South Dakota Science MS-PS4-2

ScienceGrades 6–8Physical Science

The Standard

Develop and use a model to describe how waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials. (SEP:2; DCI: PS4.A, PS4.B; CCC: Structure and Function)

South Dakota Science Standards (2024) · Waves and Their Applications in Technologies for Information Transfer

Teacher's field guide

What This Standard Means

What Students Need to Do: Students make a model of what happens when light or sound reaches a material. They show waves bouncing back, passing through, or being absorbed.
What Mastery Looks Like: A student can draw light paths at a mirror, clear plastic, and black paper. They can label what happens to most of the light and explain why a window can both transmit and reflect light.
Common Misconceptions: Some students think absorbed light disappears instead of transferring energy to the material. Others think a material can only reflect, absorb, or transmit, never do more than one.
How to Assess It: Ask students to draw a flashlight beam hitting a mirror, clear plastic, and black paper. Have them add an arrow showing where most of the light goes in each case.

Lesson moves

Ways to Teach It

Shine a flashlight at a mirror, clear plastic, and black paper; use white paper to catch light that passes through or bounces back.
Ask: Why does a black shirt look darker than a white shirt under the same light? Draw arrows to support your answer.
Call out mirror, clear plastic, or black paper; students race to draw the main light path on mini whiteboards.
Look through a classroom window and find a reflected image; sketch light paths that explain how you can see both.

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