The Arch After the Storm - All About Rainbows
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Objectives:
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The students will learn about rainbows.
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The students will be able to define the terms: reflection, refraction, refractive dispersion, moonbow, and fogbow.
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The students will be able to explain refractive dispersion of sunlight (how a rainbow forms).
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The students will be able to explain how the Sun’s position in the sky determines the location of a rainbow.
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The students will be able to explain how a double rainbow forms.
Questions that encompasses the objective:
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Think about a rainbow. What colors make up a rainbow?
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Have you ever seen a rainbow after a storm?
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Have you ever seen a double rainbow?
Prepare the Learner: Activating Prior Knowledge.
How will students prior knowledge be activated?
Warm up by asking students:
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What do you know about rainbows?
Common Core State Standards:
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.1 B
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.4
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.2
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.2 B
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.1
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CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4
Materials and Free Resources to Download for this Lesson:
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YouTube Video: “Light Phenomena and How Rainbows Form” by Stephen Mulder
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“All About Weather” Science Journal (Student Copy & Teacher Copy)
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Page 42: Rainbow Terms
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Pages 43-44: What is a Rainbow?
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Page 45: Refractive Dispersion of Sunlight [Activity Sheet]
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Experiment: “Make a Rainbow”
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Glass
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¾ Cup Water
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White Paper
Activity Adapted from the website science kids @ http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/experiments/makearainbow.html/
Unit Resources:
Input:
What is the most important content in this lesson?
To reach this lesson’s objective, students need to understand:
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The definitions to the terms: reflection, refraction, refractive dispersion, moonbow, and fogbow.
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Refractive dispersion of sunlight (how a rainbow forms).
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How the position of the Sun determines where the rainbow is located (higher or lower in the sky).
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How a double rainbow forms.
How will the learning of this content be facilitated?
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The teacher should begin class by showing the YouTube Video: “Light Phenomena and How Rainbows Form” by Stephen Mulder. The video is about three minutes long and explains how and why we see rainbows. After the video is over, the teacher should begin a discussion about the content.
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After the video discussion is done, the teacher will begin presenting the information on weather. If it is possible, project each page of the teacher’s copy of the “All About Weather” Science Journal worksheet onto the board using a projector or put into a PowerPoint document and project. The teacher’s copy of the journal has certain words/phrases that are bolded red and highlighted. It is important the teacher explain to the students those words/phrases are to be highlighted in their (students) journal. For this lesson, the teacher should review these pages:
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Page 42: Rainbow Terms
** This page reviews important terms related to rainbows**
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Pages 43-44: What is a Rainbow?
**These pages review what a rainbow is and how it is formed **
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Page 45: Refractive Dispersion of Sunlight [Activity Sheet]
**This page reviews refractive dispersion of sunlight**
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After the information has been presented, the students will participate in the experiment, “Make a Rainbow.” Instruct the students to break into groups of three. Each group should be given a “Make a Rainbow” experiment sheet, a glass, and a piece of white paper. Explain to the students that they must stand near a window (experiment should be done on a sunny day). The students should pour the water into glass. The students should next hold the cup up next to the window and place the white paper underneath it. The sunlight should pass through the glass and bend to create a rainbow of colors. The teacher should allow the students to experiment holding the cup at different angles to see how/if the rainbow changes.
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Finally as a quick assessment, the teacher should instruct the students to fill out the “Make a Rainbow” experiment sheet. After about 15 minutes, the teacher should reconvene and discuss the experiment with the students.
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For the closure, the teacher should review the key terms and any content that the students had difficulty with.
Time/Application
3-5 minutes
Guided Introduction
Review the class/ agenda with the students:
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Introductory YouTube Video: “Light Phenomena and How Rainbows Form” by Stephen Mulder.
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Science Journal Discussion
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Experiment: “Make a Rainbow”
15 minutes
Introductory Video: “Light Phenomena and How Rainbows Form”
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Show the students the YouTube Video: “Light Phenomena and How Rainbows Form” by Stephen Mulder.
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After the video, begin a discussion about the content with the students.
15 Minutes
Rainbow Terms | How Rainbows
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Instruct the students to open to page 16 in their science journals.
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Project each page of the science journal onto the board either through a projector or PowerPoint presentation.
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The teacher copy has bolded red and highlighted words. The students will highlight those words in their science journal.
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Begin presenting the information. The pages that will be presented include: pages 42-45.
25 Minutes
Experiment: “Make a Rainbow”
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Hand out the “Make a Rainbow” experiment sheet.
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Instruct the students to break into groups of three.
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Give each group a glass, and a piece of white paper.
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Explain to the students that they must stand near a window (experiment should be done on a sunny day). The students should pour the water into glass.
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The students should next hold the cup up next to the window and place the white paper underneath it. The sunlight should pass through the glass and bend to create a rainbow of colors.
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The teacher should allow the students to experiment holding the cup at different angles to see how/if the rainbow changes.
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Allow the students to experiment for 15 minutes. Have the students fill out the “Make a Rainbow” experiment sheet. reconvene and discuss.
10 minutes
Closure
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For the closure, the teacher should review the key terms and any content that the students had difficulty with.
Individualized Instruction/Scaffolding
English Language Learners will be supported in this lesson through data-based heterogeneous grouping, verbal and written repetition of new vocabulary words, and multiple representation of vocabulary words through printed images and video.
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