Teach Compassion
10-10-2009, 11:35 AM
yesterday, I brought my fourth grade class a wide assortment of optical devices, in an attempt to provide a meaningful and interesting classroom science activity.
In a large cardboard box, I brought four convex-convex lenses, about 100mm, and a concave-convex lens of the same proportions. Incidentally, all of these lenses were rescued from people's trash! I also brought in a high quality flat mirror and a concave mirror as well. A set of colored filters, a very expensive loupe, a red flashlight and a white light flashlight, and also a 40mm eyepiece from my telescope completed the optical set.
Students were able to spend roughly ten minutes each, playing with the lenses and trying to align them with the eyepiece to make a simple telescope. By adjusting the concave and convex lens, they were able to contruct an ersatz microscope as well. Through playing with the colored filters, they got a sense of how light combines to form different colors, and with the loupe and concave mirror. they were able to see inside their eyeballs!
Kids had a great time overall. As I've never done this activity before, and I had no guidelines on how to do it properly, it was certainly a learning experience for myself as well.
But they got out of it what they put in. Those who took the time to adjust the lenses were well-rewarded with fair quality optical views. I was pleased overall with the results.
Next time I try to do this activity, I will mark on the cardboard box exactly where each lens must be in order for the thing to operate as telescope or microscope.
Cheers, all!
In a large cardboard box, I brought four convex-convex lenses, about 100mm, and a concave-convex lens of the same proportions. Incidentally, all of these lenses were rescued from people's trash! I also brought in a high quality flat mirror and a concave mirror as well. A set of colored filters, a very expensive loupe, a red flashlight and a white light flashlight, and also a 40mm eyepiece from my telescope completed the optical set.
Students were able to spend roughly ten minutes each, playing with the lenses and trying to align them with the eyepiece to make a simple telescope. By adjusting the concave and convex lens, they were able to contruct an ersatz microscope as well. Through playing with the colored filters, they got a sense of how light combines to form different colors, and with the loupe and concave mirror. they were able to see inside their eyeballs!
Kids had a great time overall. As I've never done this activity before, and I had no guidelines on how to do it properly, it was certainly a learning experience for myself as well.
But they got out of it what they put in. Those who took the time to adjust the lenses were well-rewarded with fair quality optical views. I was pleased overall with the results.
Next time I try to do this activity, I will mark on the cardboard box exactly where each lens must be in order for the thing to operate as telescope or microscope.
Cheers, all!