Focus ideas

The focus ideas are:

• the effect of refraction that occurs when light rays strike the surface of a different medium
• the effect of prisms on rays of light
• the formation of images by concave and convex lenses
• the effect of lenses on parallel rays of light (converging and diverging)
• the use of refraction in the study and identification of gem stones.

Choice

Those items in italics are optional. All students should be able to complete at least up to Activity 2.

Introductory activity: Class or group discussion on what refraction is.
Activity 1: Exploration of the properties of prisms*
Activity 2: Investigating lenses and the images they produce*
Activity 3: Lenses and refraction**
Activity 4: Refraction and gem stones***
Summary: A closing discussion

Managing the activities

These activities lead the students through a set of activities containing a progression in the perceptual understanding of refraction.

• You can choose those activities that best suit the level of your students' understanding.
• You can choose those activities that best suit the student outcome statements for your state or territory.
• Your students could choose which activities they wish to do based on their interest and their understanding.

The stars *** indicate the starting level of difficulty of each activity. Not every activity needs to be completed by all students.