Teacher Candidate: Paige Lane

School: Ninety-Six Elementary

Subject/Grade: Science Grade 4
Learning Objective:

Students will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the properties of light.

Alignment with Standards:

SC Science Standard 4-5 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the
properties of light.
Indicator 4-5.1 Summarize the basic properties of light (including brightness and color).
Indicator 4-5.2 Illustrate the fact that light, as a form of energy, is made up of many
different colors.
Indicator 4-5.3 Summarize how light travels and explain what happens when it strikes an
object including reflection, refraction, and absorption.
Indicator 4-5.4 Compare how light behaves when it strikes transparent, translucent, and
opaque materials.
EEDA Standard 4 Students will demonstrate a positive attitude toward work and the
ability to work together.
SSCA Standard: Working Together, Respecting Each Other

Cross-Curricular Connections:
This unit will integrate the content area of ELA through the use of daily writing in science
notebooks.

Assessment(s) of the Objectives:

Lesson Objective(s)
The students will be
able to demonstrate an
understanding of the
properties of light.

Assessment(s) of the
Objective(s)
The lesson objective will
be assessed through
both formative informal
and formal assessments
that include quizzes,
Think-Pair-Share, and
KWL charts. A
summative assessment
will be given at the
beginning and end of the
unit in the form of a
multiple-choice test.

Accommodations:

Students who receive accommodations will be given extended time, instructional modifications,
and choice elimination on formal formative and summative assessments as needed.

Materials: Science notebooks, experiment kits, light unit videos, and light unit
flipchart.

Procedures:

Day 1
Focus: Basic Properties of Light
Indicator 4-5.1: Summarize the basic properties of light (including brightness and colors).

I will guide students in setting up their science notebooks for the Light unit. Page 1 Light KWL-

Divide page into 3 sections.

Then, I will introduce the Light unit. Students will need two sticky notes to use in the introduction of
the lesson.
o To begin I will cut off the lights and ask students if this would be a good idea to keep the lights
off all day in class? Why or Why not?
o After turning the lights back on I will tell the students that we depend on light to help us see.
o The students will then fill out what they know about light on the KWL chart as a form of
formative assessment.
o They are to pick one of their answers to write on the sticky note. After a few minutes, I will have

students share their answers by posting their sticky notes to the poster chart.
The video Out of Darkness: An Introduction to Light will be shown.
o This will give the students a brief glimpse about light and spark thought.
o I will PAUSE the video at 2:27 seconds. At this point, the students will fill out the W of what
they want to know.
o They will again pick out their best answer to write on a sticky note to place on the chart.
o I will explain to students that as they learn new things about light, they are to record it under the

L section of what they learned.

o The KWL chart will be revisited at the end of the Light Unit as a means of formative assessment.
A vocabulary sheet of light terms will be handed out.
o This will be page 2 in their notebook titled Vocabulary.
o I will review this sheet with the students for this unit.
I will then hand out the Properties of Light sheet
o This will be page 3 in notebook.
o I will go over the terms and students will illustrate each. (Give at least 2 examples)
o This sheet will be done with a partner for a formative assessment using the Think, Pair, Share
strategy.
I will revisit the KWL chart and have students fill out what they learned today.
o The KWL chart will be discussed for formative assessment.

Day 2
Focus: Basic Properties of Light/Light and Colors
Indicator 4-5.1 Summarize the basic properties of light including brightness and colors.
Indicator 4-5.2 Illustrate the fact that light, as a form of energy, is made up of many different
colors.

To review from yesterday I will have student helpers pass out the study guide for 4-5.1/4-5.2
o This is for a quiz on Friday.
o I will allow students time to fill out and then work with a partner to discuss answers.
o In whole class discussion, we will go over study guide for correct answers.
o This will become page 4 in their notebooks.
Flipchart on Light (Light 4.5.1 and 4.5.2 is the title).
o I will use a flipchart to guide todays lesson.
o The KWL chart will be visited for formative assessment.
The students will be asked, List what you know or would like to know more about color
and brightness.
I will then model brightness.
I will do this by opening and closing the blinds.
o Students will be asked why you cant look directly into the sun. (Think-Pair-Share for formative
o

assessment)
o When I get to page 17 of the flipchart, we will begin the prism activity.
The following flipchart pages tell how to do the activity.
Students will need the handout The Colors of Light to complete the activity.
This will become page 5 in their notebooks.
To conclude the lesson, students will add to the W and L of KWL chart.
Homework- Study for quiz on Friday.

