Light And Color

Lillie Mae Rayborn           John D. Shoop School 
                             1460 W. 112 St.
                             Chicago, IL 60643
                             312-881-5215

Objective:

For primary students grade K-3 in elementary school.
 
1. Students will understand how light travels in straight lines
   by exposing them to various activities.
2. Students will be exposed to the basic behavior of different colors in light.
3. Students will learn where light come from by using a laser.
 
Equipment and Materials:

    For the entire class

 1. red, green, and blue filters                 6. pencil
 2. 3 flashlights                                7. tracing paper
 3. transparent tape or rubber bands             
 4. a white wall
 5. a darkened room

Recommended Strategy:

 1. Use transparent tape or rubber bands to attach a colored filter to each
    of the three flashlight.
 2. Darken the room before mixing green and blue light, guess what color will 
    result.  Then turn on the green and blue flashlights and combine the lights
    on the white wall.
 3. The color you see on the wall, making of greenish blue is called cyan.
 4. Now guess what will happen when you mix green light with red light,
    test your guess. 
 5. Guess the result of red light mixed with blue light.  Then test your guess.
 6. Place the three flashlight on a table, one at each end and one in the 
    middle.  The light of all three flashlights should come together on the 
    white wall.  Stand between the flashlights and the wall.  How many shadows
    do you have?
 7. What colors are they?  Experiment by covering or turning off one light at a 
    time.  How do the colors of your shadows change.
 8. Create circle patterns.  With the pencil, trace the circle found on this
    paper.  Make sure the lines are heavy and dark.
 9. Turn the patterns over.  Keeping the pencil patterns face down, place the
    patterns on the stiff cardboard.  Go over the lines of the patterns with
    a ballpoint pen.  Lift the patterns.  You will see faint circle on the 
    cardboard.