Light, Shadows and Reflection: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Year 5 Physical sciences. Print this pack and the term is prepared: every lesson comes with a step-by-step plan, the questions to ask, a student worksheet, cut-out cards or exit tickets, an assessment kit and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the term at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the lesson you need. Each lesson is three A4 sheets: plan, worksheet, cards or tickets.
3. Gather the few everyday items under “You need” on the plan. Nothing needs a science cupboard.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board or projector. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the science idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers. The big idea of the term: some things make their own light and most things only reflect it; light travels in straight lines, so an object that blocks it makes a shadow; and light bounces off a mirror at the angle it came in, and bends as it passes into water or glass.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 60-minute block, or as two 30-minute sessions. The split point is marked in every plan. Lesson 5 is spread across one sunny school day, and Lessons 2 to 4 and 6 work best in a room you can darken, so look ahead when you plan.

Safety and care in one look

Nobody looks straight at the Sun, even through a hole or a mirror, and nobody shines a torch into anyone’s eyes. Use plastic safety mirrors, or tape the edges of glass ones. No lasers. Hats on for the Sun shadows, and water spills are wiped up straight away.

The term at a glance

One lesson a week for a term. Each lesson stands on the ones before it, so run them in order where you can.

How the sequence builds

Lesson 1 separates light sources from things that only reflect. Lesson 2 shows that light travels in straight lines, and Lessons 3 to 5 use that idea to explain shadows: which materials make them, how their size changes, and how the Sun’s shadows move through the day. Lessons 6 and 7 turn to reflection, Lesson 8 to refraction, Lesson 9 to the ways people use light, and Lesson 10 is the poster and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9S5U03 quoted on the cover. The lessons also work these Science Inquiry and Human Endeavour descriptors:

Assessment in this pack

• Every plan ends with “Answers and look-fors”: what meeting the idea sounds like in a Year 5 voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a poster that explains light with ray drawings, plus the “Show what we know” check sheet.

Materials for the whole term

One gathering session covers all ten lessons. Everything on this page is an everyday item or can be borrowed; nothing needs a science cupboard. Ask families for torches and long milk cartons early in the term.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: index cards, a hole punch, sticky tack, rulers, protractors, scissors, tape, coloured pencils, A3 paper.
• From the kitchen or the shops: cling wrap, baking paper, aluminium foil, tissue paper, clear plastic cups, straight and bendy straws, a coin, a dropper.
• From home donations: torches, shoeboxes, long milk cartons, plastic sleeves, frosted plastic folders.
• To borrow: small plastic safety mirrors, a compass, a tape measure, a metre stick and a bucket of sand.

Safety and care in one look

• Nobody looks straight at the Sun, even through a hole, a straw or a periscope, or in a mirror: the damage to eyes can last.
• Torches are never shone into anyone’s eyes, and no laser pointers are used.
• Use plastic safety mirrors, or glass mirrors with their edges taped.
• Hats and sunscreen for the Sun shadows, and water spills are wiped up at once.

Assessment without extra work

The term assesses itself. Every lesson plan ends with answers and look-fors, and Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a poster that explains light with ray drawings, and the check sheet. This sheet is the place to jot down what you notice along the way.

The three levels

Class observation checklist

A tick a lesson is plenty; the Lesson 10 check sheet fills the gaps.

Word wall cards

Cut out the cards and build the wall as the words arrive. Lesson 1 starts the wall with light source and reflect.

Dear families

This term in science, Year 5 investigates light. Some things, like the Sun, a lamp or a torch, make their own light; most things only reflect it, and we see them when that light reaches our eyes. Light travels in straight lines, so an object that blocks it makes a shadow. Light bounces off a mirror at the same angle it came in, and bends as it passes into water or glass.

Your child will test materials for the shadows they make, measure shadows from a torch and from the Sun, measure angles at a mirror, build a periscope, and make a hidden coin appear in a cup just by pouring in water.

