South Carolina Grade 1 Science

Investigate Light and Different Materials

Compare light passing through three materials, plan a fair investigation, and explain the limits of an invented observation record.

The current South Carolina science page identifies the 2021 standards, approved June 14, 2021. This activity selects a reference from the South Carolina College- and Career-Ready Science Standards 2021. Check the school’s implementation plan and the full chosen edition. This activity selects a Grade 1 South Carolina science expectation. It is one part of a science course, not a complete curriculum.

The South Carolina science standards combine science and engineering practices, disciplinary core ideas, and crosscutting concepts. Read the clarification and assessment boundary as well as the performance expectation. Read the complete grade objectives alongside the school’s course, including investigations, models, evidence, and explanations. The general lesson library below may include review or enrichment beyond this grade’s course. This original activity is a focused starting point, not a complete curriculum crosswalk.

Keep the light setup the same

An adult-led classroom investigation places one sheet at a time between a low-power flashlight and a screen. The flashlight, sheet position, screen position, sheet area, and room lighting stay the same. The invented record below models what a class might notice. Which comparisons address the material rather than a change in flashlight position? Explain how to repeat the investigation safely and record what actually happens.

Explain the evidence or model

In the supplied record, the clear sheet lets a bright patch appear on the screen, the wax-paper sheet leaves a dimmer patch, and the cardboard leaves a dark area where it blocks the beam. These observations support different effects of the three tested sheets in this setup. They do not rank every material of those names or measure the exact amount of light transmitted. Keeping the flashlight and positions the same makes the material comparison more useful; moving the flashlight closer for one sheet would add another possible reason for a brighter patch. A class should repeat each comparison and use drawings or words to record its own observations. The teacher can include mirrors in a later investigation to ask a different question about redirecting light. These three sheets alone do not demonstrate reflection from a mirror.

What to check in the explanation

Use a low-power flashlight under adult supervision. Never shine it into anyone’s eyes, use a laser, or look at the Sun. The table is invented, so actual observations may differ with thickness, positioning, and surrounding light. Words such as brighter or darker describe this comparison; no light-speed calculation or required technical vocabulary is implied.

Plan the next activity

1. Name the question and identify the material that changes.
2. Keep the source, positions, sheet area, and surrounding lighting the same.
3. Repeat observations and explain what they support about the tested sheets.

Ask the teacher to help compare two thicknesses of the same suitable material while keeping the rest of the setup fixed. Draw the screen result for each trial. Explain whether the result changes and why the record supports only the tested arrangement.