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Science lesson plan · 1st grade (Year 2 in England) · 60 minutes

Make a shadow bigger or smaller

Light, sound and waves

CCSS NGSS.1-PS4-3England: KS2 Y3 Light

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Make a shadow bigger or smaller.

  • 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: How shadows form when light is blocked

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 · 6 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (How shadows form when light is blocked). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Your shadow always points away from… (the nearest tree / the ground / the light source / your friends) → the light sourcePrompt: Where is the light coming from?
  2. True or false? Shadows are on the opposite side of an object from the light. (True / False) → TruePrompt: What does an object do to light to make a shadow?
  3. Shadows: which statement is true? (Shadows point towards the light. / The shadow of a cup has the shape of a triangle. / A tree's shadow on the grass is in a different place in the morning and the evening. / 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.

Hook · 6 min

  • Ask the class to make a wave with a rope or slinky and describe what moves and what doesn't.
  • Share the objective: Make a shadow bigger or smaller. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 12 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: In a shadow puppet show, how can you make the puppet's shadow BIGGER on the screen?
  • Step 1: Closer to the light → bigger shadow.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: Move the puppet closer to the light.
  • Answer: Move the puppet closer to the light.
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 12 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. In a shadow puppet show, how can you make the puppet's shadow BIGGER on the screen? (Paint the puppet black. / Turn the light off. / Move the puppet closer to the light. / Move the puppet closer to the screen.) → Move the puppet closer to the light.Prompt: When the puppet is near the lamp, it blocks a wider spread of light.
  2. True or false? Shadows change length during a sunny day. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Picture a puppet near the lamp and then near the screen.

You do: independent practice · 17 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. In a shadow puppet show, how can you make the puppet's shadow BIGGER on the screen? (Paint the puppet black. / Turn the light off. / Move the puppet closer to the light. / Move the puppet closer to the screen.) → Move the puppet closer to the light.Prompt: When the puppet is near the lamp, it blocks a wider spread of light.
  2. True or false? Moving a puppet away from the light makes its shadow bigger. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Picture a puppet near the lamp and then near the screen.

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: How shadows form when light is blocked.
  • 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-1.

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

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Make a shadow bigger or smaller

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Noah moved a toy away from a torch (flashlight). At which distance was the shadow tallest?

    Shadow height (cm) for each distance from the torch01020304050605610 cm4420 cm3030 cm2340 cm
    • A. 10 cm
    • B. 20 cm
    • C. 30 cm
    • D. 40 cm

  2. Question 2

    Why is your shadow long in the early morning?

    • A. The Sun is directly overhead.
    • B. The ground is wet.
    • C. The Sun is low in the sky.
    • D. You grow in the night.

  3. Question 3

    True or false? Late afternoon shadows are longer than midday shadows.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  4. Question 4

    Noah moved a toy away from a torch (flashlight) and measured its shadow on the wall. How much taller was the shadow at 10 cm than at 40 cm?

    Shadow height (cm) for each distance from the torch010203040506070807610 cm6420 cm5430 cm3740 cm

    Answercm

  5. Question 5

    How can you make a shadow SMALLER and sharper?

    • A. Use a bigger object.
    • B. Shake the object.
    • C. Move the object right next to the light.
    • D. Move the object closer to the screen, away from the light.

  6. Question 6

    True or false? An object always makes a shadow the same size, wherever the light is.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  7. Question 7

    Noah moved a toy away from a torch (flashlight). At which distance was the shadow smallest?

    Shadow height (cm) for each distance from the torch01020304050606010 cm5120 cm3830 cm1840 cm
    • A. 10 cm
    • B. 20 cm
    • C. 30 cm
    • D. 40 cm

  8. Question 8

    At what time of a sunny day is your shadow shortest?

    • A. just before sunset
    • B. just after sunrise
    • C. it is always the same length
    • D. around midday

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Answer key: Make a shadow bigger or smaller

  1. 1. A. 10 cm

  2. 2. C. The Sun is low in the sky.

  3. 3. A. True

  4. 4. 39 cm

  5. 5. D. Move the object closer to the screen, away from the light.

  6. 6. B. False

  7. 7. D. 40 cm

  8. 8. D. around midday