Flipped Classroom Science Club - Light Week 1

Students do experiments at home with family first; we then gather via Zoom to share our results and for some additional experiments & demonstrations.

Friday, April 10

Prior to Meeting

• #1 - "The Experience of Darkness," page 63
  from Physics is Fun! A Sourcebook for Teachers by Roberto Trostli

  

• experiment on page 26
  from Egg-Ventures: First Science Experiments by Harry Milgrom
• experiment on page 17
  from Adventures with a Cardboard Tube: First Science Experiments by Harry Milgrom
• "Secret Writing," page 136
  from 175 Science Experiments to Amuse and Amaze Your Friends by Brenda Walpole

  

• "Shadow Tricks," page 132
• Design an Experiment
  "Shadow Changes," page 44
  from Puddle Questions for Science Grade 4: Performance Assessment Investigations by Heather McDonald and Joan Westley

  

During the Meeting

• review the results of student at-home activities
• discuss terms transparent, translucent, opaque
• ask, "What color is a red mug in the dark?"
• look at stromatolite images (same scene photographed by Frans Lanting in different lights) from Life: A Journey Through Time

  

• explain that light waves will always travel in a straight line until they hit something... at which point they have three options... they will either bend, bounce, or be absorbed (or some combination of these)
• set solar panel (we used the "Energy" jar from the Waseca Biomes Parts of a Biome Jars) out in the sun
• do Exploring Light 8 from NEED EnergyWorks student packet
• review Roy G. Biv and do Exploring Light 7 from NEED packet
• have students look at their reflections in both sides of a spoon (curve toward them and curve away from them) and note the differences
• watch Water Refraction Experiment video by What Do We Do All Day?

• do "Disappearing Glass" experiment from page 71 of Awesome Physics Experiments for Kids by Erica Colón

  

  Notes:

  You can find this experiment in a nice PDF here: The Invisible Bowl. The PDF also explains how it works.

  We used extra virgin olive oil since I didn't have vegetable oil on hand. This experiment only works with Pyrex glass -- not with regular glass -- since Pyrex has a refractive index of 1.47 and so does vegetable oil. It also won't work with water, which has a refractive index of 1.33. The oil and the Pyrex bend light identically, thereby making the glass seem to disappear. If you don't have vegetable oil on hand but still want to try this experiment, check out this handy Refractive Index List of Common Household Liquids.

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