Science Year 6 Physics Strand: Light

Science Year 6 Physics Strand: Light

This plan makes reference to session resources that can be downloaded from https://www.hamilton-trust.org.uk/browse/science/y6/light-year-6-new-curriculum/86901.

Session E

Colours

/ Programme of study: Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye
Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes
Working scientifically / Plan enquiries
Record data using scientific diagrams & labels
Report findings

Resources needed

/ Torch, triangular prism, glasses of water, a sunny day, thin card, scissors, felt tips, length of wool or string. Digital camera. Coloured acetate or cellophane sheets, overhead projector. Access to internet.
Whole class teaching:
Watch the video clip at http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/refraction-and-dispersion-of-light-through-a-prism/240.html. What did children see? A rainbow! Darken the room & show children a beam of light passing through a glass/plastic triangular prism. What can they see? Can they explain why a rainbow is formed? Where do the different colours come from? What are the two things that happen to light as it passes through a prism? Refraction and dispersion. What causes rainbows in the sky? Sunlight passing through spherical raindrops. View the video clip at http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/how-do-you-make-a-rainbow/8749.html. Explain to children that it doesn’t matter if they don’t understand all that Yan talks about – they will do one day (!) – the important thing is that they begin to understand that the light is refracted as it passes from air into water (& then from water into air) & that the different colours are refracted at slightly different angles, i.e. dispersed from white light. Check that children know the colours of the rainbow in order (ROYGBIV) & that the red colour appears on the top of the rainbow & the violet at the bottom. Further simple explanation of rainbows can be found at http://www.metlink.org/weather-climate-resources-children/key-stages-weather-climate/key-stage-2-weather/ks2-rainbows.html.
Tell children that red, green & blue are the primary colours of light. All other colours (including white) can be made from mixing these. Point out that this is different from paints – which are the primary colours in paint? Red, blue & yellow! Use https://sites.google.com/site/scienceofcolour/how-colors-mix to explain to children.
Group activities:
Adult-led activity:
Give children the opportunity to experiment with passing white light through a glass/plastic triangular prism. When they have formed a clear rainbow capture the moment using a digital camera! Ask children to draw a diagram to show the beams of light passing through the prism. Which colour will be on top after refraction & dispersion? Red!
Individual activity:
Give children the opportunity to mix coloured light beams using acetate or cellophane sheets to throw coloured lights onto a white sheet of paper. An overhead projector is an ideal light source to shine the colours onto a whiteboard. Children could also investigate what colour various objects look when different colour lights shine on them.
Individual activity:
Challenge children to make their own rainbow with a glass of water, a sheet of white paper and a sunny day (session resources).
Individual activity:
Challenge children to make white from a coloured spinner (session resources).
Individual activity:
Mix pigments online at http://www.omsi.edu/tech/colormix.php (when you first launch this activity it is set to mixing light, so click on the paintbrush to mix pigments). Click on Mix to match when you have practised mixing pigments.
Support: Children mix paint colours online at http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/games/colour-factory-game & then ‘paint’ a picture showing good mouse control.
individual activity:
Mix beams of light online at http://www.lightwave.soton.ac.uk/experiments/colours/javacolours.html, http://www.exploratorium.edu/exhibits/mix_n_match/ or http://www.omsi.edu/tech/colormix.php. Click on Mix to Match when you have practised mixing the colours on third site & on More… when finished mixing the beams of light.
Plenary: Discuss children’s findings. Use Discussion Drawing (session resources) to ensure that children know that when we see something coloured green it is because the green light has been reflected or scattered & the other colours absorbed by the object, whereas a yellow object reflects/scatters red & green light (which mix to form yellow light) and absorbs other wavelengths (colours) of light. There are other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation spectrum (of which light is a part) that children may have heard of, e.g. infrared, ultraviolet, X-rays & microwaves that are invisible to the human eye, but which we do use in other ways (visit http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/physics/electromagnetic-spectrum.html to see the range).
I can:
1. Explain that light is visible to the human eye.
2. Describe how white light can be split into its constituent colours by passing it through a glass/plastic triangular or spherical (like raindrops) prism.
3. Mix colours of light and compare with mixing pigments/paints.

Y6 Physics – Light – 6 Sessions