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Science at key stage 3    (Year 8)

Unit 8K: Light
Section 3: What happens when light meets an object?

QCA

Objectives
Children should learn:
  • that materials may be transparent, translucent or opaque
  • to use ICT to make measurements
  • that light may be absorbed, transmitted or reflected when it hits an object

Activities

Outcomes
Children:
  • Provide a range of materials for pupils to sort into transparent, translucent or opaque groups, by shining light from a ray box onto them. Ask them to explain what is happening to the light in each case, and introduce the ideas of reflection, transmission and absorption.
  • Extend this work by allowing pupils to use a light sensor with a datalogger to compare the amount of light that is reflected by or transmitted through the different materials.
  • Establish that materials reflect or transmit different amounts of light and ask pupils to suggest what has happened to the rest of the light, developing the idea of absorption.
  • use words precisely when describing the effects of materials, eg transparent, translucent, opaque, reflect, absorb
  • use a light sensor to make comparisons
  • explain that some light may be absorbed when it hits an object

Points to note
  • Pupils will have carried out similar work during key stage 2, but this work provides a useful opportunity for pupils to use ICT and to introduce the concepts of reflection, transmission and absorption, which will be developed in other activities.
  • Draw attention to materials that both reflect and transmit light.
  • Extension: pupils could find out how bar-code readers work.

    • Safety

    • if school-produced ray boxes are used, they must be checked for electrical safety by a Portable Appliance Test

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
1. a. How does light travel?
2. b. How does light travel?
3. What happens when light meets an object?
4. How do we see things?
5. How do mirrors reflect light?
6. How are images formed?
7. Checking progress
8. Can light be bent?
9. What is a spectrum?
10. a. How can we change colour?
11. b. How can we change colour?
12. Reviewing work