Try this at home

• At night, turn the lights off for a moment. Which things can you still see? Which make their own light?
• Make shadow puppets on a wall with a torch, then move the torch closer. What happens to the shadow?
• Look at your shadow at breakfast time and again in the middle of the day. When is it shorter?
• Stand a pencil in a glass of water and look from the side. Why does it look broken?

What to ask your scientist

• Is the Moon a light source? How do we see it?
• Why does a shadow change size?
• How can mirrors let you see round a corner?
• What is refraction?

A small note on care: please remind your child never to look straight at the Sun, even with sunglasses on.

Warm regards,

The Year 5 team

Printed from the free seegongsik Light, Shadows and Reflection teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y5/physical/AC9S5U03/pack

Where light comes from

A light source makes its own light: the Sun, a flame, a torch, a glowing screen. Most things only reflect light, and we see them because light from a source bounces off them into our eyes. Children sort twelve cards, some of them tricky (the Moon, a cat’s eyes, a road sign), then test the idea with a dark box: inside the closed box a white page and a mirror cannot be seen at all, but a small switched-on torch can.

We are learning to

• tell light sources from things that only reflect light,
• explain how we see an object that makes no light of its own,
• test an idea with a dark box and record what we see.

Success criteria

• I can sort things into light sources and things that only reflect, with a reason for a tricky one.
• I can explain how light from a source lets me see a book.

You need

• the source cards (third sheet), one set per pair,
• a dark box: a shoebox with a small viewing hole in one end and a flap in the lid, plus a white page, a small plastic mirror and a small torch to put inside,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the card sort; start Session B with the dark box.

Watch for these ideas

• “The Moon makes its own light.” The Moon reflects light from the Sun. Without the Sun it would be dark.
• “Shiny things are light sources.” A mirror or a reflector only bounces back light that reaches it; in the closed dark box it cannot be seen.
• “We see because light comes out of our eyes.” Light travels from a source, bounces off the object and goes into our eyes.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort six cards first: the Sun, a torch, a candle flame, the Moon, a mirror and a white page.
• Bigger: find three more tricky cases at home, such as a glow-in-the-dark sticker, and explain each one.

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: light sources, the sun, a candle flame, a firefly, a phone screen, lightning, a torch; only reflect, the moon, a mirror, a white page, a cat’s eyes at night, a bike reflector, a road sign.
• Part B: with the flap closed, the white page and the mirror cannot be seen, but the switched-on torch can. With the flap open, all three can be seen.
• Part C: light from a source, such as a lamp or the Sun, bounces off the book and travels into our eyes. The arrows go from the source to the book, then from the book to the eye.
• Bigger: a glow-in-the-dark sticker takes in light and gives it out slowly, so it is a weak light source while it glows.

Sources and reflectors

A. Sort the cards

B. The dark box

C. How do we see a book?

Source cards

Cut out the cards. Read each clue, then sort the cards: does it make its own light, or does it only reflect light?

Teacher note: never look straight at the Sun, even to check a card. Keep the cards; Lesson 9 comes back to sources.

Straight lines only

Light travels in straight lines called rays. Children stand three index cards in a row, each with a hole punched in the same place, and shine a torch through them onto a white card. Light reaches the card only when the three holes are in a straight line; slide the middle card a centimetre and the spot disappears. A string pulled tight through the holes shows the line is straight. Then they look at a ceiling light through a straight straw and a bent one.

We are learning to

• show that light travels in straight lines,
• make a prediction, then test it by changing one thing,
• use straight rays to explain why we cannot see round corners.

Success criteria

• I can explain why the spot disappears when the middle card moves.
• I can rule a ray from a light source to where the light lands.

You need

• for each group: three index cards, a hole punch, sticky tack, a torch, a white card for a screen and a piece of string,
• a straight straw and a bendy straw per child, and rulers,
• the worksheet (next sheet) and the exit tickets (third sheet).

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes, in a darkened room)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the three-hole test; start Session B with the straws.

Watch for these ideas

• “Light fills the room, so it does not travel in lines.” Light spreads out from a source in every direction, but each ray goes in a straight line.
• “The torch needs to be brighter to get through.” The torch did not change; only the line of the holes changed.
• “The bendy straw is too narrow.” Both straws are the same width; the bend breaks the straight path.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: use two cards instead of three.
• Bigger: add a fourth card, or make the holes smaller with tape. Does the spot still appear when they line up?

