How Does Science Work? Exploring Light by Carol Ballard

Cyberlesson by Lisa LoPresti

Copy of the Book

Computer withInternet Connection

Science Journal

Graphic Organizers

Pencil and Clipboard

Resources and Materials

Introduction

Have you ever thought about what the world would be like without light? If there were no light we wouldn’t be able to see. There would be no color. Most of all, there would be no plants, animals, or humans. The world would have no life. Therefore, light is very important and it is important for us to understand it.

As you read the expository text, How Does Science Work? Exploring Light, you will learn:

Where light comes from

How our eyes use light to let us see

How light works

Before Reading

Complete the following anticipation guide to see what you already know about light. After reading the list of statements, mark each one with a T if you think it is true and an F if you think it is false. After completing the cyberlesson, you will revisit your answers to see if your understanding has changed.

___ Our most important light source _____ The color white is all of the colors is the sun. of the rainbow put together.

____ The moon is a light source. _____ Refraction is when there is a portion of light. ____ Light travels in irregular lines. _____ Shadows result from objects blocking the light.

____ Opaque materials are see-through _____ The computer is transparent. objects.

____ A reflection is a picture of an object _____ The part of the eye that controls on another surface. how much light enters it is called the cornea.

Before Reading Continued

To build background knowledge before reading, you will watch a video on the topic of light featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy.Click on the hyperlink below. Scroll down through the video choices until you see the Bill Nye video on Light Optics. The video is divided into three parts. Click on Part 1. When Part 1 is finished, record any information you found interesting, or think is important, in your science journal. Follow the same instructions for Part 2 and Part 3. Turn and talk about your findings with your partner.

Bill Nye: Light Optics

While reading the text, you will notice many bold-face words. The

bold-face words are new vocabulary that you will want to learn.

Set up a piece of lined paper in your science journal for vocabulary.

Every time you encounter a bold-face word, write it down and include

its definition. The text will explain what each word means by stating the

meaning directly or including context clues and pictures to help you

infer the meaning.

Before Reading Continued

During Reading

After reading pages 4-7 in the text, you have learned there are two kinds of sources for light. One is natural and the other is man-made. Another term for man-made is artificial.

In your science journal, create a two column chart like the one shown below and make a list of as many natural and artificial sources of light as you can think of. Look around the room, in books, and on the Internet for ideas.

Natural Light Artificial Light

Continue reading and stop after the section entitled, How Do We See? on page 11. The eye has many different parts that work together to give us vision.

Try this out!

Turn to your partner and look into his/her eyes. The black solid circle in the middle is called the pupil. It allows light to enter the eye. Notice the size of the pupil. It should be fairly small with the lights on. When everyone in the class is ready, we will turn the lights off. Watch closely to view what happens to your partner’s pupil.

Discuss what happened to the pupil with your partner. Why did the pupil change?

During Reading Continued

Once you have discussed what happened with your partner, you

will independently write about what happened in a paragraph. Since you

will be describing the events in order, you will need to use sequence

words.

Click on the Brain pop tutorial to review what sequence words are

and how to use them.

Click on the sheet and start typing your response right after the

directions. To make your paragraph interesting, include why the pupil

changed as it did. Print your finished copy and give it to your teacher.

During Reading Continued

Now that you know how the pupil works, let’s look at the rest of the

eye. Click on the Eye Site to find out more information about the parts

of the eye and what they do. When you arrive on the site, choose the

“anatomy” tab on the left. It will lead you to a step by step diagram of

the eye and provide information about each part.

When you have completed learning about the parts of the eye,

complete your own diagram. Then finish reading the text.

During Reading Continued

After you have finished reading the text, you will see first handhow light works. The class will be divided into five groups. We willrotate through 5 light experiment stations in order to better understandthe following concepts that were discussed in the reading:

Properties of opaque, translucent, and transparent materials Reflection and refraction How light travels Bending light Shadows

All materials and recording sheets will be provided at each station.

After Reading

Reflect back on all of the information you learned through the text, the video, the reading on the Internet, and the hands-on experiments.As you think about the information, what would be the most interestingor important new ideas that you learned?

Complete the two following activities independently:

Pretend you are going to give a talk to the class. What two ideas wouldyou discuss and why? Write your response in your science journal. Remember to include strong details and precise vocabulary.

Go back to the anticipation guide that you filled out at the beginning ofthe cyberlesson. Re-evaluate your original answers and fill in the “afterreading” column with changes, if necessary. Then, rewrite any falsestatements in order to make them true.

After Reading Continued

Beyond Reading

The text briefly discussed the relationship between light and color. To learn more about this relationship, you will watch a video featuring Bill Nye the Science Guy. Click on the hyperlink below. Scroll down through the video choices until you see the Bill Nye video on Light and Color. The video is divided into three parts. Click on Part 1. When Part 1 is finished, record any information you found interesting, or think is important, in your science journal. Follow the same instructions for Part 2 and Part 3. Turn and talk about your findings with your partner.

