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Week In Science - Light, Electricity and Magnets








Monday - We started our new unit on Light, Electricity and Magnets with our title page and a sneak peek of our vocabulary for the unit, which we then put together in our BINGO boards. I put together a PowerPoint of the vocabulary with pictures and went through it while students wrote the words on their bingo board. Students became excited for the unit because I was able to show them pictures of things they will be putting together in the unit (electromagnets, series circuits, etc.).

Tuesday - Properties of Light. Revised several Promethean Planet resources into a lesson. Students read their notebook page on the left hand side. We did a couple of in class examples of light traveling in a straight line with a flashlight and how distance affects brightness. I went over how to make a web using information from the left hand side with students. Then students were tasked with making a web on the right hand side using the highlighted key points. I showed the BrainPop video "Rainbows". Students went outside with Prisms.

Wednesday - Refraction, Reflection, Absorption. Had made waves of light out of paper that I had laminated.. Demonstrated how light refracts (covered with prisms the day before), reflects, and absorbs. Had students take turn with my waves of light (students wearing different colored tops got to come up and other students got to put the waves down the shirt of the colors that got absorbed and then "refracted" the light color that we see). Students made an "r" with their pointer finger (and said "refraction" - think of how the little boy in the shining would have done "redrum" and that is how I had them do it, they hugged each other to demonstrate absorbption, and bounced off each other for reflection.

Thursday - Reviewed light to date, read the left hand assignement from yesterday (I am putting some AIMES rubberband books about light on the right hand side next week). Practiced our Refraction, Reflection, Absorption. Watched Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow with students. Made connections to what we have been discussing in class.

Friday - Quick review. Students took 10 question quiz. We made secret messages using the book Color Analyzers - Investigating Light and Color (GEMS Teacher's Guide for Grades 5-8) and red jello. This tied into our discussion of absorbtion and reflection of light. Students made their own secret messages.
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