Mississippi Science P.1.6A.2
The Standard
- P.1.6A
- Students will demonstrate an understanding that light is required to make objects visible.
Use evidence from observations to explain how shadows form and change with the position of the light source. * (Just for demonstration purpose)
2026 Mississippi College- and Career-Readiness Standards for Science · Motions, Forces, and Energy
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students shine a flashlight on a solid object and watch its shadow. They use what they see to explain why the shadow forms and how it changes when the flashlight moves.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student places the shadow on the side away from the flashlight. They use two shadow drawings to show that it moved when the light moved, and explain that the object blocked the light.
Common Misconceptions
- Some students think the flashlight makes a dark patch, rather than the object blocking light. Others expect the shadow to stay in one place or draw it on the side facing the flashlight.
How to Assess It
- After students move a flashlight from one side of a block to the other, have them draw both shadow positions. Ask them to finish: “The block made a shadow because ___. When I moved the flashlight, I saw ___.”
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Place a toy on paper, trace its flashlight shadow, then move the flashlight and trace the new shadow in another color.
Show two drawings of the same toy with shadows on opposite sides and ask, “Where was the light in each drawing? How do you know?”
Play shadow match: give pairs picture cards showing flashlight positions and have them match each card to the correct shadow.
Mark a playground post’s shadow with chalk before and after recess, then compare its position as the Sun appears to move.
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Printable P.1.6A.2 Worksheet
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