Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 30 minutes

Dark means no light; protect your eyes from the Sun

Light, sound and waves

CCSS NGSS.4-PS4-2England: KS2 Y3 Light

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Dark means no light; protect your eyes from the Sun.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Why we need light to see things

Leads to: the next skill in this area.

Materials: Slinky or rope, Mirrors and torches, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • 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. Why can you see a book on your desk? (Your eyes send out light onto the book. / 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.) → Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes.Prompt: Does a book give out its own light?
  2. True or false? Dark means there is no light, or very little light. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Where does the light start, and where must it end?
  3. You go into a room with no windows and shut the door. The light is off. What can you see? (nothing at all / everything, but in black and white / only shiny things / only red things) → nothing at allPrompt: What is missing from the room?

Hook · 3 min

  • Ask the class to make a wave with a rope or slinky and describe what moves and what doesn't.
  • Share the objective: Dark means no light; protect your eyes from the Sun. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: Why do sunglasses with UV protection help your eyes on a bright day?
  • Step 1: UV-blocking lenses protect eyes from damage over time.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: They block harmful ultraviolet light and reduce glare.
  • Answer: They block harmful ultraviolet light and reduce glare.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. Why must you never look straight at the Sun, even with sunglasses? (It makes the Sun go out. / The Sun is too far away to see. / It makes the Sun angry. / Its light is strong enough to permanently damage your eyes.) → Its light is strong enough to permanently damage your eyes.Prompt: Sunglasses reduce glare but are not made for staring at the Sun.
  2. True or false? It is safe to stare at the Sun through sunglasses. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Think about how light reaches eyes and skin.

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • 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.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. What is "dark"? (a shadow from the Moon / a gas that fills rooms at night / a kind of black light / the absence of light) → the absence of lightPrompt: When you switch on a lamp, what happens to the dark?
  2. Is this safe or unsafe in strong sunlight: looking at the Sun through binoculars? (safe / unsafe) → unsafePrompt: Does it protect your eyes and skin, or expose them?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Why we need light to see things.
  • Use concrete materials: slinky or rope.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-3.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

eurekami

Dark means no light; protect your eyes from the Sun

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    True or false? You cannot get sunburnt on a cloudy day.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  2. Question 2

    How can you safely watch a solar eclipse?

    • A. Look through ordinary sunglasses.
    • B. Look through binoculars.
    • C. Look quickly and then look away.
    • D. Use certified eclipse glasses or project the image through a pinhole onto card.

  3. Question 3

    Is this safe or unsafe in strong sunlight: playing in the shade at midday?

    • A. safe
    • B. unsafe

  4. Question 4

    True or false? We need light to see; in total darkness we see nothing.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  5. Question 5

    Why do sunglasses with UV protection help your eyes on a bright day?

    • A. They make you see in the dark.
    • B. They let in more light.
    • C. They block harmful ultraviolet light and reduce glare.
    • D. They make the Sun bigger.

  6. Question 6

    Is this safe or unsafe in strong sunlight: putting on sunscreen?

    • A. safe
    • B. unsafe

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Dark means no light; protect your eyes from the Sun

  1. 1. B. False

  2. 2. D. Use certified eclipse glasses or project the image through a pinhole onto card.

  3. 3. A. safe

  4. 4. A. True

  5. 5. C. They block harmful ultraviolet light and reduce glare.

  6. 6. A. safe