Searching for Water on the Moon
Lesson 5: Learning About Light
Learning Goals/Objectives
PREVISIT ACTIVITY
“Space Explorers Trading Cards”
or “Space Exploration Timeline”
5E MODEL
Engage
GRADE LEVEL
Middle School
NSES STANDARDS
(National Science Education
Standards)
A, B, E
PREPARATION
Estimated Preparation Time:
60 minutes
Estimated Lesson Time:
2 or 3 class periods
MATERIALS
 Student science
notebooks
 Student worksheet Part
One
 Student worksheet Part
Two
 Flashlight
 Variety of light sources
(lamps, fluorescent lights,
sunlight)
 Spectroscope or
spectroscopic glasses
 Prism
 Gas Spectrum Emission
Tubes (optional)
To understand the electromagnetic spectrum
To observe white light through a diffraction grading
To observe gas emission tubes through a spectroscope and
compare the resulting spectra to the visible light spectrum (optional)
Activity Overview
Students will explore the electromagnetic spectrum, paying particular
attention to the ultraviolet range and where it lies in relation to the
range of visible light. Students will use a prism and a spectroscope
to learn that when light is bent it’s separated into different
wavelengths.
Advance Preparation
1. Photocopy the Part One worksheet for each group of three
students.
2. Photocopy Part Two worksheets for each student.
3. Make a color transparency, PowerPoint, or White Board slide of
The Electromagnetic Spectrum for your class discussion.
4. Mark off a 20-foot walking area for students to walk either in the
classroom or hallway. Designate a starting line and a finish
line.
5. If you plan on having the students build their own
spectroscopes, they would need to complete that task before
completing part three.
6. Gather a variety of light sources for students to view through
the spectroscope.
7. Obtain gas emission tubes for students to view and compare
different spectra to that of white light.
Teacher Background
The electromagnetic spectrum is made of electromagnetic waves
that span a huge range of frequencies and wavelengths. Students
will undoubtedly be familiar with various regions of the spectrum.
Visible light is just a small region of the spectrum. When visible light
is bent as through a prism, it separates into distinct wavelengths,
each representative of a particular color.
The longest wavelengths in the visible light range are red, and the
shortest ones are violet. Beyond the violet range of the visible light
spectrum is ultraviolet light. Ultraviolet light is higher in frequency
and shorter in wavelength than visible light.
Classroom Activity
Part One – Assessing Prior Knowledge
1. Assemble student into groups of three or four. Hand out the Learning about Light: Part
One worksheet to each group.
2. Inform the students that they should right down any connections that comes to mind
about radio, microwaves, x-ray, and ultraviolet waves. It’s okay if they don’t know
anything. This is your opportunity to assess their prior knowledge and be aware of any
preconceptions that your student may hold.
3. Students can discuss their answers in small groups.
Part Two – Vocabulary Building
1. Display the transparency or slide of The Electromagnetic Spectrum on the screen.
Inform the students that they will be learning about the electromagnetic spectrum.
2. Before the students can explore the diagram of the EM spectrum, demonstrate some of
the vocabulary concepts that they will need to know.
3. Assembly students into groups of three. Give each student in the group an activity
assignment. One student will be the “long” walker. One student will be the “short”
walker. One student will be the timer and counter. Give each group of students the Part
Two worksheet. Groups will work together to complete the tasks.
4. Have students walk different types of waves. Have one student be a radio wave while
another can be a gamma ray.
5. Discuss group results as a class.
Part Three – Playing with Light
1. Assemble students into groups of three or four.
2. Direct students back to the diagram of the electromagnetic spectrum. Ask them about
the section of visible light. Discuss how the visible light range of the spectrum looks like a
rainbow.
3. Have the students write this focus question in their science notebooks: How do we know
visible light is made up of the colors of the rainbow?
4. Give each group a pair of spectroscopic glasses (or a spectroscope) and a flashlight.
5. Allow the students to explore different light sources with the spectroscope.
6. Collect the spectroscopes and give each group a prism. Ask the students to see if they
can use the prism to separate “white” light into its component colors.
