• Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Why we need light to see things). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
• Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.

1. A cat's eyes seem to shine in the dark when a car's headlights catch them. Is the cat making light? (No, its eyes are reflecting the headlights. / Yes, cats' eyes are light sources. / No, it is the Moon making the eyes. / Yes, but only at night.) → No, its eyes are reflecting the headlights.Prompt: Would the eyes shine if there were no light at all?
2. True or false? The Moon is a light source. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Where does the light start, and where must it end?
3. Why can you see a book on your desk? (Your eyes send out light onto the book. / Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes. / The book makes its own light. / Books glow in the dark.) → Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes.Prompt: Does a book give out its own light?

• Ask the class to make a wave with a rope or slinky and describe what moves and what doesn't.
• Share the objective: How shadows form when light is blocked. Read the success criteria together.

• Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
• Example: Why is the shape of a shadow the same outline as the object?
• Step 1: Straight-line light makes a dark shape matching the object's outline.
• Step 2: So the answer is: Light travels in straight lines, so it is blocked exactly where the object is.
• Answer: Light travels in straight lines, so it is blocked exactly where the object is.
• Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

• Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
• Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.

1. Your shadow always points away from… (the light source / the nearest tree / your friends / the ground) → the light sourcePrompt: Where is the light coming from?
2. True or false? A shadow shows the outline of an object but not its colours. (True / False) → TruePrompt: What does an object do to light to make a shadow?

• Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
• Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

• Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.

1. Shadows: which statement is true? (A tree's shadow on the grass is in a different place in the morning and the evening. / Shadows point towards the light. / The shadow of a cup has the shape of a triangle. / A shadow shows your face and your eyes.) → A tree's shadow on the grass is in a different place in the morning and the evening.Prompt: Picture a torch, a toy and a wall.
2. On a cloudy day with no sunshine, why is it hard to see your shadow? (The clouds take your shadow away. / The light comes from all over the sky, so it is not blocked in one place. / People have no shadows in winter. / Shadows only happen at night.) → The light comes from all over the sky, so it is not blocked in one place.Prompt: A sharp shadow needs light coming from one direction.

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-1.