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Materials included in the Light Unit Kit |
STC/MS™
UnitsLight
ISBN 0-89278-908-5
Subject:
Characteristics of light
Most middle school students—like most
adults—have little understanding of the nature of light, although they
are highly dependent upon its impact. The STC/MS unit Light
introduces students to the behavior, properties, and uses of light. In
the introductory lesson, students investigate some properties of light
and their application in optical devices. Throughout the unit they
engage in a series of carefully sequenced activities to deal with
common misconceptions and develop new understandings. The unit
consists of the following three sections:
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Nature of Light
In these 13 lessons students examine the
sources of light, its travel in straight lines,
shadows, and the application of the principles of
its travel in a pinhole camera. In the lessons on
color they investigate the electromagnetic
spectrum and its visible portion, colored light,
and colored objects. Students also begin
developing and evaluating two models—particle and
wave—to explain the behaviors of light they
investigate. |
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Reflection and Refraction
Students investigate the reflection of light from
plane and curved mirrors and the refraction
through various media. They use their experimental
data to develop an understanding of angles of
reflection and refraction. Convex and concave
lenses are used to produce images for
investigation. Again, the wave and particle models
are compared based on students’ experiments with
refraction and reflection. |
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Using Light
After investigating the images produced by lenses,
students use combinations of lenses to construct
simple optical devices, such as a telescope and
periscope. They deconstruct a camera to examine
its components and their function. The last
lessons of the unit focus on visual perception
of humans and animals, the structure of the human
eye, and communication using light. |
The culminating Anchor Activity (a
research project) requires students to research and make a
presentation on an optical device, with a focus on the structure and
function of various elements of the device. Unit length: 8-12 weeks
of instruction.
QuickTime™ Video download:
Light
(56k) (Broadband)
Download an outline of the conceptual sequence for Light.
(PDF
Download)
Kit Configuration
Light Unit Kit equips one class of 32 students and includes:
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Basic equipment (items that can be shared by
more than one class of students if the unit is
taught to multiple classes)
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1 |
Refurbishment Set (items used up during
instruction) |
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1 |
Teacher’s Guide |
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16 |
Student Guides (nonconsumable)
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Price information
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