The EYE

Tuesday, February 26, we talked about the eye and how it functions to allow us to see.

We turned on and off the lights to observe how our pupil changes size to allow more or less light in.

We also read different articles about parts of the eye and eye abnormalities and then shared what we learned with the class.

At the end of class, we found a video of a basketball player getting his eye knocked out of the socket. It was gross, yet cool, according to middle schoolers. Here's a link.

The COLORS of the Rainbow

On Monday, February 25, we talked about why we see different colors and light.

First we took a glass prism and a flash light and observed how white light is made up of all the colors on the spectrum. You can see the color spectrum when light refracts (or bends) through a glass prism.

In this picture you can see the color spectrum, somewhat. Pictures don't capture the colors very well.

The student is shining the flash light through the prism to see the color spectrum.

On the wall is a nice view of the color spectrum. 

Once the students figured out the best way to shine the light at the prism to see the color spectrum, they drew the colors they saw in their notebook. 

Reflection Challenge

On Friday, February 22, we had a reflection challenge. There were six stations at which we had to reflect a laser beam with mirrors to a target. At each station the target was in a different place and required the mirrors to do something different. We had to use at least 3 mirrors to reflect the light to the target. Groups got more points if they added more mirrors. The laser pointer couldn't be moved from its original position.

The target for this station is under the table. "Under the Table"

The target for this station is on the table. "Nose Dive"

"Zig Zag" 

"Circle"

Refraction

Today we talked about refraction. Refraction is the bending of light as it passes from one substance to another. This happens because light travels at different speeds through different materials, causing light to appear bent.

The students observed refraction with laser pointers and different materials. The students drew diagrams of their observations.

Light Reflection

On Tuesday, we looked into the two different types of reflection, regular reflection and diffuse reflection.

1. Regular Reflection is when light rays all reflect at the same angle.

2. Diffuse Reflection is when light rays all reflect at different angles.

Laser Reflection Activity

We did an activity with laser pointers to see which types of surfaces have a regular reflection and a diffuse reflection: smooth, rough, shiny, and/or dull. 

We found out that smooth and shiny surfaces have a regular reflection, whereas rough and dull surfaces have a diffuse reflection. 

Electromagnetic Waves & Electromagnetic Spectrum

After sound, we started our light unit with talking about electromagnetic waves and the electromagnetic spectrum. We compared sound waves and electromagnetic waves, which transfer energy differently.

The challenge classes were split into groups to become experts on one type of electromagnetic wave. Each group researched their assigned EM wave and prepared a lesson about the EM wave to share with their classmates. The students presents a lot of very interesting information. 

The regular science classes made EM wave booklets to organize all the information about each type of wave.

String Telephone Lab

In the beginning of class, the students used the string telephones to explore the best way to communicate with the telephones. The string must be tight or the vibrations do not pass all the way through from cup to cup.

After five minutes of exploration, the students came back together in groups and designed an experiment to test. Groups decided which variable (independent variable) to change. Many groups choose to test which type of string works the best: regular string, yard, or fishing line. Other groups tested to see which cup works the best in the string telephone: stryofoam, paper, plastic, dixie, or tin can. Other groups tested string length to see if a shorter length allows you to hear the best.

In the back of the room, I had glasses full of different levels of water. The students made music by wetting their fingers and rubbing around the rim of each glass. We learned that the more water the glass has, the deeper or lower the pitch created.