• 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. You go into a room with no windows and shut the door. The light is off. What can you see? (only red things / only shiny things / everything, but in black and white / nothing at all) → nothing at allPrompt: What is missing from the room?
2. True or false? If you wait long enough in a totally dark room, your eyes will see everything. (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. / The book makes its own light. / Light from a lamp or the Sun bounces off the book into your eyes. / 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. On a cloudy day with no sunshine, why is it hard to see your shadow? (The clouds take your shadow away. / People have no shadows in winter. / The light comes from all over the sky, so it is not blocked in one place. / 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.
2. True or false? A red ball makes a red shadow. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: 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 8 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. Why is the shape of a shadow the same outline as the object? (Light travels in straight lines, so it is blocked exactly where the object is. / Shadows are photos of the object. / The object paints its shape. / Light bends around the object.) → Light travels in straight lines, so it is blocked exactly where the object is.Prompt: Does light curve round corners?
2. Shadows: which statement is true? (A shadow shows your face and your eyes. / Shadows point towards the light. / The shadow of a cup has the shape of a triangle. / Your shadow moves when you move.) → Your shadow moves when you move.Prompt: Picture a torch, a toy and a wall.

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