Lesson Plan (4) E328 - Science in the Elementary School

Refraction
A) LEARNING OBJECTIVE
Students will be able to use the materials provided at each station to observe
refraction and when given an example of refraction be able to explain why it
occurs.
Students will experiment with the materials provided in order to be able to explain
what happens with light when it interacts with an object.
B) DESCRIPTION OF YOUR LESSON
ENGAGE
The teacher will begin by saying Weve talked about how light can be absorbed, reflected
or can create shadows, today we are going to explore something else light can do.
Teachers will ask students if they have ever seen a rainbow and if yes, have them draw a
picture of it and if not, have them draw a rainbow from a picture theyve seen. We will
have provided crayons and markers. Well have students include details about what the
weather was like and then well have some students share and talk about their pictures.
EXPLORE There will be five stations set up for the students to investigate. Students will
be broken up into groups of four or five and visit each station. At each station students will
be required to write down and draw their observations. Additionally, at each station there
will be a sheet of paper with brief directions listed.
Station 1: Students will receive a few clear plastic cups filled with water. Each cup will
have a straw inside. Directions will ask students to look at the straw and cup from different
angles and record their observations.
Station 2: Students will be given a few clear plastic cups of water and mirrors. Directions
will ask students to place a cup it in front of their face and look at what appears in the
mirror if placed in front of the cup. Directions will also ask students to place a cup in front
of their neighbor and look at their neighbors face through the cup. Students must record
their observations.
Station 3: Students will be given a few sheets of patterned scrapbook paper and a few clear
plastic cups. Students will be directed to place the different patterned paper behind the
clear cups and observe how the patterns look through the water. Students will be asked to
explore with different patterns. Students will record observations.
Station 4: This station will be at the windowsill so that students have ample light for their
observations. Students will be given 3 clear, plastic goblets each filled
with dyed water. One cup will have red water, one will have blue water
and one will have yellow water. Students will be asked to position the
goblets in a triangle like shape as in the picture to the right. Students will
be asked to look inside the cups and observe their observations of colors and
shapes.

Station 5: Students will be given magnifying glasses and asked to walk around the room
and observe objects through the magnifying glass. Students will be asked to record their
observations.
EXPLAIN
After students have completed the stations the teacher will ask the students to discuss in
groups their observations and then share out to the class. The teacher will track common
observations for each station on an anchor chart at the front of the room. After each group
has finished sharing the teacher will ask guided discussion questions:
Do you think the straw was actually bent?
Did your finger actually get thicker?
Why do you think your eye/finger looked bigger or thicker when looking through a
clear plastic cup of water?
What do you think caused objects to look differently in these experiments?
If the students are unable to recognize that light plays a role in making the objects look
different, well say, Well, we have been talking about light and what happens when it
interacts with objects. What do you think is happening to the light when it travels through
water or a magnifying glass before interacting with an object?
After students have come up with their own explanations and ideas for what they observed,
we will show a Bill Nye video about refraction, which will explain why they saw what they
did and what refraction is. We will summarize what the video said by explaining that light
travels at different speeds, causing it to bend when it interacts with a different substance or
material.
ELABORATION
In the elaboration phase, the teacher will revisit the idea of the rainbow and the pictures the
students drew. Teachers will ask questions, like Why does the rainbow appear bent?
Why is water necessary for a rainbow to form? Students should be able to apply what
they learned from the Bill Nye video and the station work to form an answer. If they are
not, we will discuss how the light in rainbows is refracted more or less to form each arch.
C) ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION (the 5th E)
We will be assessing students understanding throughout our lesson with
formative assessments. While students are working in stations, making observations, and
having discussions, well be evaluating how well the students understand. We will look
for if students are noticing lights role in the change of appearance of the objects. This
data will help us determine how well our lesson is going and whether we need to Gear
Up or Gear down. At the end of the lesson, there will also be a summative
assessment. We will show an example of refraction on the document camera and have
students write individually about what is happening and why. The example we will use is
the difference in appearance of a penny when water is poured over it.

D) GEARING UP/GEARING DOWN

1) Gearing up If students easily identify observations in each station
and connect the ideas to light, the IU teacher at each station can ask the
students to provide another example in everyday life where the same
phenomena can be seen. The student will also be asked to draw the
example and explain lights role in the phenomena.
2) Gearing down We will have IU teachers sitting at each station. If
students are struggling at a station the teachers will point out particular
observations the students should take note of. If students are still
struggling during the explain section their partners can further assist
them when they are brainstorming about why their observations
occurred. Furthermore, during the video students who are struggling
grasping the content will be advised to take notes while they watch. The
IU teacher at their table can make sure that they are writing down key
ideas.
E) STANDARDS
Content Standards:
3.1.4- Investigate how light travels through the air and tends to maintain its
direction until it interacts with some other object or material.
Design Process Standards:
Document the design throughout the entire design process.
Nature of Science Standards:
Perform investigations using appropriate tools and technologies that will extend
the senses.
Keep accurate records in a notebook during investigations and communicate
findings to others using graphs, charts, maps and models through oral and written
reports.
Identify simple patterns in data and propose explanations to account for the
patterns.

F) TEACHER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE

Teachers need to have in-depth understanding of refraction. Refraction is the deflection
of light as it passes through different mediums. Teachers must recognize that refraction
occurs when light bends because it slows down when entering a new substance, whether

thats plastic, water, glass, etc. The angle of refraction changes when light enters a new
material and that is why objects appear bigger, thicker, or bent. For this specific lesson,
teachers should also understand how rainbows are formed. The different colors of the
rainbow are refracted at different angles, which gives a rainbow its U-shape. The light is
refracted or bent in a U-shape to form the rainbow because the light is entering the water
droplets in the air. Teachers also need an understanding of each activity that the students
will be observing. Teachers must understand that none of the objects are actually being
bent or becoming thicker. Everything the students observe is an optical illusion as a
result of refraction. With the different colored water in the goblets, teachers should have
an understanding of how the new colors are formed and why are they on the opposite side
of the cups. This is because of angles of refraction.
G) UNIT CONTENT PROGRESSION
This lesson connects to the previous lesson reflection because both reflection and
refraction occur due to a change light direction when objects interfere. Furthermore,
during our investigation students will encounter reflection again as they are making
observations. Our lesson will also connect to the following lesson because it is a
summary of the unit, so the concept of refraction will be discussed again in the review.
H) MATERIALS
9 clear plastic cups
3 clear plastic goblets
Water
Red, yellow and blue food coloring
Straws
5 pieces of patterned scrapbook paper
Crayons and Markers
Blank white paper.
19 copies of student observation handout
Common Observations Anchor Chart
Station Direction Sheets

I) HANDOUTS/JOURNALS

J) REFERENCES
http://de-tout-et-de-rien-caroline.blogspot.com/2014/03/color-mixing-with-lightrefraction.html
http://www.schooltube.com/video/937f3ed1928b49569f1c/Bill%20Nye%20Refraction
National Geographic Big Ideas