Bill Nye – Color and Light

Beyond Reading Continued

To extend your learning, you can play Alien Attack. Through this interactive computer game, you will learn even more about light while using your critical thinking skills to figure out who has threatened the Earth with a laser.

Project Advancements in technology have made uses of light so much more than just illumination. You will do research to find one way that light or lasers are used today in an interesting or surprising way. Similar to a current event presentation, you will take notes on the topic and present a clear summary on your findings. You will give an oral presentation in front of the class to teach us what you have learned. Pictures and props are highly encouraged. You will be graded using the presentation rubric.

Activity 3

2 1

0

Anticipation GuideAll 10 pieces of information are correct after reading

8-9 pieces of information are correct after reading

5-7 pieces of information are correct after reading

Less than 5 pieces of information are correct after reading

Vocabulary 20-21 vocabulary words are defined correctly

16-19 vocabulary words are defined correctly

10-15 vocabulary words are defined correctly

Less than 10 vocabulary words are defined correctly

Two-column Chart for Light Sources

5 or more natural and artificial examples

4 natural and artificial examples

3 natural and artificial examples

Less than 3 natural and artificial examples

Eye DiagramAll 7 labels are correct

6 labels are correct 5 labels are correct Less than 5 labels are correct

Assessment Rubric for Activities

Sequence Paragraph

3

2 1

0

Structure and details

Response has a main idea sentence. Five specific details from the activity with sequence words for each, written in the correct order. Includes a concluding sentence.

Response has a main idea sentence. Four specific details from the activity with sequence words for each, written in the correct order. Includes a concluding sentence.

Response has a main idea sentence. Three specific details from the activity with sequence words for each, written in the correct order. Includes a concluding sentence.

Response has less than three specific details or is not completed.

Assessment Rubric for Sequence Paragraph

Assessment Rubric for Reader Response

Reader Response

3

2 1

0

Structure and details

Response has a main idea sentence that answers the question. Two to three specific details from the text prove the opinion. Includes a concluding sentence.

Response has a main idea sentence that answers the question. One specific detail from the text proves the opinion. May or may not have concluding sentence.

Response answers the question with or without a main idea sentence. One vague detail from the text gives evidence to the opinion. May or may not have a concluding sentence.

Response does not answer the question or is not completed.

Assessment Rubric for Presentation

Presentations

3 2 1 0

Voice Projection and Clarity

Student uses a

clear voice and

correct, precise

pronunciation of

terms. Strong

projection.

Student’s voice is

clear. Student

pronounces most

words correctly.

Moderate

projection.

Student’s voice is

low. Student

incorrectly

pronounces terms.

Minimal projection.

Student mumbles,

incorrectly

pronounces

terms. Student

cannot be heard.

Eye contact

Holds attention of

Audience with the

use of direct eye

contact, seldom

looking at notes.

Consistent use of

direct eye contact

with audience,

but still returns to

notes.

Displayed minimal

eye contact with

audience, while

reading mostly

from the notes.

No eye contact

audience, as

entire report is

read from notes.

Body Language

Appears confident and uses gestures

Appears confident, but uses no gestures.

Displays tension and may or may not attempt gestures.

Nervousness distracts from presentation.

Use of Engaging Materials

Student incorporates appropriate pictures, diagrams, or props and uses them effectively.

Student incorporates appropriate pictures, diagrams, or props, but only refers to them quickly.

Student displays materials but never refers to them.

Student does not incorporate engaging materials.

Focus

Student presents

information in

logical, interesting

sequence which

audience can follow.

Student presents

information in

logical sequence

which audience

can follow.

Audience has difficulty

following presentation

because student jumps

around.

Audience cannot

understand

presentation

no sequence of

information.

Credits

Ballard, C., How Does Science Work: Exploring Light, The Rosen Publishing Group: New York, 2008.

Alien Attackhttp://www.engineeringinteract.org/resources/alienattack.htm

Animated Gifshttp://gifsnow.com

Brainpophttp://www.brainpop.com/english/writing/writinginsequence/preview.weml

Eye Sitehttp://library.thinkquest.org/J002330/

Neo K12http://www.neok12.com/Light-Optics.htm

Teacher Page

Most of this cyberlesson can be done independently if there are multiple copies of the text. If multiple copies are not available, the lessons can be easily completed after the teacher reads the scheduled sections aloud.

The text readability is quite easy for fifth grade. The information is clear and succinct and is presented with many helpful non-fiction text features.

Students will need to use the computers frequently; therefore, laptops are recommended over the computer lab.

Videos can be viewed independently or as a class.

All papers are linked to the cyberlesson and can be printed out.

The students will need the teacher to guide the activity on pupil viewing. The teacher will need to control the lights.

The science experiments in the after reading activities will be set up for the entire fifth grade to use during a one week period. All materials will be prepared prior to the lab.