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: holes lined up, a bright spot on the screen; middle card moved 1 cm sideways, no spot, because the card blocks the straight ray; string pulled tight through the holes, the string runs straight through all three holes.
• Part B: through the straight straw you can see the light; through the bent straw you cannot, because light cannot follow the bend.
• Part C: one straight ruled line from the torch, through the three holes, to the screen.
• Exit tickets: 1 in straight lines. 2 the holes were no longer in a straight line, so the middle card blocked the light. 3 light travels in straight lines and cannot bend round the corner by itself.

Does light travel in straight lines?

A. The three-hole test

B. Two straws

C. Rule the ray

Use a ruler. Draw the ray from the torch, through the three holes, to the screen. Mark the spot where it lands.

Exit tickets

Print one sheet for every four children and cut along the dashed lines. Each child answers a ticket alone before leaving.

Teacher note: the answers are on this lesson’s plan. Torches point at the cards and the screen, never at anyone’s eyes.

Making shadows

Light travels in straight lines, so anything that blocks it leaves a shadow, but materials block light by different amounts. An opaque material such as cardboard lets no light through and makes a dark shadow; a translucent one such as baking paper lets some through and makes a faint shadow; a transparent one such as clear plastic lets the light straight through and makes almost no shadow. Children test nine materials with a torch and sort them by their shadows.

We are learning to

• test how much light different materials let through,
• sort materials into opaque, translucent and transparent,
• choose a material for a job by how it treats light.

Success criteria

• I can sort the nine materials by the shadow each one makes.
• I can choose the right kind of material for a lampshade, a window and a blackout curtain.

You need

• a torch per group and a white wall or card,
• the nine materials: cardboard, plastic sleeve, cling wrap, baking paper, aluminium foil, tissue paper, plastic cup, frosted folder, wooden block,
• the material cards (third sheet), one set per group, and the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes, in a darkened room)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the shadow test; start Session B with the card sort.

Watch for these ideas

• “A shadow is a reflection of the object.” A shadow is the place where light cannot reach, because the object blocks it.
• “Transparent things make no shadow at all.” A clear cup usually leaves a faint edge, because a little light bends or bounces at its surface.
• “Thin things are always see-through.” Aluminium foil is very thin, but it is opaque.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: test three materials first, one of each kind.
• Bigger: stack one, two, then three sheets of tissue paper. When does the shadow stop looking faint?

Answers and look-fors

• Part A, usually: cardboard dark (opaque); plastic sleeve almost none (transparent); cling wrap almost none (transparent); baking paper faint (translucent); aluminium foil dark (opaque); tissue paper faint (translucent); plastic cup almost none (transparent); frosted folder faint (translucent); wooden block dark (opaque).
• Part B: a lampshade, translucent: it lets light through but softens and spreads it; a window, transparent: it lets light in and lets you see clearly out; a blackout curtain, opaque: it blocks all the light, so a room stays dark.
• Part C: an opaque object blocks all the light, so none reaches the wall behind it.

Which materials let light through?

A. The shadow test

B. The right material for the job

C. Think about it

Material cards

Cut out the cards. After the shadow test, sort them into three piles: opaque, translucent and transparent.

Teacher note: results can differ a little; thick tissue paper may look nearly opaque. Accept any sort that matches what the group saw.

Bigger and smaller shadows

A shadow changes size as the light moves. Children keep a 10 cm card puppet and a screen still, move a torch to four distances from the puppet, and measure the height of the shadow each time. The closer the torch, the bigger the shadow, because the straight rays that just miss the edges of the puppet spread out more on their way to the screen. A line graph shows the pattern.

We are learning to

• run a fair test that changes one thing: the distance of the torch,
• measure shadow height in centimetres and graph the results,
• use straight rays to explain why a closer light makes a bigger shadow.

Success criteria

• I can describe the pattern in our graph in one sentence.
• I can draw two rays that show why the shadow grows.

