Visible Light Lesson Plan – A Complete Science Lesson Using the 5E Method of Instruction

By the end of this lesson about visible light, students will be able to explain where visible light falls on the electromagnetic spectrum, compare and explain how an object’s material and light frequency affect the way light is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted, model how frequency of light affects the color of an object, diagram how primary colors of light produce secondary and complementary colors, and model how the brightness of light is determined. Each of our lessons is designed using the 5E method of instruction to ensure maximum comprehension by the students. This well-thought out unit does the heavy lifting, giving teachers easy-to-implement, highly engaging lesson plans.

This blog will walk you through each of the steps and activities from the Visible Light 5E Lesson Plan.

ENGAGEMENT

Objective Introduction

At the beginning of the lesson, the class will do a Think-Pair-Share to discuss the objective.

Class Activity

1. Tell the students about how they'll be learning about visible light and how it travels. Ask the students if they can explain the colors of the rainbow.
2. If you don't have enough prisms to pass around to the class in groups, you could instead demonstrate light passing through a prism to the entire class.
   
3. Ask your students to watch the video using the provided link.

Student Activity

1. Divide the class into groups of three or four students if you have enough supplies.
2. Have students cut a thin slit in their cardboard and tape it over the flashlight lens.
3. Shine light ray on a prism. This may take a bit of time for them to find the correct angle.
4. Have students sketch and color what they see.
5. Ask students if they could try measuring the angle or each light ray using a protractor.
6. Have students label each color and diagram what they think each color frequency and wavelength would look like.

Afterwards, the teacher will help to clear any misconceptions their students may have about visible light. A common but major misconception, for example, is that students may not realize that white light is made up of every color; instead, they'll often think of white (and black) as their own, distinctive colors rather than expressions of every or no shade of light.

Estimated Class Time for the Engagement: 20-30 minutes

EXPLORATION

This student-centered station lab is set up so students can begin to explore visible light. With nine stations in total, you can introduce visible light to your middle school students in a variety of ways! Four of these stations are considered input stations where students will learn new information about visible light, and four of the stations are output stations where students will be demonstrating their mastery of the lesson's material. A bonus station offers challenges for your early finishers and independent learners. You can read more about how I set up the station labs here.

Watch It!

At this station, students will be watching a short video explaining sound waves. Students will then answer questions related to the video and record their answers on their lab station sheet. For example: How does light travel? List three things that can happen to light rays when they strike an object. What are three ways objects can be grouped based on how much light they let shine/pass through them?

Read It!

This station will provide students with a one-page reading about what is light. There are four follow-up questions that the students will answer to demonstrate their comprehension of the reading material.

Explore It!

Students will be working in pairs to better understand visible light. In this station, students interact with a couple of objects and describe how light reacts to these objects. Students will follow the steps and record their observations on their lab sheet.

Research It!

The research station will allow students to explore an interactive web page that helps them to understand visible light and wave behaviors. Students will be instructed to complete a few tasks and record answers on their lab sheets.

Organize It!

Students at this station will match sets of cards together. The cards describe or display objects, descriptions, and visible light that they will determine match together. Once students have completed their organization, the teacher will check their understanding.

Illustrate It!

Your visual students will love this station. Students are to draw pictures that demonstrate their knowledge of visible light (reflection, absorption, refraction, opaque, transparent, translucent).

Write It!

Students who can answer open-ended questions about the lab truly understand the concepts that are being taught to them. At this station, the students will be answering three task cards: What is visible light and how does it travel? What is the difference between the reflection and refraction of light? Describe a situation where absorption causes something to heat up. What is happening during this process?

Assess It!

The Assess It station is where students will go to prove mastery over the concepts they learned in the lab. The questions are set up in a standardized format with multiple choice answers. Some questions include: The image below is an example of ______. What characteristic of how light transfers would cause this problem? Which statement is incorrect about light energy? The glass of most fish tanks is considered to be _________.

Challenge It! - Bonus Station

Early finishers and advanced students will love the extension activities in this station. Four activity choices offer them ways to expand their learning through mini-games and mini-projects.

Estimated Class Time for the Exploration: One or two 45-minute class periods

EXPLANATION

The explanation activities will become much more engaging for your class once they’ve completed the exploration station lab. During the explanation piece of the lesson, the teacher will be clearing up any misconceptions their students may have about visible light with a variety of materials. These materials include on-level and modified versions of the interactive presentation (may be used individually or projected), anchor charts, and paper or digital interactive notebook activities.

Interactive notebook samples: Above-left is a digital INB activity slide; above-right is an example of the paper INB activities.

The students will also be interacting with their journals while taking notes from the PowerPoint. If you have students that need modified notes, the 5E lessons come equipped to help give every student access to the lesson.

Estimated Class Time for the Exploration: Two or three 45-minute class periods

ELABORATION

The elaboration section of the 5E method of instruction gives students choices that allow them to prove they’ve mastered the concepts behind the lesson. When students are given a choice, they’re much more enthusiastic and invested in the project than they are when their teachers choose their projects for them. There are a total of nine choices to demonstrate understanding of visible light. A separate set of choices that offer more teacher support are also available for students that need them. Rubrics guide students to doing their best work and assist in grading.

Estimated Class Time for the Elaboration: Two or three 45-minute class periods (can also be used as an at-home project)

EVALUATION

The final piece of the 5E model is to evaluate your students' comprehension. Included in every 5E lesson is a homework assignment, assessment, and modified assessment. Research has shown that homework needs to be meaningful and applicable to real-world activities in order to be effective. When possible, I like to give open-ended assessments to truly gauge the student’s comprehension.

Estimated Class Time for the Elaboration: One 45-minute class period

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