Over the past month, the Bobcats have taken a closer look at light. Their curiosity about light began when some of the students noticed rainbows on the classroom walls on sunny days. They started to ask questions like, "Where is the rainbow coming from?" We offered the children flashlights, mirrors, and colored squares to see what the children noticed. They held flashlights to the objects and made observations.
Next, we created a "light lab" in the classroom. Our first question was: "What does the light do?" The children experimented with different objects and made general observations.
We took their observations and posed a second question: "Does the light shine through?" The children further investigated by choosing three objects. After they tested each object with a flashlight they recorded their results onto a chart where they drew the object, labeled it, and marked yes or no for if the light went through it.
Once everyone had completed their charts, the whole group met and discussed the results. The children noticed that for some objects it was a definitive yes or no, but in some cases, there were conflicting results (some marked yes, and some said no).
As a next step, the children watched a science video on the promethean board which explained the words transparent, translucent, and opaque. This information was taken back to the light lab where the children further explored more objects, using a different light source (a lamp) and sorting them by their attribute (transparent, translucent, or opaque.)
As a next step, the children watched a science video on the promethean board which explained the words transparent, translucent, and opaque. This information was taken back to the light lab where the children further explored more objects, using a different light source (a lamp) and sorting them by their attribute (transparent, translucent, or opaque.)
After their exploration, we gathered again to revisit and solidify the terms, opaque, translucent, and transparent. The children each chose an object and placed it by the word that described it. The following are their explanations:
Opaque - It doesn't shine through at all. It makes a shadow. The shadow is dark.
Translucent - It doesn't shine through all the way. It makes a shadow that is kind of light and dark.
Transparent - It shines through all the way. It doesn't make a shadow.
Opaque - It doesn't shine through at all. It makes a shadow. The shadow is dark.
Translucent - It doesn't shine through all the way. It makes a shadow that is kind of light and dark.
Transparent - It shines through all the way. It doesn't make a shadow.