CURRICULUM RESOURCES
Year 5 | Physical sciences | Light shows | NEW – fully aligned to the Australian Curriculum
What would our lives be without light? We need it to see everything we do in every moment of the day. We rely on light to read a book, cross the street, admire artwork, watch the sunset and look into faces. Light plays a role in some of our most sophisticated technology. It enables us to play music from a CD or record movies. High-speed optical cable is used in our communications. Lasers are employed in cutting-edge surgery and defence.
The Light shows unit is an ideal way to link science with literacy in the classroom. It provides opportunities for students to explore the properties of light and how it enables us to see. Students’ thinking about light and its role in our lives and our community will be developed using hands-on activities. Through investigations students explain how objects reflect, absorb and refract light, and how we can use light to meet our needs.
Unit at a glance (PDF)
Equipment lists (PDF)
Alignment with the Australian Curriculum: Science (PDF)
Alignment with the Australian Curriculum: English and Maths (PDF)
Factual and narrative texts
Useful websites
Factual texts:
Light and Sound (Kingfisher Young Knowledge series)
Goldsmith, Dr. Mike (Kingfisher, London, 2007, 48pp)
ISBN 978 0 7534 1518 4
Light and Dark (Science Starters series)
Madgwick, Wendy (Hodder Wayland, London, 2002, 32pp)
ISBN 0 7502 4145 4
Light: From Sun to Bulbs (Science Answers series)
Cooper, Christopher (Heinemann, Great Britain, 2003, 32pp)
ISBN 0 431 17494 6
Light: Look Out! (Science in Your Life series)
Sadler, Wendy (Raintree, Great Britain, 2006, 32pp)
ISBN 1 844 43660 8
How Stuff Works
A series of information, images and video clips to explain how light works.
Engineering Interact
An interactive science and engineering website for 9-11 year olds. Contains a number of interactive modules, split into three sections: learning, testing and engineering applications