This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 4th Grade Science.

In this video, students learn that light always travels in a straight line until something gets in its way. When that happens, light can be absorbed, reflected (bounced off), or refracted (bent), depending on what kind of surface it hits.

The Light unit helps students explore the properties of light - where it comes from, how it moves, and how it interacts with objects.

This informational text introduces students to solar energy's role in warming the Earth's land and water and to the fact that dark-colored surfaces absorb more of the Sun's energy than do light-colored ones. Students also read about how the decline in Arctic sea ice is changing Earth's energy balance. This version is a full-color PDF that can be printed, cut and folded to form a book. Each book contains color photographs and illustrations. The text is written at a grade four through grade five reading level.