Introduction
HTML version below or + Download | PDF | 140KB | 19 Pages

• How to Use the Teacher Resources
• For Whom Is This Unit Designed? Grade Levels
• Purpose of Unit
• Overview of Lesson and Student Assignments
• Benchmarks for Science Literacy
• National Science Education Standards
• Teaching Methodology
• Materials

Lesson 1 - Mix It Up
Mix It Up, is designed to help your students to understand that the color we see is a particular color of light reflected from an object. This activity will also introduce the concept that white light is a combination of other colors.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 328KB | 13 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 68KB | 7 Page

Lesson 2 - Prisms and Rainbows
Our eyes and brain interpret the simple mixing of only 3 colors of light (red, green, and blue) as white. The students were able to confirm this in the last lesson. In this lesson students will develop the understanding that "white" light from the Sun and "white" light from an artificial light source is a full range of colors from red to violet. Students will also learn how droplets of water function as prisms to separate this full range of colors into rainbows.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 372KB | 9 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 1MB | 8 Pages

Lesson 3 - Exploring Spectra
Students will understand that elements emit light in a distinct spectrum that can be used to identify the elements and that this information can be used to identify the composition of complex light sources like stars. Students will expand on their understanding of the visible light spectrum.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 132KB | 9 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 288KB | 9 Pages

Lesson 4 - Getting Hotter?
Students will discover the existence of non-visible light, infrared, outside of the visible light spectrum. Students will learn how infrared is used in science. Students will also develop experimental techniques useful for further exploration of the light spectrum.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 368KB | 7 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 80KB | 5 Pages

Lesson 5 - Mystery Light
Students will develop research techniques useful for further exploration, using models developed in previous lessons. Students will design their own experiment to explore the conditions under which special beads change color. Since these beads actually change in the presence of UV light, this lesson will allow them to discover the existence of another non-visible light, ultraviolet, outside of the visible light spectrum. Students will also learn how ultraviolet light is used in science.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 188KB | 9 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 64KB | 2 Pages

Lesson 6 - Independent Investigation
Students will choose an inquiry into the nature of light, design a procedure to investigate their question, revise the procedure based upon peer review, collect data, and report their results and conclusions.

• Teacher Resource + Download | PDF | 148KB | 5 Pages
• Student Assignments + Download | PDF | 44KB | 1 Page