of diverse books. Scholars explore the campaign and identify "window" and "mirror" books. They look closely at their library and classroom bookshelves and reflect on why diverse...
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Echolocation
Young scholars explore echolocation. In this bats science lesson, students compare sunlight reflecting off a mirror to sound waves hitting a bat's ears. Young scholars complete a worksheet about bats.
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Light Bounce
Students solve problems involving triangles. In this geometry instructional activity, students apply properties of triangles to find the missing angles and sides. They identify angles of parallel lines cut by a transversal.
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Investigation 3 - What is Moonlight?
Third graders observe a demonstration explaining that the moon reflects sunlight in ordr to shine.
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Enlightening Explorations, Part II
Sixth graders review their results from the previous experiments. After viewing a kaleidoscope, they make their own pattern on paper and describe the role of light. To end the lesson plan, they examine light being relfected and...
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Optical Images
Ninth graders study optics and the law of reflection. For this optical images lesson students use a laser and conceptualize the law of reflection.