This week we have been busy in Class Three looking at our big question - How can we use our understanding of how light travels to explain the way we see the world around us?

We began by investigating how light travels and found that it travels in straight lines from the light source. We sorted objects into light sources and light reflectors.

We then looked at shadows. The children worked in groups to explore different shadows. They were investigating whether all shadows are the shape of the object that blocks the light. They then looked at what happens if you move the object closer/further away from the light source and what happens if the light source is at an angle to the object. We found shadows were always the shape of the object. If you moved an object closer to the light source the shadow got bigger and when further away the shadow was smaller.

Next, we learnt what opaque, translucent and transparent meant and then we sorted objects into those three groups. Once we were secure with what objects were we then set up an investigation to see how light behaved on each surface. We found that opaque objects blocked the light. Transparent objects allowed the light to pass through, translucent objects let some light through but caused other light to be scattered.

Our last lesson was looking at periscopes, the children learnt how we can make light go round corners, when we might need to do this and then in groups they made their own periscopes and tested them.

We finished the learning by answering the enquiry question.