Students compare and contrast three NASA satellites. Other satellite information is included, but the project's main focus is a simple introduction to the electromagnetic spectrum as used by the three space observatories.

Students learn about infrared radiation. In an associated activity, students compare the behavior of a beam of infrared radiation to that of a beam of visible light and make observation when different materials are placed in its path.

Students view a series of coloured images and then record the colours of the afterimages seen by individuals. After discussing the observations, students will attempt to build a hypothesis to explain the observations as related to how the eye responds to electromagnetic waves.

In this lesson, students investigate the refraction of light and explore how objects may be magnified using simple lens.

In this lesson, students will explore the various types of electromagnetic radiation with the use of a sorting activity. Students will then create a model to represent the EM spectrum, including the names of the parts of the spectrum and the uses and applications of each frequency of the spectrum.

In this lesson, students discover how we learn about stars and the atmospheres of exoplanets by examining the light in greater detail. Students will match up the spectra of stars and planets with their atmospheric ingredients. In particular, what ingredients are we looking for in planets that may harbor life?

This lesson includes an Internet exploration that focuses on the roles of the eye and brain in the perception of color. It includes an introduction to the anatomy of the eye, including the functions of rods and cones. It is recommended that students complete the first 2 activities (Light 1 and Light 2) prior to this activity.

In determining the decrease in intensity of a beam of light travelling through different materials, students will explore how to manage the ongoing development of a practical investigation. They can be encouraged to discuss how to deal with inadequate or anomalous data, how to modify their methodology, or where to redirect their investigation.

Did you know that when you look at a star, your eyes are capturing light that traveled all the way from the star to your eye? Learn more about how light carries information from distant objects. This Moveable Museum article, available as a nine-page printable PDF file, offers a kid-friendly look at how information about distant objects comes to us in the form of light. It includes suggested resources for further research.

This self-tutorial introduces the electromagnetic spectrum through the concepts of wavelength and amplitude. Students learn to associate various wavelength ranges with different spectral bands, and can explore images from space astronomy missions in each band.

Sample Learning Goals
Explore how light interacts with molecules in our atmosphere
Identify that absorption of light depends on the molecule and the type of light
Relate the energy of the light to the resulting motion
Identify that energy increases from microwave to ultraviolet
Predict the motion of a molecule based on the type of light it absorbs
Identify how the structure of a molecule affects how it interacts with light

This activity introduces the primary colors of light. Satellites transmit images to us as a series of numbers, and this activity is designed to show how numbers are combined to create images using the primary colors of light. Students work in groups to create different colors using flashlights with red, blue, and green theatrical gels. Students create a numerical code to represent colors of light, experiment with building colors using the code, and complete a color mixing table.

Students will explore how the eye and brain work together to retain an image.

In this activity, students make a pinhole camera to investigate light and optics.

PHET Description:Make a whole rainbow by mixing red, green, and blue light. Change the wavelength of a monochromatic beam or filter white light. View the light as a solid beam, or see the individual photons.

Teacher Description: if you are a science teacher you are probably familiar with PhET Simulations. The website has many sims for things like matter, waves, and molecules that are help students visualize the abstract or very tiny. This sim is good is appropriate for teaching students how color filters work, and demonstrates that white or colorless light is made up of all colors.

In this activity, students investigate how colored images are formed from small red, green and blue lights.

This lesson is designed to exemplify a model-based inquiry approach to practical work. It is based around a model for human colour perception which describes colour-sensitive receptors (cones) in the retina. Students use their own ideas to make a prediction about the outcomes of an experiment to test colour vision. By gathering evidence of colour perception in the field of view, students build a model in the form of a map to help them understand what is happening on the retina. They then relate their map to the distribution of receptors (cones) in the retina, for different colours of light. They use the collected data to critique both their predicted model and the consensus model.

Students will investigate how the pupil changes size to control how much light enters your eye.

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 6th Grade Science. 

This course was created by the Rethink Education Content Development Team. This course is aligned to the NC Standards for 6th Grade Science.