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Year 6 - Science

Measuring reflected light: do and review

Light and how it travels

Unit Summary

This unit explores how light travels in straight lines, explaining how we see objects and why shadows form the shape of the object casting them. It focuses on planning scientific enquiries, taking precise measurements, making predictions, and evaluating evidence to present findings.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to investigate how changing the angle of a mirror affects the angle of reflected light.

Key Notes

  • If you change the angle that light hits a surface, the angle of reflection will also change.
  • Mirrors are highly reflective. They are sometimes used to deliberately change the direction that light travels.
  • Reflected light bounces off the surface at the same angle as it hits it.
  • When you measure angles, it is acceptable for results to vary slightly because it is difficult to measure perfectly.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • reflected: If light is reflected it is bounced off a surface.
  • angle: An angle is the space between two straight lines which join at a vertex or point.
  • protractor: A protractor is a piece of equipment used to measure and draw angles.
  • results: The results of a test or enquiry is what happened or what was found out.
  • evidence: Evidence is information which helps us to prove that something is true or not true.

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • Only shiny surfaces reflect light. Light does not always travel in straight lines when it bounces off a mirror.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain the scientific idea in this lesson using two key points.

If you change the angle that light hits a surface, the angle of reflection will also change. Mirrors are highly reflective. They are sometimes used to deliberately change the direction that light travels.

2. Define this scientific word and use it in context. 'reflected'

If light is reflected it is bounced off a surface. Include the word in a full scientific explanation, not as a single label.

3. Correct this common scientific misunderstanding.

Mistake: Only shiny surfaces reflect light. Light does not always travel in straight lines when it bounces off a mirror. Correction: The lesson gives the children a chance to explore reflection of light in mirrors to see for themselves that it does reflect in a straight line.

More Lessons In This Unit

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