You need

• for each group: a torch, a 10 cm card puppet on a stick, sticky tack, a white wall or card for the screen, a ruler and a tape measure,
• the worksheet (next sheet) and the exit tickets (third sheet).

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes, in a darkened room)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after measuring; start Session B with the graph.

Watch for these ideas

• “The shadow grows because the light is brighter up close.” It grows because the rays from a close light spread out more after they pass the puppet.
• “The edges are fuzzy, so we cannot measure.” A torch is not a tiny point of light. Measure the dark middle of the shadow, the same way every time.
• “Moving the puppet is the same test.” In this test only the torch moves; the puppet and the screen stay where they are.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: measure at two distances only, 10 and 40 cm.
• Bigger: keep the torch still and move the puppet towards the screen instead. Predict first.

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: we change the distance of the torch from the puppet; we measure the height of the shadow in centimetres; we keep the same the puppet, the screen, the gap between them, the torch, and how we measure.
• Parts B and C: heights vary. A tiny point of light would give shadows of about 40, 25, 20, 18 cm at 10, 20, 30, 40 cm; a torch gives fuzzy edges, so results come close to these. The shadow always shrinks as the torch moves away, but never below 10 cm.
• Part D: the closer the torch, the more the two edge rays spread apart after passing the puppet, so they land further apart on the screen.
• Exit tickets: 1 bigger. 2 any one of the puppet, the screen, the gap between them or the torch. 3 move the torch further away, or the puppet closer to the screen.

How far is the light?

A. Our fair test

B. Our results

C. Our graph

D. Why does it change?

Exit tickets

Print one sheet for every four children and cut along the dashed lines. Each child answers a ticket alone before leaving.

Teacher note: the answers are on this lesson’s plan. Keep each group’s puppet; Lesson 10 posters can use the results.

Shadows from the Sun

The Sun is a light source too, and its shadows change as it moves across the sky. Children stand a metre stick upright in a sunny spot and, at five times through one school day, mark the tip of its shadow with chalk, measure its length and note its direction. The shadow is long in the morning, pointing roughly west; it is shortest around the middle of the day; and it lengthens again in the afternoon, pointing roughly east. In most of Australia the midday shadow points south, because the midday Sun is in the northern sky.

We are learning to

• describe how the Sun’s shadows change in length and direction through the day,
• measure and record a shadow at set times, with units,
• explain the changes with the straight path of sunlight.

Success criteria

• I can say when the shadow was shortest, and why.
• I can describe how the shadow’s direction changed through the day.

You need

• a metre stick standing upright in a bucket of sand, on flat ground that is sunny all day,
• chalk, a tape measure, a compass and hats,
• the worksheet (next sheet) and the exit tickets (third sheet).

Lesson flow (spread across one sunny day)

Running it in short bursts? Take the readings across the day as five-minute visits, then run the board, the graph and the shade question as one 30-minute session the next day. In daylight saving time the shortest shadow comes nearer 1 pm.

Watch for these ideas

• “The shadow moves by itself.” It moves because the Sun appears to move across the sky as the Earth turns.
• “Shadows are shortest at exactly 12 o’clock.” They are shortest when the Sun is highest, which in daylight saving time is nearer 1 pm.
• “At midday the Sun is straight overhead.” In most of Australia the midday Sun is in the northern sky, so the stick still has a short shadow pointing south.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: take readings at 9:00, 12:00 and 3:00 only.
• Bigger: repeat the readings a month later. Is the midday shadow longer or shorter now? Why?

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: lengths vary with the season and the place. Usually the shadow is longest at the first and last readings and shortest near the middle of the day; it points roughly west in the morning, roughly south near midday and roughly east in the afternoon.
• Part B: the line falls from the morning to its lowest point near the middle of the day, then rises again.
• Part C: the shadow is shortest when the Sun is highest in the sky, because the sunlight comes down most steeply then.
• Part D: right over the sandpit, or a little to its north, because at lunchtime the Sun is high and the shade falls almost straight down.
• Exit tickets: 1 shorter. 2 west, away from the Sun. 3 for example, never look straight at the Sun; look at the shadow instead.

