Light - 4th Grade

 A student is sitting at her desk one day, and notices that the lights in her classroom have a cover over them. She wonders if these covers affect the light in any way, and decides to plan an investigation to find out if they are transparent or translucent.  Which of the choices below is an investigation and will give her accurate results?

• She can do research on the internet to see if the company who builds the covers tells if they are transparent or translucent on their website.

• She can turn off the lights and try to see through the cover, deciding if the objects on the other side look clear or not.

• She can interview the workers who installed the ceiling, asking if they use transparent or translucent covers.

• She can take off one of the covers and shine a light through the cover, looking at the light carefully on both sides.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Students observe how light interacts with different materials and record what they see in a data table. Which material would be entered into the empty box on the data table?

• Cardboard

• Glass

• Metal

• Cloth

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

On his way home from school, a student notices a car with dark, tinted windows. He wonders if the windows he is seeing are translucent or opaque, and plans the following investigation to find out:

Step 1 - Shine a laser pointer at the window from outside the car.

Step 2 - Look through the window to see if the laser’s light is shining inside the car or not.

Which of the following choices would improve his investigation?

• Change step 1 - he should use a flashlight instead of a laser pointer

• Change step 1 - he should look to see if he can see through the window

• Change step 2 - he should look to see if he can see the laser on the outside of the window

• Change step 2 - he should look at how the laser pointer’s light looks from inside the car

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

 Jonathan wants to build a doghouse for his new puppy. His puppy will be living in the backyard. He uses a flashlight to test the following materials: frosted plastic, wood, and glass. He wants to make sure the material he uses will keep his puppy shaded and cool during the day. Below are his observations from his flashlight test.

• He should use glass because it allows all light to come in, therefore, there will be no blocked light, so it will remain cool in the doghouse.

• He should use frosted plastic so there is some light that can come in to keep the doghouse cool, but not too cold.

• He should use a combination of all three materials to allow different amounts of light in to keep the doghouse cool.

• He should use wood because it blocks all light from coming in, and this will keep the doghouse cool.

Tags

NGSS.MS-ETS1-1

NGSS.MS-PS3-3

Students want to explore how light interacts with different materials. Which of the following investigations would BEST allow students to see how light interacts with different types of materials to classify them.

• Take three different types of flashlights to see the amount of light that shines through a piece of construction paper.

• Take three different types of flashlights to see the brightness of light when turned on in a dark classroom.

• Take three different types of materials such as: aluminum foil, plastic wrap, and white paper to see the amount of light that shines through it when placed under a flashlight.

• Take three different types of materials such as: cardboard, wood, and a thick blanket to see the amount of light that shines through it when placed under a flashlight.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Students conducted an experiment to classify different types of materials as opaque, transparent, or translucent. Which of the following charts correctly classifies the materials?

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Tags

NGSS.4-PS4-2

NGSS.5-PS1-3

Students used flashlights on different materials and recorded their results. Which material demonstrated a reflection of light?

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Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

Students can demonstrate reflection by doing which of the following?

• Warming metal under a heat lamp.

• Enlarging an image using a hand lens.

• Measuring a shadow made by the Sun.

• Observing their own image in still water.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

A student held a smooth piece of aluminum foil near his face and could see himself. Then, the student crumpled up the foil, opened it back up, and looked at the foil again. He could not see himself this time. Why was he unable to see himself in the crumpled piece of foil?

• The foil lost its thickness, and light was able to travel through it.

• The foil was uneven and trapped all of the light that traveled toward it.

• The foil was uneven, and the light that hit it traveled in many different directions.

• The foil absorbed the oils in Joshua's hand, and the oil caused light to stop at the foil.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2

 A student is planning an investigation to answer the following question: How can I use two mirrors to make a beam of light hit a certain target?  Here is his plan for the investigation:

Step 1 - Place a target on the wall across from me.

Step 2 - Place two mirrors around the targets.

Step 3 - Shine a laser pointer at mirror #1.  The light will reflect to mirror #2, and then to the target.

How would you help this student refine/improve his investigation to hit the target?

• The student should increase the size of his target.

• The student should decrease the size of his target.

• The student should change the position of the mirrors.

• The student should use a flashlight instead of a laser pointer.

Tags

NGSS.MS-PS4-2