Light and Shadows - Lesson 10 | Light Fixture

Downloadable (1 PDF - 12 pages)

The Light Fixture activity can also be found within the Light and Shadows - Let's Do Science Bundle. If you are interested in purchasing this activity and more, you can check out the Light and Shadows bundle here.

Ideal for grade 4-5, in this STEAM lesson, students will take on the role of a design engineer in developing a functional & creative lighting fixture for the city’s new public transit station. The project involves the iterative design of a prototype that provides a mixture of direct and indirect light for illuminating the station platform in an artistic way. Students will apply their knowledge of light manipulation elements such as lens, mirrors and materials to develop their prototype.

By the end of the activity students should be able to:

• Understand that light can be reflected, absorbed, and refracted
• Examine how light is transmitted through different mediums (water and fiber)
• Discover the critical angle for light traveling from water to air and the angle of incidence
• Define reflection, refraction and absorption of light
• Understand how light travels through different mediums

Additional resources included with the activity plan:

• Project instructions/rubric
• Smile challenge diagram
• Light area challenge diagram

Additional resources required:

• General construction supplies:
• Paper, tissue paper
• Tin foil
• Cardboard
• Tape
• Scissors
• Computer and Smartboard or projecting
  device with internet access
• Assortment of light manipulation elements:
• Lenses - concave and convex
• Mirrors
• Refraction materials
• Prisms