The shadow stick

A. Our readings

B. Our graph

C. What it tells us

D. Shade for the playground

Exit tickets

Print one sheet for every four children and cut along the dashed lines. Each child answers a ticket alone before leaving.

Teacher note: the answers are on this lesson’s plan. Keep the class readings; Lesson 9 uses them to plan shade.

Mirror, mirror

When light hits a mirror, it bounces off: that is reflection. Children stand a small mirror on the ray paper, shine a narrow beam from a torch along each guide line, and mark where the reflected beam goes. Measuring both angles from the upright line shows the rule: the angle out equals the angle in. Small differences come from a wide beam, a mirror not quite on its line or a slip with the protractor, so pairs compare results and talk about errors.

We are learning to

• describe reflection as light bouncing off a surface,
• measure angles with a protractor and record them,
• find the pattern between the angle in and the angle out, and explain small errors.

Success criteria

• I can measure the angle in and the angle out and say the pattern.
• I can name one source of error in our measurements.

You need

• for each pair: a small plastic mirror and a block or sticky tack to stand it up, a torch with a card taped over the glass with a slit about 2 mm wide, a protractor and a ruler,
• the ray paper (third sheet) and the worksheet (next sheet), one each per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes, in a darkened room)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the first guide line; start Session B with the other two.

Watch for these ideas

• “The mirror makes the light.” A mirror makes no light; it bounces back the light that reaches it.
• “We measure the angle from the mirror.” Measure from the upright line, the way the picture does.
• “Our angles are 2 degrees apart, so the rule is wrong.” Small differences come from measuring; look at the pattern across all three tries.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: do the 45° line only, and measure it together.
• Bigger: turn the ray paper round and shine from the right-hand side. Does the rule still work?

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: the angle out should match the angle in on each guide line (30° in, 30° out; 45° in, 45° out; 60° in, 60° out), usually within 2 or 3 degrees.
• Part B: the angle out equals the angle in.
• Part C: a beam that is too wide, a mirror not standing exactly on the line, a protractor not centred on the dot, or dots marked off the beam.
• Part D: 20°, because the angle out equals the angle in.

Angle in, angle out

A. Our measurements

B. The pattern

C. Errors

D. Predict

Ray paper

1. Stand the mirror upright on the blue line, shiny side towards the guide lines.
2. Shine the slit beam along one guide line so it hits the mirror at the dot.
3. Mark two dots along the beam that bounces off, then rule a line through them to the dot.
4. Measure the angle between your line and the upright line, and record it on the worksheet.

Teacher note: one ray paper per child. Keep the torch beam on the paper and away from eyes.

Seeing round corners

Two mirrors can carry light round corners. Children build a periscope: a long carton with a window near each end, on opposite sides, and a mirror behind each window tilted at 45 degrees. Light from an object enters the top window, reflects down the carton off the top mirror, reflects again off the bottom mirror and comes out to the eye. Children test it by looking over a desk, trace the light with a ray drawing, and meet other places where mirrors help people see.

We are learning to

• use reflection to explain how a periscope works,
• build a model from a set of steps and test it,
• trace the path of light with a ray drawing.

Success criteria

• I can explain how light gets from the object to my eye through the periscope.
• I can draw the two reflections inside a periscope, with arrows.

You need

• for each group: a long empty milk carton (2 litres) or a cardboard tube, two small plastic mirrors, scissors, tape, a protractor and a pencil,
• the mirror cards (third sheet), one set per pair, and the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after the build; start Session B with the test.

Watch for these ideas

• “The light goes through the carton walls.” The carton is opaque; light only gets in through the top window and out of the bottom one.
• “The mirrors face the windows.” Each mirror faces down or up the carton at 45 degrees, so it turns the light through a right angle.
• “Light goes from the eye to the tree.” Light goes from the tree to the eye; the arrows point towards the eye.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: build one periscope as a class, then take turns to test it.
• Bigger: make a longer periscope from two cartons taped end to end. Does it still work? What changes?

