Learning Centre Experience

Below is the lesson I created and a picture of the learning centre set up:

The Path of Light

Grade 4 - Light

Goals:  The goals of this learning centre are for students to observe how light travels and be able to make better, more descriptive observations.

Outcome:  4-2-07: Observe and describe properties of light

                   4-0-5c: Record observations in a variety of ways

                   4-0-9c: Report and record what is observed, not what they think they ought to observe, nor what they believe the teacher expects

Materials: 4 pieces of cardboard (with holes in the middle), flashlights, stands (for cardboard pieces), instructional poster, “The Path of Light Record Sheet” worksheet

Timeframe: 35 minutes

Adaptations: Have pictures and words for instruction on the worksheet and poster board.

Strategies:

            Activating:  Read a non-fiction book about light and explain that books are a good resource for learning about light. Find pages in the book that discusses the movement of light and how it moves through different objects.

            Acquiring: Discuss that light travels through the air, just like a car or a spaceship.  Have the students predict whether they think light travels through the air in a straight line or a curved line. Tell the students that they will be going through three learning centres that show how light moves through the air and through different types of objects. Explain all three centres.

            Applying: For “The Path of Light” learning centre, describe how one set has the holes in the cardboard lined up, but the other doesn’t.  Reinforcing that the students have to observe what happens to the light as it travels through the holes in the cardboard.  Then have each student test how the light travels through the holes of each set of experiments. Get the students to communicate and describe what happens to the light in each set.  Then have the student draw and label the diagrams of both experiments on the worksheet provided. (This would include “Raindrops and Rainbows” and “Translucent, Transparent, Opaque” learning centres)

Assessment: Observe how students participate at each learning centre and take in the worksheets given.  The students will then create posters that showcase how light travels and how it travels through different objects, demonstrating they know how light travels and can use the appropriate language.

Resource: S&S Learning Material – The Path of Light (pg. SSB1-103)