Date:

Subject:  Science
Grade:    6
Term:  1
Unit:        2
Theme:  Energy, Forces and Matter
Focus Question: How does light behave?
Attainment Target(s): To enable pupils to:
● Gain an understanding of and apply aspects of the scientific method.
● Demonstrate a positive attitude towards the use of scientific language.
●  Demonstrate positive interpersonal skills in order to foster good working
relationships.
Benchmarks:    
● Explore the properties of light and sound, and how different materials affect their
behaviour.
● Display curiosity, objectivity and perseverance in their approach to activities.
Objectives: At the end of the lesson pupils should be able to:
● Investigate some effects of reflection/refraction in everyday life
Learning Outcomes: Students will:
● Explain some everyday observations in terms of the behaviour of light
● Make and record observations and present information in drawing and writing
Skills: Collaborate, manipulate, observe, record communicate, think critically (analyse,
develop explanations)
Materials: pencil, straw or spoon, an empty transparent container, small bottle of water
Vocabulary: refract, Refraction, dense, substance, obliquely.
Link to other subject areas: Mathematics- differences in time light takes to travel through
different mediums, for example: air and water
Content: Refraction is the change in direction of light when it travels obliquely from one
medium to another medium. For example: when light travels from air into water it slows
down, causing it to change direction. This is because water is denser than the air. Refraction
also happens with sound, water and other wavelengths as it passes from one transparent
substance to another. Bending from refraction makes it possible for us to have lenses,
magnifying glasses, prisms and rainbows.
 
DAY 2
Topic: Investigating Refraction
Teaching Learning Activities
Engage:  
Students will engage in a magic trick. First, the teacher will perform the magic trick for the
class then the students will follow afterwards.
Activity:
Each student will be asked to get an arrow and a clear glass filled with water. 
They will be asked to hold their arrow at chest level and slowly move the glass of water across
the arrow. Then, share what they observed. What happened to the arrow? Did the arrow
appear to be curved or bent?  Several students will be allowed to share. 
Explore: 
Teacher will ask students to get the following items: a transparent glass or plastic cup, a small
bottle of water, a straight pencil, straw or spoon. Students will fill the transparent glass or
container about half-way with water and place a pencil, straw or spoon in the container.  Next,
the students will be asked to observe the container from different angles (top and side), then
share what they observe. 
Using guided questions, the teacher will ask the students to record their observations in groups
of four.
Guided Questions:
1. How does the pencil look in the water?
2. What do you see?
3. Does it appear to be bent/ broken? 
4. At which point in the liquid is this evident?
 
Elaborate:
The students will observe their teacher on performing another experiment. This time around
the teacher will be using oil instead of water to test the concept of refraction. (See content
page for experiment.)
 
Explain:
Once the teacher has completed the experiment, students will be asked to make a comparison.
They will be asked to compare the activity with the pencil in the water with the pencil in the
cooking oil. The students will also be asked to tell what they think caused the change. 
 
Following the discussion, the students will watch a video on the process of refraction. At this
point the student will get a clearer understanding of the process of refraction. They will learn
that refraction has to do with the bending of light rays. This occurs when light rays travel from
one material to another. For example: when light travels from air into water it slows down,
causing it to change direction and vice versa. 
Suggested video: https://youtu.be/sBb5WUw2_2I
 
Evaluate: 
1. Students will complete an exit slip to recap important key points from the lesson.
2. Students will be asked to share real life situations where refraction is evident.
Content Page:
Elaborate Activity

Procedure

Teacher will guide students to:

1.      Use another cup with a thicker liquid such as cooking oil.

2.      Gently add oil until the cup is one-third full.

3.      Observe what happens when the pencil is placed into the cooking oil.

Reflective questions:

1.      How did the appearance of the pencil change when you placed the pencil in the cooking
oil?

2.      Compare your observation of the pencil in the water with the cooking oil?

3.      What might explain the change you observed?

Exit Slip: https://forms.gle/T7qyw2PjaXdKZGjg8

Teacher’s Reflection:
Key: 1- 2- 3- 4-
Unsatisfactory      Satisfactory        Good            Excellen
      t

Effectiveness of
strategies                             
   
Students’ participation
Effectiveness of
instructional
materials          

Objectives were
met                                      
  
Plan of Action
● Re-teach
● Reinforce concept (homework)
● Advance to next topic
COMMENTS:
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