In lower elementary grades, learning about light under the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) is less about complex physics and more about observation, exploration, and understanding cause-and-effect relationships. The focus is on light as a phenomenon that interacts with different materials.
The core idea is introduced in first grade through the performance standard 1-PS4-3. This standard asks students to plan and conduct investigations to determine the effect of placing objects made with different materials (transparent, translucent, opaque) in the path of a beam of light.
Students learn by doing. They use flashlights to discover that:
- Some materials (like clear plastic) let all light through (transparent).
- Some materials (like wax paper) let some light through, creating a faint or blurry shadow (translucent).
- Some materials (like cardboard) block all light, creating a dark shadow (opaque).
This builds a foundational understanding that light travels and can be blocked, which is the basis for understanding shadows and vision. In earlier (kindergarten) and later (2nd) grades, related concepts include exploring how plants need light to grow and how light is required to see objects, further cementing the idea that light is a form of energy that interacts with the world.
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