Answers and look-fors

• Parts A and B: light from the tree enters the top window, reflects off the top mirror down the carton, reflects off the bottom mirror and comes out of the bottom window into the eye. Each mirror turns the light through a right angle: 45 degrees in, 45 degrees out.
• Part C: a car’s rear-view mirror shows the driver the road behind without turning round; a dentist’s mirror lets the dentist see the backs of your teeth; a round mirror on a corner lets drivers see traffic coming round the corner or out of the driveway; a submarine’s periscope lets the crew look above the water while the submarine stays below; a kaleidoscope reflects the beads over and over between the mirrors to make patterns; mirrors at a solar power station reflect sunlight onto the tower, where the heat is used to make electricity.
• Test and trace: the two reflections cancel each other out, so the tree looks the right way up.

Build a periscope

A. Build it

1. Cut a square window near the top of one side of the carton.
2. Cut a window the same size near the bottom of the opposite side.
3. Tape a mirror inside the top, behind its window, tilted at 45° so it faces down the carton.
4. Tape a mirror inside the bottom, behind its window, tilted at 45° so it faces up the carton.
5. Look into the bottom window and adjust the mirrors until you can see out of the top window.

B. Trace the light

Use a ruler. Draw the light from the tree to the eye, with arrows, and mark each reflection.

C. Mirrors at work

Mirrors at work

Cut out the cards. Read where each mirror is, then work out what it lets people do that they could not do without it.

Teacher note: never point a periscope at the Sun. Plastic mirrors are safest; tape over any sharp edges.

Light bends

Light travels in straight lines, but when it passes from air into water, glass or clear plastic it changes direction at the surface. This bending is called refraction. Children visit four stations where refraction plays tricks: a pencil that looks broken, a hidden coin that appears when water is poured in, a drop of water that magnifies print, and an arrow that flips when it is seen through a cup of water.

We are learning to

• describe refraction as light changing direction as it passes between air and water,
• observe carefully and record with drawings and words,
• explain everyday tricks of light using refraction.

Success criteria

• I can describe what I saw at each station.
• I can explain why the coin appeared, using the word refraction.

You need

• four stations, each with its station card (third sheet): a clear cup of water and a pencil; an empty cup, a coin and a jug of water; a clear plastic sheet, a dropper and newspaper; an empty clear cup, a jug of water and an arrow card,
• paper towel for spills, and the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? Do two stations in Session A and two in Session B, then the explaining.

Watch for these ideas

• “The water really bends the pencil.” The pencil is straight; the light from it bends at the water surface on its way to our eyes.
• “Refraction is the same as reflection.” Reflection bounces light back off a surface; refraction bends light as it passes into a new material.
• “The coin floated up.” The coin did not move. Light from it bent at the water surface and reached your eye over the rim.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: run the pencil and the coin stations as class demonstrations.
• Bigger: at the arrow station, move the card closer to the cup and further away. Where does the arrow flip?

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: the broken pencil, the pencil looks broken or bent where it enters the water; the coin that appears, the coin comes into view as the water goes in; the water-drop magnifier, the letters under the drop look bigger; the flipping arrow, through the water the arrow points the other way.
• Part B: light bends when it passes from air into water. This is called refraction.
• Part C: light from the fish bends at the surface, so the fish looks nearer the surface than it really is. A heron or a spear fisher has to aim below where the fish seems to be.

Tricks of light

A. The four stations

B. Name it

C. The fish in the pond

Station cards

Cut out the cards and put one at each station with its things. Groups follow the card, then record what they saw.

Teacher note: keep paper towel at every station and wipe up spills at once. Plastic cups only.

Light at work

Every idea from this term is at work in everyday life. Children sort ten light-at-work cards by the idea that makes each one work: light sources, straight lines, shadows, reflection or refraction. Then they use their Lesson 5 shadow readings to advise the school on a new shade sail, because people use what they know about light to make decisions that keep children safe in the sun.

We are learning to

• recognise the five light ideas in everyday things and in nature,
• explain how one idea makes something work,
• use our own data to make a recommendation to the school.

