How does light travel?
How does light interact with other objects?
These are the questions that we investigated in our science study into light in second grade enrichment. In our first meeting, students came into a dark enrichment space, and were challenged to think about light. It is all around us, yet we found that we had not spent much time thinking about its properties. If students closed their eyes, could they feel when a flashlight was shone on them? What are some sources of light? What questions do we have about light? We had a great discussion and then spent the rest of class using flashlights to develop observations and questions.
Next we used our great science thinking to consider sources of light. Students created tables to compare objects that produced light, and ones that did not. I observed many great discussions as students considered what light really is.
Next we investigated how light travels. We used questions, observations, and careful note taking to share our results.
Lastly, we studied various materials and how light interacts with them. We tested many materials and discovered through investigation that depending on the type of material light will interact differently. This realization led us to an engineering problem in which students had to select the best material to design a bike helmet. Students used experiments to test out their hypothesis and did a great job showing and sharing their thinking.
Last week we wrapped our unit with a 'celebration of light'. We made our own flashlights with LEDs and batteries and we built light mazes and forts. Second graders learned a lot about light and did a great job connecting real life ideas and problems to their discoveries.
Last week we wrapped our unit with a 'celebration of light'. We made our own flashlights with LEDs and batteries and we built light mazes and forts. Second graders learned a lot about light and did a great job connecting real life ideas and problems to their discoveries.