Day 3
Focus: Reflection, Refraction, Absorption

Indicator 4-5.3 Summarize how light travels and explain what happens when it strikes an
object including reflection, refraction, and absorption.

I will start off today by reviewing items that produce light and those that do not by writing them on
sticky notes and posting to the KWL chart. (Formative assessment)
o Students will have one sticky note for things that they know produce light, and one for things
that do not produce light.
o These items will be reviewed with students and I will ask for volunteers to share what they

wrote down.
Next, I will have student helpers hand out the Does It Produce Light sheet.
o Students will need scissors and glue to cut out pictures of items that do and do not produce light.
o In their science notebooks, students will label the back of page 5 with Items that Produce Light
and page 6 Items that Produce Light.
o Students will cut the pieces out first and then participate in a Think-Pair-Share discussion before
gluing the pieces down.
o Then, we will review why each item belongs to its category through class discussion.

Students will do a 3 part foldable.

o The foldable will be modeled on chart paper.
o It will be folded hot dog style with three individual sections.
o Students will label each section as follows:
Reflections.Refractions..Absorption.
o Students will then add the following information under the corresponding section.
Reflections:
Reflected light bounces back from a surface.
Allows you to see objects that do not produce their own light.
When light strikes a smooth, shiny object, the reflection looks very similar to the

object.
The color of light that is reflected from an object is the color that appears.

Refractions:
When light is refracted, it passes from one transparent material to another, and

changes direction.
Light travels at different speeds and this causes light to bend. (Example: a pencil

or straw in a cup appears distorted (bent or broken).

Absorption:

When light is absorbed, it does not pass through or reflect from material. It
remains in the material as another form of energy. (Ex. Black shirt in the sun
absorbs heat energy.) (A leaf is green because it absorbs all of the other colors but

green and thus appears green.)

o Students will glue the foldable into their science notebooks as page 7 and with the title

Reflection/Refraction/Absorption.
I will have students revisit the KWL chart so students can add to the W and L column.

(Formative Assessment)
Homework- Study for quiz Friday, Use notes and foldables to begin filling out study guide 4-5.3/45.4

Day 4
Focus: Reflection/Refraction
Indicator 4-5.3 Summarize how light travels and explain what happens when it strikes an
object including reflection, refraction, and absorption

Today students will participate in a number of experiments that will be guided and demonstrated by the
flipchart titled Reflection/Refraction/Absorption.
o I will begin each activity with a Think-Pair-Share so that students can make a prediction about

what will happen in each activity. (Formative Assessment)

The flipchart will have queues to stop and do each activity.

The first activity is on Reflection. The purpose of this activity is to show students that that light will
bounce off a mirror at the same angle that it hits the mirror.
o Student helpers will hand out the Mirrors Reflect sheet. Students will work with a partner to

complete this activity.

Students will use mirrors to show that light travels in a straight line. They will need to follow the

directions on the activity sheet.

On the back of the sheet, students will use their mirrors to decode a message. This is a good time
to ask students if they have ever seen words written backwards on trucks. Why? Think about an
ambulance. Why are the words written backwards?

Activity two will be on Refraction. The purpose of this activity is to see what happens when light travels
from one transparent material to another.
o Again, student helpers will hand out the Light Rays Slow Down Sheet.
o Students will continue working with a partner.
o I will follow the teachers guide to this lesson in order to guide the activity.
o Students will need to be reminded when light moves at an angle from one material to another, it

bends, or refracts. The bending of light is called refraction.

Activity three will be on Absorption. The purpose of this activity is to see how an objects color effects the
way light is absorbed.
o This activity experiment will be set up at the back of the room.
o Students will see a heat lamp over two t-shirts, one black and one white.
o Students will put their hand on the white t-shirt first, then the black t-shirt.
o After every student has completed their observation, I will ask if they noticed anything different.
o The black material absorbs heat and thus fills warmer. Remember that absorption occurs when an
object takes in light. The white shirt reflects most colors of light. The black shirt absorbs most

colors of light.
When all activities are finished students will review by summarizing all three activities.
o Divide the paper in three sections, labeled Activity 1, Activity 2, and Activity 3.
o Students will write and draw a summary of each.
o This will become page 8 in their science notebooks and titled Reflection of activities.
Conclude the lesson by having students add one thing that they learned to the KWL chart. (Formative

Assessment)
Homework: Study for quiz Friday.

Day 5
Focus: Transparent/Translucent/Opaque
Indicator 4-5.4 Compare how light behaves when it strikes transparent, translucent, and
opaque materials.

