Higher:
Give examples of how coloured light can form white light
Middle:
Describe how a prism can split white light
Lower:
State what a prism is
Higher:
Explain how white light can be split
Middle:
Suggest evidence that white light is a mixture of all colours
Lower:
State light is a mixture of all colours
Lesson Recap Starter: Think back to the last lesson. Provide three examples that explain the different uses of lenses.
Lesson Starter: What is a rainbow?
Children to write down their own definition - join together ideas and come up with a class definition that refers to light.
Presentation - Starter Slide
Learn about prisms, rainbows, and how white light is made up of the colours of the rainbow.
Talk Partners: What can you do to create a rainbow using light? Discuss your ideas with your talk partner
Key Concept:
During this unit, each lesson contains a key concept question housed in the '30 Second Challenge' slide. To help children master this content so the knowledge moves from their short term memory to their long term memory, at the beginning of the follow on lesson the question from the previous lesson is revisited.
The questions covered during this unit include:
1. How are shadows created? Why do shadows change during the day?
2. Why are transparent materials useful?
3. Provide three examples that explain the different uses of lenses.
4. What is white light?
5. Why does water bend light?
6. When is light colour mixing used in industry and how?
Presentation
Expert Film: Jon Badgery demonstrates how white light is made up of a spectrum of colours
Talk about bubbles and how they create a rainbow by splitting white light.
How we deliver the Gatsby Benchmarks:
2 - Learning from career and labour market information: Pop along to Developing Experts career’s zone to find out about jobs in your area.
4 - Linking curriculum learning to careers: This unit showcases careers that relate to light. Access our 360° virtual work tours.
7 - Encounters with Further and Higher Education: Pop along to Developing Experts career’s zone to find out about training providers in your area.
Presentation - Expert Film
Newton Colour Wheel
Isaac Newton showed us that white light is made of a mixture of colours by separating them with a prism. He used this experiment show that colours can be mixed to create a “white surface”.
See a visual guide to a Newton colour wheel for further guidance.
Quiz
With their talk partners, the children are to go through the quiz at the end of the presentation and answer the questions.
Quiz in presentation
Interactive quiz
What is the colour of a green object under white light?
Which colours of light are absorbed by a white object?
White light is made up of the following colours: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.
White light is made up of the following colours...
The Science Behind the Science
Visible light is a form of electromagnetic radiation. The wavelengths of visible light are approximately 390 to 700 nanometers (nm) and can be detected by most human eyes. Light from the sun is typically referred to as 'white light' but it is actually made up of different colours with different frequencies and wavelengths. The main colours that make up white light (with their approximate wavelength ranges) are: red (635 to 700 nm), orange (590 to 635 nm), yellow (560 to 590 nm), green (490 to 560 nm), blue (450 to 490 nm) and violet (390 to 450 nm).
A prism is a transparent object that can be used to disperse white light into its different colours (i.e. the colours of the rainbow). This works on the principle of refraction where light will change direction based on how its speed changes when moving from one transparent material to another. White light is separated by a prism because each colour refracts differently when moving from the air to the prism and leaves the prism at a different angle. Violet light is refracted more than red light. Rainbows are formed in the sky when water droplets act as prisms and separate white light from the sun into its different colours.
Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes
Using results to draw simple conclusions, make predictions for new values, suggest improvements and raise further questions
describes the colored light band formed by the sun passing through the prism and knowing that the sun contains different colors of light
