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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Engineering Your Own Spectrograph

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students use simple materials to design an open spectrograph so they can calculate the angle light is bent when it passes through a holographic diffraction grating. A holographic diffraction grating acts like a prism, showing the visual...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Designing a Spectroscopy Mission

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students find and calculate the angle that light is transmitted through a holographic diffraction grating using trigonometry. After finding this angle, student teams design and build their own spectrographs, researching and designing a...
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Website
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research

Ucar: About Rainbows

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from the University Corporation of Atmospheric Research provides an illustrated article about the phenomenon of rainbows.
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Handout
NASA

Electromagnetic Spectrum: Ultraviolet Waves

For Students 9th - 10th
Ultraviolet (UV) light has shorter wavelengths than visible light. Though these waves are invisible to the human eye, some insects can see them. The specific wavelength values are given. Uses and applications of these waves are explained.
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Handout
Georgia State University

Georgia State University: Hyper Physics: Scattering Concepts

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection of several pages explaining the principles which underlie Rayleigh scattering of light.
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Handout
Physics Classroom

The Physics Classroom: Blue Skies and Red Sunsets

For Students 9th - 10th
This high school resource shows how the blue of the skies and the red of the sunsets can be explained by the interaction of sunlight with atmospheric particles which causes scattering of light.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: Light Waves, Visible and Invisible

For Students 9th - 10th
Lucianne Walkowicz shows us the waves just beyond our perception: microwaves, radio waves, x-rays and more. [5:58]
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Lesson Plan
My Science Site

Optics: Energy and Control [Pdf]

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A very comprehensive unit including topics such as light and its source, visible sources of light, transparency of objects and much more. Also offers a resource list, blackline masters, and expectation list, expectation summary and a...
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Handout
American Museum of Natural History

American Museum of Natural History: O Logy: Light, Matter, Energy: Light the Way

For Students 3rd - 8th
What is electromagnetic radiation and how does it work? Review a captioned graphic that explains electromagnetic radiation and the visible and invisible types of radiation on the electromagnetic spectrum.
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PPT
Sophia Learning

Sophia: Radiation and Energy: Lesson 2

For Students 9th - 10th
This lesson discusses the light spectrum and its influence on living things. It is 2 of 3 in the series titled "Radiation and Energy."
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Building a Fancy Spectrograph

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students create and decorate their own spectrographs using simple materials and holographic diffraction gratings. A holographic diffraction grating acts like a prism, showing the visual components of light. After building the...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Georgia State University: Color

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa's the Space Place: A Trip to the Land of the Magic Windows

For Students 9th - 10th
Explore the electromagnetic spectrum and learn about each type of energy on the spectrum.
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Thirsty for Gold

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Student teams conduct an experiment that uses gold nanoparticles as sensors of chemical agents to determine which of four sports drinks has the most electrolytes. In this way, students are introduced to gold nanoparticles and their...
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Graphic
University of California

Center for Science Education: Gallery

For Students 9th - 10th
A gallery of astronomy images which depict galaxies, comets, the moon, planets, nebulae, supernovae as seen in various regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Each image in the gallery is described. Fascinating!
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Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Absorption of Radiant Energy by Different Colors

For Students 6th - 8th
In this science fair project, use an infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of differently colored paper exposed to sunlight, and calculate energy emission using the Stefan-Boltzmann equation. Find discussion questions, a list...
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Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: A Spectral Mystery

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use the spectrograph from the "Building a Fancy Spectrograph" activity to gather data about light sources. Using their data, they make comparisons between different light sources and make conjectures about the composition of a...
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Graphic
Curated OER

Georgia State University: Color

For Students 9th - 10th
This site from Georgia State University discusses the location of visible light on the electromagnetic spectrum. Includes the wavelength values for various colors of light within the visible light spectrum.
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Lesson Plan
University of California

U.c. Berkeley: Spectra From Space

For Teachers 9th - 10th
View the entire spectrum of electromagnetic radiation and get information on telescopes especially designed to view different wavelengths of the spectrum.
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Handout
NASA

Nasa: The Space Place: The Land of the Magic Windows

For Students 3rd - 8th
This is a site from NASA that contains an interesting and fun way to learn about the electromagnetic spectrum. Kate receives a strange riddle from her grandfather. Find out what it says and go through the gateway to the Land of the Magic...
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Handout
Oklahoma Mesonet

Oklahoma Climatological Survey: Overview of Radiation

For Students 9th - 10th
This site details what radiation is, the physics of radiation, and radiative transfer as it occurs in nature. Content explores the electromagnetic spectrum, electromagnetic waves, properties of radiation, and solar radiation.
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Unit Plan
TED Talks

Ted: Ted Ed: What Is Color?

For Students 9th - 10th
Colm Kelleher describes the physics behind colors- why the colors we see are related to the period of motion and the frequency of waves. [3:09]
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Website
York University

York University: Color and Color Vision

For Students 9th - 10th
York University provides an index page to several other pages on the topic of color and color vision. The pages are part of an online "book." Many graphics and explanations.
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Website
NASA

Nasa: Imagine the Universe: Welcome to the World of Multiwavelength Astronomy!

For Students 9th - 10th
This Imagine the Universe site provides an introduction into the multiwavelength universe and astronomy. Site provides graphics, links to a quiz, facts on this topic as well as teacher resources.