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Topic: Sound and Light
This is a KS1 activity. Freak atmospheric conditions rarely seen outside the Polar Regions have been credited with causing the formation of an "upside down rainbow".
In this activity children will learn about how rainbows are formed and the importance of the Sun as a source of light. They will decide under what conditions a rainbow can be seen.
You will need Acrobat
Reader installed to open the activity sheets.
You will also need the latest version of the flash player to be able to play swf files.
· to identify changes that occur when the Sun goes behind a cloud and recognise that these are different from changes at nightfall
Children will demonstrate this by completing the task on page 3 successfully
· that the Sun is a source of light even when it is behind a cloud
Children will demonstrate this by completing the task on page 3 successfully
· that it is dangerous to look directly at the Sun eg you mustn't look at the Sun because it's very bright and burns your eyes
Children will demonstrate this by completing the task on page 3 successfully
Science:
QCA Unit 1D: Light and Dark
· that the Sun is the source of light for the Earth
· that it is dangerous to look at the Sun because it is so bright
Scientific enquiry
· making suggestions of how to investigate an idea
· making observations and comparisons
· explaining observations
Literacy
· make contributions relevant to the topic and take turns in discussion
Introducing the activity
· Display Page 1 through a projector or as an OHT. Discuss the images with the children. The newspaper headline informs us that upside down rainbows have been seen. Ask the children if they have ever seen a rainbow.
Leading the main activity
· Display Page 2 through a projector or as an OHT. Talk about how we usually see rainbows when the sun comes out after rain. It's because sunlight is made up of lots of colours; but you can't normally see them. It just looks white. A rainbow is caused by sunlight shining on raindrops in a certain way. That breaks the light up into all the colours that are normally jumbled together. People used to believe that rainbows were magic.
· Display Page 3 through a projector or as an OHT. Print out copies for the children. Look carefully at the pictures and decide if any of the situations shown would produce a rainbow.
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