Indiana Science 1-PS4-2

Science1st GradePhysical Science

The Standard

Make observations to construct an evidence-based account that objects in darkness can be seen only when illuminated. [Clarification Statement: Examples of observations could include those made in a completely dark room, a pinhole box, and a video of a cave explorer with a flashlight. Illumination could be from an external light source or by an object giving off its own light.]

Indiana Academic Standards for Science (2023) · Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students look at a toy in a dark box before and after a flashlight shines on it. They describe what they see each time. They explain that the flashlight gives off light, while the toy needs light shining on it to be seen.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student says the toy was in the box both times but was visible only when the flashlight lit it. They use what they saw before and after as evidence.
Common Misconceptions: Some students think the toy vanishes when the box goes dark. Others think they can see objects with no light if they wait long enough. Some mistake a shiny toy for something that makes its own light.
How to Assess It: Put a toy in a dark shoebox with a viewing hole and a separate flashlight hole. Have students look before and after you turn on the flashlight, then ask, “What made the toy visible, and what did you see that tells you?”

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Place a toy in a shoebox with two holes; students look through one as you switch a flashlight in the other on and off.
Ask, “Was the toy still in the box when you could not see it, and what observation supports your answer?”
Play a matching game with picture cards of toys in darkness and light; students pair each visible toy with its light source.
Compare photos of an unlit sidewalk and one lit by a streetlamp; ask how a walker can see the curb.

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