7. Allow students to explore. Ask them to record their procedure and observations in their
science notebooks.
2|Pa g e – L e s s o n 5
Return to the Moon: Lunar Exploration (LAMP)
8. Lead a making-meaning conference with the class. Use student observations to focus
their learning about using prisms and diffraction gratings to bend light, creating a spectrum.
9. Ask the students to make a claims-evidence chart in their notebooks and write some
conclusions about the focus question.
10. Optional: If you have the resources available, allow students to view gas emission tubes
through the spectroscopes. Have them record their observations in their science notebooks.
Give them color pencils to draw what they see for each gas and compare the differences.
Use a making-meaning conference to discuss with the students how scientists use this type
of information in the study of astronomy.
11.
Resources
Build your own spectroscopes:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/spectroscope/
http://sci-toys.com/scitoys/scitoys/light/cd_spectroscope/spectroscope.html
Additional activities about light, color and the EM spectrum:
http://spaceplace.jpl.nasa.gov/teachers/eo3_spectroscopy.pdf
http://www.exploratorium.edu/spectra_from_space/ultra_activity.html
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/teachers/lessons/roygbiv/roygbiv.html
More information about the electromagnetic spectrum:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/emspectrum.html
Electromagnetic spectrum graphic:
http://mynasadata.larc.nasa.gov/images/EM_Spectrum3-new.jpg
For purchasing rainbow glasses or diffraction grating:
http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/
https://www.scitoyscatalog.com/
3|Pa g e – L e s s o n 5
Return to the Moon: Lunar Exploration (LAMP)
Name ______________________________
Learning about Light
Part One
Building Background Knowledge:
You probably already know things about the electromagnetic spectrum. The words on the left of
this table are some regions of the electromagnetic spectrum. Think about how or where you
have heard these words before and describe what you know.
Region of the EM Spectrum
I know…
I learned…
Radio
Microwave
X-ray
Ultraviolet
4|Pa g e – L e s s o n 5
Return to the Moon: Lunar Exploration (LAMP)
Name ________________________________
Electromagnetic Spectrum Basics
Part Two
1. Using the longest strides (steps) possible, the long walker will walk from the start to the finish
line. Record the number of steps taken.
2. Using the shortest strides (steps) possible, the short walker will walk from the start to the
finish line. Record the number of steps taken.
3. The long walker and the short walker will now walk at the same time. The walkers MUST
stay together the entire distance and reach the finish line at the same time.
4. Whose feet were moving the fastest during step 3? _____________________________
5. The long walker will take one step. The short walker will take as many steps as it takes to
reach the long walker. Record the number of steps it takes for the short walker to make one
long walker step.
6. The electromagnetic spectrum uses two terms to describe waves. The wavelength is the
distance between two peaks of a wave.
Wave Peak
Wavelength
Wave Peak
Which part of the walking activity could represent wavelength?
5|Pa g e – L e s s o n 5
Return to the Moon: Lunar Exploration (LAMP)
7. The second term used to describe waves on the electromagnetic spectrum is frequency.
The frequency of a wave is the number of waves that pass a certain point in a given amount of
time.
Low frequency wave
High frequency wave
Which part of the walking activity could represent frequency?
8. Think about the long walker.
Did the long walker have a long or short wavelength?
Did the long walker have a high or low frequency?
9. Think about the short walker.
Did the short walker have a long or short wavelength?
Did the short walker have a high or low frequency?
10. Write a rule about wavelength and frequency.
If a wave has a long wavelength, it has a __________________ frequency.
If a wave has a short wavelength, it has a ___________________ frequency.
12. Look at the electromagnetic spectrum. Which type of wave could the long
walker represent?
12. Look at the electromagnetic spectrum. Which type of wave could the short walker
represent?
6|Pa g e – L e s s o n 5
Return to the Moon: Lunar Exploration (LAMP)