MS-PS4-2 lessons
Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.
The Next Generation Science Standards code MS-PS4-2 asks students to: “Develop and use a model to describe that waves are reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through various materials.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Bouncing Light: Mirrors, Water and Colour Grades 3–5 · partly supports this standard
- How can a mirror steer a beam of light? 55–65 min
Teams shine a slit beam at a mirror, measure the angle it arrives and the angle it leaves, and find the rule for bouncing light. Then they use the rule to steer a beam round a cardboard wall, and test with a dark box how we really see things.
- Why does a pencil look broken in water? 50–60 min
Teams look at a pencil in a cup of water, make a hidden coin appear by pouring in water, and turn a water drop into a magnifying lens. Then they explain that light changes direction when it passes from air into water.
- What colours are hiding in white light? 55–65 min
Teams spread a flashlight beam into a band of colours with a CD or a plastic prism, then shine coloured light on coloured paper. They explain that white light is a mixture, and that an object looks the colour of the light it reflects.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code MS-PS4-2 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for middle school
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