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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

How we see: light, pupil, lens, retina and brain

Light, sound and waves

CCSS NGSS.4-PS4-2CCSS NGSS.4-LS1-2England: KS2 Y6 Light

Objective and success criteria

Students will: How we see: light, pupil, lens, retina and brain.

  • 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. What does a torch (flashlight) do in a dark cave? (It makes the walls give out light. / It makes our eyes stronger. / It gives out light that bounces off the walls so we can see them. / It makes the cave warmer, so we see better.) → It gives out light that bounces off the walls so we can see them.Prompt: Where does the light start, and where does it end up?
  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? (Books glow in the dark. / Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes. / The book makes its own light. / Your eyes send out light onto the book.) → Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes.Prompt: Does a book give out its own light?

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: How we see: light, pupil, lens, retina and brain. 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: What is the job of the pupil?
  • Step 1: So the answer is: the hole that lets light into the eye
  • Answer: the hole that lets light into the eye
  • 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. What is the job of the eyelid? (carries signals from the eye to the brain / protects the eye and spreads tears / the hole that lets light into the eye / focuses light onto the back of the eye) → protects the eye and spreads tearsPrompt: Follow the light's path from the front of the eye to the brain.
  2. Why can't you see a book in a completely dark room even though your eyes are open? (Books absorb eyesight. / No light is reflecting off the book into your eyes. / Your eyes are switched off. / The book is invisible at night.) → No light is reflecting off the book into your eyes.Prompt: What must travel from the book to your eye?

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. Which part of your body actually makes sense of what your eyes detect? (the pupil / the nose / the brain / the eyelashes) → the brainPrompt: The eye sends signals along a nerve. Where to?
  2. What is the job of the pupil? (protects the eye and spreads tears / carries signals from the eye to the brain / the layer at the back that senses light / the hole that lets light into the eye) → the hole that lets light into the eyePrompt: Follow the light's path from the front of the eye to the brain.

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-4.

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

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How we see: light, pupil, lens, retina and brain

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    Which part of your body actually makes sense of what your eyes detect?

    • A. the eyelashes
    • B. the pupil
    • C. the nose
    • D. the brain

  2. Question 2

    What is the job of the eyelid?

    • A. protects the eye and spreads tears
    • B. the hole that lets light into the eye
    • C. the coloured ring that makes the pupil bigger or smaller
    • D. carries signals from the eye to the brain

  3. Question 3

    You walk from a dark room into bright sunshine. What happens to your pupils?

    • A. They get bigger.
    • B. They close completely.
    • C. They get smaller to let in less light.
    • D. They stay the same.

  4. Question 4

    What is the job of the retina?

    • A. carries signals from the eye to the brain
    • B. the layer at the back that senses light
    • C. protects the eye and spreads tears
    • D. focuses light onto the back of the eye

  5. Question 5

    What is the job of the lens?

    • A. the coloured ring that makes the pupil bigger or smaller
    • B. carries signals from the eye to the brain
    • C. protects the eye and spreads tears
    • D. focuses light onto the back of the eye

  6. Question 6

    Why can't you see a book in a completely dark room even though your eyes are open?

    • A. No light is reflecting off the book into your eyes.
    • B. Your eyes are switched off.
    • C. The book is invisible at night.
    • D. Books absorb eyesight.

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Answer key: How we see: light, pupil, lens, retina and brain

  1. 1. D. the brain

  2. 2. A. protects the eye and spreads tears

  3. 3. C. They get smaller to let in less light.

  4. 4. B. the layer at the back that senses light

  5. 5. D. focuses light onto the back of the eye

  6. 6. A. No light is reflecting off the book into your eyes.