Light is so central to the existence of all life on the planet Earth, that it is relevant to almost every subject in the school curriculum. Physics, chemistry, biology and life science, language arts, art, theater — light has a part in all these subjects. The teaching units provided with the "Winter Light" feature look at light from many angles, making it appropriate for an interdisciplinary learning experience. The material can also be used in a more traditional setting.
Each unit is divided into several classes. Each class has a progression of teaching topics. Teachers of lower grades may find that only the first few topics in each class are appropriate for their students.
The units offer many demonstrations and hands-on activities for students. They also offer suggestions of ways to explain some of the basic concepts, in order to supplement the class textbooks.
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| Feature Article | |
| Winter Light | |
Teacher Resources |
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| Overview | |
| Unit 1: | Nature of Light |
| Unit 2: | Visible Light & Color |
| Unit 3: | Light & Matter |
| Unit 4: | Light at the Head of the Food Chain |
| Unit 5: | Light: A Literary Approach |
| Glossary | |
| Web Links | |
Students will:
- Develop an understanding of the history of the science of light.
- Identify light as part of the electromagnetic spectrum.
- Recognize that light travels in a straight path that can be represented by rays.
- Explore light as a form of radiant energy. Light energy can become heat energy and heat energy can become light energy.
- Examine the discrete particles of light called photons.
Students will:
- Demonstrate that white light is composed of colors.
- Explore how most objects reflect rather than emit light; the light they reflect gives them their color.
- Learn that each color in the spectrum is associated with a wavelength.
- Investigate how light is the only thing we really see.
Students will:
- Characterize materials as transparent, translucent, or opaque, depending on the light they reflect, transmit, or absorb.
- Observe that some materials bounce light, or reflect it.
- Examine how some materials "bend" — or refract — light as it enters the material.
- Discover that the refraction of light may disperse it into its component colors.
- Integrate the phenomenon of reflection, refraction, and dispersion to understand how rainbows are formed.
Students will:
- Explore the role of light in photosynthesis.
- Explain how light energy is converted into chemical energy.
- Describe the role of plants (producers) in the food chain.
Students will:
- Read and compare different stories on the origin of light.
- Consider the relationship between light and insight as expressed in the character of Apollo.
