This lesson provided by:
Author: Sharon Williams
System: Cherokee County
School: Gaylesville High School
Lesson Plan ID:
12768
Title:
Perfect Perception? (Perception and Illusion)
Overview/Annotation:
Students are introduced to perception puzzles to encourage
discovery of symmetry, eye and mind connection, and
manipulation of perception. This lesson could be a
springboard to lessons in art, math, and science. Included
are websites that will be useful to both the student and the
teacher.
Content Standard(s):
AE(6-8) Visual
Arts
AED(6-8)
Visual Arts
24. Create art using the elements of art and
principles of design.
1. Create works of art utilizing a variety of
traditional and nontraditional media and
techniques.
Local/National
Standards:
Primary Learning
Objective(s):
Students will demonstrate an application of optical illusion
by reproducing the bird in a cage illusion. Students will
relate natural illusion with manipulated illusion. Students will
discover that perception can be fooled. Students will extend
perception of persistence by creating an illusion of his/her
own.
Additional Learning
Objective(s):
Approximate Duration of 61 to 90 Minutes
the Lesson:
Materials and
Equipment:
Various pictures of optical illusions, index cards: 1 per
student, plastic mirrors: 1 per student, frayons or colored
pencils, safety scissors, tape or glue, string (yarn) about a
foot for each student, flip-book (necessary materials would
be a small stack of paper or notepad and writing
instrument), spoon, glass: 1 per student, science journals
Technology Resources
Needed:
Computers with Internet access, color printer, LCD
Projector
Background/Preparation: Students should have been introduced to the importance of
observation to scientific method.
Procedures/Activities:
1.)Invite students to talk about a time when they "thought"
they saw one thing and it turned out to be something quite
different. Explain that perception and conception may be
two different things. What we perceive we see, may not in
truth be what we see. Use an example of seeing a student
in the principal's office. We may perceive that the student is
in "trouble" when in reality the student may be receiving
congratulations on achieving a goal.
(Knowledge In Perception)
Contains teacher material to provide background
information about concept and perception, brain and
physical illusion.
2.)Give each student a mirror. Ask students what they see?
Many will answer they see themselves.
Ask if they are in the mirror?
Many will still answer yes. Explain that the teacher thought
each students was sitting in his/her classroom.
Lead the students to discover that while they may perceive
themselves to be in the mirror; they are in fact in the
classroom.
3.)Everyday Illusions.
Through observation we see illusions in the natural world
around us. Ask students if they remember seeing a
rainbow. Students should respond that they have. Then ask
if they know the legend about the pot at the end of the
rainbow. After explaining the legend (if some are not
familiar with the legend) ask if they think that they could
ever reach the end of the rainbow. Have them explain their
responses.
Then ask if the rainbow always moves farther away as we
move toward it? Why?
Explain that the rainbow is not the illusion but that the
distance to the rainbow is an illusion.
4.)Ask students if they have ever seen a mirage. Recall
images of water in the desert, heat rising from the road in
summer and such. Explain that mirages are caused by
refraction of light between the object and the eye which
displaces objects or parts of objects.
Demonstrate the bent spoon in water illusion by placing a
spoon in a clear plastic glass of water. Divide students into
groups. Have them place pencils in their glasses of water.
Students should observe and write about what they see in
their science journals.
5.)Show students optical illusions by holding up pictures or
by using one of the optical illusion websites. The website
listed below has the hollow face illusion.
(Grand Illustions)
This site illustrates optical illusions.
6.)Have students draw a cage in the middle of an index
card. On the flip side of the card, have students draw a bird.
Attach the card to a pencil or attach string (yarn) to each
side of the card. When the card is rotated or flipped the bird
should appear in the cage. Let students discover the right
way to draw the bird and the cage in order that one is not
upside down.
Have students prepare a flip-book to illustrate persistence
of vision. Some choices to draw would be a frog jumping or
eating a fly, a stick figure running, a dog wagging his tail, a
piece of ice melting.
(Thaumatrope)
Scroll down to "Links to Animations" for various animated
illusions.
7.)Share the dragon illusion with students by reading or
having students read the information from the following
website. Then give each cooperative learning group/student
a copy of the dragon to put together and recreate the
illusion.
(The Dragon Illusion)
This website has the material to download to make the
necessary components so that the students may make their
own illusions. Follow the instructions exactly in order for
everything to work correctly.
8.)Additional Optical Illusion Website: (another good site for
students to explore)
(http://www.colorcube.com/illusions/illusion.htm)
This site has many illusions for the eye.
Attachments:**Some files
will display in a new
window. Others will prompt
you to download.
Assessment Strategies:
The teacher will assess students' application of optical
illusion by having them reproduce the bird in a cage illusion.
The teacher will check students' science journals for
understanding. The teacher will assess students' flip books
to see if they illustrate optical illusions.
Extension:
Students could develop their own optical illusions or
compare and contrast illusion and deception.
Remediation:
http://alex.state.al.us/lesson_view.php?id=12768