Grade 1

1.1 Waves: Light

How can we read under covers when it is dark?

Developer	Score	Report	Awarded
OpenSciEd	Total Score: 9 E: Example of high-quality NGSS design	Download Report (PDF)

Unit Summary

Have you ever wanted to read, but it was too dark? Have you ever been reading under covers and been told to turn off the lights? This unit begins with a shared experience of trying to read in the dark under covers made of different materials. Students plan and carry out investigations together to produce evidence that can answer their questions about the phenomenon. Through these investigations, students gather data about how transparent, translucent, opaque, and reflective materials cause light to pass through, be blocked, or change direction. As the unit progresses, students use a new model to explain how they can successfully read under covers that block light. At the end of the unit, students apply these ideas to write an informational text to communicate information about reading under covers to members of their community.