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Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource

What Happens When Light Hits Materials? — 5E Lesson Plan

Physical Science · 35 minutes

Grade 1

5E lesson flow

  1. 01

    Engage

    5 min

    Teacher Does

    Show the neutral setup and four material cards.

    Students Do

    Predict possible beam changes without seeing results.

    Ask

    • What should change? What should stay the same?

    Look For

    Material changes; flashlight and screen positions stay fixed.

  2. 02

    Explore

    11 min

    Teacher Does

    Guide one run per material and reveal each result only after shining.

    Students Do

    Test clear plastic, wax paper, cardboard, and mirror and record observations.

    Ask

    • What do you see on the forward screen and side target?

    Look For

    Bright, dim-spread, dark/shadow, and redirected-side records.

  3. 03

    Explain

    6 min

    Teacher Does

    Connect light, material, beam, block, and reflect to observations.

    Students Do

    Pair each material with its result card.

    Ask

    • Which observation is your evidence?

    Look For

    Evidence wording rather than color/name guesses.

  4. 04

    Elaborate

    8 min

    Teacher Does

    Run the mirror target and purpose challenges.

    Students Do

    Retry orientations and choose materials for soft light or a side target.

    Ask

    • Which tested result fits the purpose?

    Look For

    Position B and observation-based choices.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    5 min

    Teacher Does

    Prompt the four-part pattern sentence.

    Students Do

    Explain that materials can let lots through, let some through, block, or redirect light.

    Ask

    • How can different materials change light?

    Look For

    All four effects in plain language.

Student goal

I can test four materials in the same light setup and use what I see as evidence.

Learning objectives

  • Plan and carry out a simple test that changes the material in a light beam while keeping the light source and screen setup the same.
  • Use observations to compare materials that let lots of light through, let some light through, block light, or redirect light.

Materials

  • Cool flashlights
  • Clear plastic
  • Wax paper or cloudy sheet
  • Cardboard
  • Classroom-safe unbreakable mirror or acrylic reflective surface
  • Forward screen
  • Optional side target

Before class

  • Secure each flashlight in a holder.
  • Mark fixed flashlight, material-holder, forward-screen, and side-target positions.
  • Use no glass mirror where breakage is a risk.
  • Test Position B as the side-target orientation.

Prior knowledge

  • Light helps us see.
  • Students can compare bright, dim, dark, and direction.

Vocabulary

light
Energy that lets us see and can travel from a light source.
material
What an object is made from.
beam
A narrow path of light from a source.
block
To stop light from continuing through a material.
reflect
To send light in a new direction when it bounces from a surface.

Differentiation

  • Read directions aloud and use picture cards.
  • Accept pointing, drawing, or spoken evidence.
  • Use the frame: I chose __ because I saw __.
  • Let partners take turns selecting and observing.

Assessment

  • Check fair-test variables.
  • Require four recorded material results.
  • Require evidence for a purpose choice.

Exit ticket

Choose one material and tell what the light did.

Extension

Find another safe material for the teacher to test in the same setup.