10 Science
Optics Unit
A Work in Progress!
These are the resources I am developing for the grade 10 optics unit. They are hot off the presses and have not yet been classroom tested! If you try these out, I would appreciate any feedback you might have.
Unit Design Goals:
How do we see? The unit is built around answering this question.
Reduced Content: The curriculum document contains a number of smaller topics that don't connect well to the main focus of geometric optics. These are eliminated. The topic of curved mirrors is eliminated since it doesn't add much conceptually to students' understanding of light.
Inquiry Focus: Each lesson follows a structure emphasizing observations, finding patterns, developing ideas and terminology, and application
Hands-On Activities: Each lesson is full of experiments and activities where students develop and test new ideas. Very little chalk and talk left for the teacher to do!
Cultural Connections: The historical developments of optics in the Islamic world are integrated. CRRP strategies based on based on ideas of Zaretta Hammond
Experimental Videos: All experiments and observations that students make are videoed. Instructions for complex experiments are in video format.
Designed for Pathways: minimal assumed background knowledge, student-centred, hands-on, but lots of sophisticated scientific thinking!
Course Guide PowerPoint
Course Guide - 10 Optics.pdfCourse Guide PowerPoint: Contains the lesson slides including detailed instructions for teachers and videos of observations.A pdf version serves as the preview above. The full version is in the folder to the right. Be sure you open the file in PowerPoint and not Google Slides!
Activity Handbook: The worksheets for student groups
Experiment Mats: Some experiments have mats that you can print out and even laminate! These mats provide instructions and help with the setup. Files for mats are labeled by lesson and appear in the folder to the right.
Sample Experiment Videos
How to Draw a Line!
An instructional video showing students how to draw straight lines with a ruler. It's not as easy as you think!
Find the Nail: Setup
The first step in an experiment to find the position of the image of a nail in a mirror.
Evidence for a Point-Source Model
Evidence for the direction of light rays leaving a point source.
Other grade 10 science units
I'm in the process of redeveloping our schools grade 10 science course to match the design of our grade 9 academic pathways science course. I have completed the optics unit but have not started the others. The resources they are currently using can be found here, which include a lot of good inquiry based lessons.