Start today by administering the quiz on Indicators 4-5.1 and 4-5.2 as a formal formative assessment of

the indicators.
When all students have completed the quiz, I will go over the 4-5.3/4-5.4 study guide with students.
o We will have class discussion to make sure students have all the correct information.
o This will become page 9 in their notebooks.
o The quiz for these indicators will be onTuesday.
I will introduce todays lesson by using the flipchart Transparent/Translucent/Opaque.

Students should add to the K and the W of the KWL chart before beginning the lesson.

(Formative Assessment)
Guiding questions will be prompted throughout the lesson. Opportunities for Think-Pair-Share

will be given as well. (Formative Assessment)

At the end of the flipchart, students will be making a foldable for transparent, translucent, and opaque.
o They will fold their paper just like the reflection foldable.
o In order to fill out the foldable, students will follow the directions on the flipchart.
o This will become page 10 in their science notebooks.
A Light crossword puzzle will be given to students for a review on all vocabulary terms that have been
covered so far.
o Students are to use their notes and foldables to fill out the crossword puzzle.
o There is not a word list provided, but students who receive accommodations will be provided
o

with a word list.

After a few minutes of individual work, students will be allowed to review their answers with

a partner.
The correct answers will be given at the end of class during our whole class discussion on

todays lesson.
o This will become page 11 in their notebooks.
To conclude the lesson, students will revisit the KWL chart and add anything that they have learned from

the lesson. (Formative Assessment)

Homework-Study for 4-5.3/4-5.4 quiz on Tuesday

Day 6
Focus: Transparent/Translucent/Opaque
Indicator 4-5.4 Compare how light behaves when it strikes transparent, translucent, and
opaque materials.

Students will begin today by completing an experiment on transparent, translucent, and opaque materials.
o Student helpers will hand out the sheet titled Just Passing Through.
o Activity one will begin with the guiding question What happens when light strikes these
o

objects?
Students will use a flashlight to discover which materials are transparent, translucent, or opaque.

Students will be using a bag with the materials already in it to do the activity.
I will present the following information to students before the experiment.

Light normally travels in straight lines. When light strikes an object, the object may allow
light to pass through, it may block some of the light, or it may block all of the light. The

object also reflects light.

o Students should follow the procedures on the activity sheet.
o The activity will be completed with a partner.
o This will become page 12 their notebooks.
After the activity I will have students add to the KWL chart. (Formative Assessment)
Homework- Study for 4-5.3/4-5.4 quiz Tuesday

Day 7
Focus: Review/Colors of a Rainbow
Indicators 4-5.1/2/3/4

Administer quiz on 4-5.3/4-5.4. (Formal Formative Assessment)

When all students have completed the quiz, they will watch the video Science Facts and Fun:
Whats in a Rainbow
o After the video, students will participate in a Think-Pair-Share on what they have learned
from the video. (Informal Formative Assessment)
o From the share portion of the Think-Pair-Share, I will create an anchor chart on the colors

of the rainbow and any other information that pertain to the video.
All the information from the unit will then be reviewed with the students.
o Notes, study guides, foldables, experiment reflections, and the KWL chart will be used as
review materials.
o Students will participate in a mock jeopardy game using their materials as resources.

(Student use of technology.)

If time permits students will watch the video Magic School Bus Makes a Rainbow
o Discussion will follow the video.
Homework-Study for unit test on Thursday

Day 8
Focus: Review

Indicators 4-5.1/2/3/4

I will let the students review for the unit on their own and with a partner.
o Today is the last day for students to ask any questions about the unit before the unit test.
Homework- Study for unit test on Thursday

Day 9
Focus: TEST
Indicators 4-5.1/2/3/4

Administer Light Unit Test as a summative assessment of the unit.

Activity Analysis

Activity 1- The KWL chart supports the review of understanding on the lesson objective at the
beginning and end of each lesson. It also tracks the students understanding of each indicator.
Technology will be incorporated with this instructional strategy through creating a KWL chart on
the Promethean board active inspire program, and adding to it each day.
Activity 2- The experiments that will be used for specific lessons will provide the students hands
on experiences with discovering all about the properties of light. This really helps support visual
and kinesthetic learners better understand the properties of light. Technology will be used to
guide several of the experiments through the use of flipcharts on the Promethean board.
:

References:

SC State Standards
Fourth Grade Science Pacing Guide
Fourth Grade Science Lesson Plans