Why do we sometimes see different things when looking at the same object?
This unit develops science ideas about how our eyes see objects by light reflecting off of or transmitting through them. As the unit progresses, students ask questions and draw models to help explain a puzzling phenomenon: a one-way mirror. Students watch a video of a music lesson where a student practices in front of a one-way mirror, while a teacher watches on the other side. Interestingly, the teacher can see the student, but the student can only see their reflection. To explain this puzzling phenomenon, students use a small scale model to test their ideas. Then, they draw models to explain their thinking. Finally, as a class, students brainstorm similar experiences to a one-way mirror and pose questions about the phenomenon.
Over the course of the unit, students participate in working towards answering their own and classmates’ questions about how a one-way mirror works. These questions inspire investigations to gather evidence for answering their questions. Along the way, students think about the structure of a mirror, a glass window, and a one-way mirror. For example, students consider how a mirror can reflect or not reflect light and how we see through a window at some times, but see our reflection at other times. Students continue to develop their model drawings to help explain how light interacts with objects (i.e. mirrors & glass) and how our brains process these reflections to produce sight.