Success criteria

• I can sort the cards by the idea behind each one and explain a tricky one.
• I can give advice about shade, backed by our shadow readings.

You need

• the light-at-work cards (third sheet), one set per pair,
• the class shadow readings from Lesson 5 and a map of the school grounds,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after explaining one card; start Session B with the shade advice.

Watch for these ideas

• “Glasses make things brighter.” Glasses bend light so it focuses properly in the eye; they add no light.
• “Each thing uses only one idea.” Many use two or more: a sundial needs a light source (the Sun), straight lines and a shadow.
• “Shade stays in the same place all day.” Shadows move and change length, so a shade sail must be placed for the time it is needed most.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: start with five cards, one for each idea, then add the rest.
• Bigger: find one more example of each idea around the school and write a card for it.

Answers and look-fors

• Part A: light sources, cards 4 and 7; straight lines, cards 6 and 9; shadows, cards 1 and 8; reflection, cards 3 and 10; refraction, cards 2 and 5. Accept a second idea with a good reason.
• Part B, for example: a magnifying glass is curved, so it bends (refracts) the light coming from small print, which makes the print look bigger.
• Part C, for example: put the sail right over the play area, or a little to its north, because at lunchtime the Sun is high in the northern sky and the shade falls almost straight down; shade matters most in the middle of the day, when the Sun is strongest.

Light at work

A. Sort the cards

B. Explain one

C. Shade for our school

Light at work

Cut out the cards. Sort them by the idea that makes each one work: light sources, straight lines, shadows, reflection or refraction.

Teacher note: a card that fits two ideas is a good discussion, not a wrong answer.

Show what we know

The summative lesson, run as a celebration. Each child makes an A3 poster that explains light to a Year 2 class, in four panels: where light comes from, straight lines and shadows, mirrors, and bending light. Every panel has a ruled ray drawing with arrows and one clear sentence. Children gallery-walk each other’s posters, sit the final check alone, and close with the on-screen quiz as a class game.

We are learning to

• explain light sources, straight lines, shadows, reflection and refraction for a younger audience,
• draw rays with a ruler and arrows that show where light goes,
• show what we know on our own on the final check.

Success criteria

• Each panel of my poster has a ruled ray drawing with arrows and one sentence a Year 2 child could understand.
• I can show on the final check what light does and how we know.

You need

• A3 paper, rulers and coloured pencils,
• the worksheets and cards from the term for ideas,
• the poster plan (next sheet) and the final check (third sheet), one each per child, and the interactive unit open for the closing quiz.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after poster time and keep the posters safe. Start Session B with the gallery walk, then the final check and the class quiz.

Watch for these ideas

• Arrows that point from the eye to the object. Ask: where does the light start, and where does it end up?
• Rays drawn freehand and curving. Ask: does light curve on its own? Use a ruler.
• Reflection and refraction mixed up. Ask: does the light bounce back, or go on through and bend?

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: make two panels, sources and shadows, with a ray drawing each.
• Bigger: add a fifth panel that explains the periscope or the hidden coin.

Answers and look-fors

• Final check marking guide: 1 a candle flame. 2 light from a source bounces off the book and travels into your eyes. 3 cardboard. 4 it gets bigger, because the rays from a close torch spread out more after passing the puppet. 5 it bends. 6 30°, because the angle out equals the angle in. 7 around the middle of the day, when the Sun is highest in the sky. 8 any correct example, such as a mirror that reflects the road behind, or glasses and magnifying glasses that bend light.
• A score of 6 or more out of 8, plus a poster whose four panels each have a ruled ray drawing with correct arrows, meets the descriptor. The rubric near the front of the pack turns this into a level.
• Meeting the idea at the gallery sounds like “the light comes from the torch in a straight line, the puppet blocks it, so there is a shadow behind it”.

My light poster plan

Plan each panel for a Year 2 class: one sentence to remember, and a quick sketch of the ray drawing.

Show what we know

Show what you know about light. Read each one, then circle, write or draw. Take your time.

Teacher note: read the items aloud one at a time. The marking guide is on this lesson’s plan; the rubric near the front of the pack turns the score into a level.