Physics

1 Light and Dark

In this module you will:
●● find out about different
light sources
●● understand that darkness
is when there is no light
Many animals have eyes. These
●● find out about shadows. let the animals see things.

Some fish that live deep in the

ocean do not have eyes. Why?

The sailors are looking for

people in the water. Why are
they using a searchlight?

Light and Dark

light
look dark
guess (predict) Word
Cloud
torch Sun
4 5
prove Amazing fact
Light travels at 300 000 000 kilometres
every second. That is very fast!
 Where does light come from?
Discover different light Lightning is a source of light
Some sources of light are natural like the Sun, stars and volcanoes.
sources including the Sun.

The Big Idea

Some objects give out
light and some do not.

A source of light is something that makes

its own light. Sun Stars Volcano
This man is trying to read his newspaper
using lightning as a light source. Some things made by people give out light. These sources of
light are artificial.
Why is this not a good idea?
We use artificial sources of light at night or in dark places like
Look at the words in the word bank. Fill in the caves. Electric lights and torches are artificial light sources.
boxes to show three things that are better light
Some natural sources of light, like the Sun, are brighter than others.
sources for the man.

Light and Dark

It is dangerous to look at the Sun. It
is so bright that it could blind you.
Word Bank
Why do people wear sunglasses?
Torch Candle Shiny spoon Flower Mirror Light bulb

Write down the name of an important source of light

6 7
that is not in the word bank.
 Where does light come from? (continued)
It is night-time in this picture, but the What happens to your reflection?
people can see each other.

How can they see each other? There are many things that appear bright, but they are just
Where is the light coming from? reflections of light from somewhere else. They bounce light
from a source into our eyes. The Moon and shiny objects
Parts of the town square below are in
behave like this.
the light. Other parts are in the shade.
Look at the pictures. Read the words and circle the
Where is the light coming from?
sources of light.
What is making the shade?
Underline the ones which reflect light.
There are some shiny things that we
think are sources of light, but they are
not. They are bouncing the light from
another source. This is called reflection.
Look at the buildings below. The shiny
surfaces are reflecting the light.

Does a mirror give out light? Planet Sun Mirror Spoon Candle
We can see our reflection in a
mirror. Does this mean the mirror
is a source of light?

Light and Dark

Name two natural sources of light.

Investigation: Is a reflection a source of light?

1 With a partner, take it in turns to hold a mirror in front of Name two artificial sources of light.
8 your face to look at your reflection. 9

2 Your teacher will change the amount of light in the room.

Now turn to page 16 to review what you know.

 We need light to see things
Know that darkness is
When the Sun goes down, or you switch off a light, there is
when there is no light.
no longer a source of light. We call this darkness. The light
can no longer send information to our eyes so we find it
The Big Idea difficult to see. This can cause us lots of problems. How
could you test this?
Nobody can see
in the dark.

When the Sun goes down it becomes dark

Light and Dark

At night there is not a lot of natural light. It is dark.

What can you see in a dark room?

Investigation: Do we need light to move around safely?

1 Tie a blindfold over your eyes and try to move around

Write down three artificial sources of light that might the room.
10 11
help you to see well. 2 Ask your partner to help you to stop bumping into things.

Describe how this felt.

 We need light to see things (continued)
People who go into dark places must
In darkness we rely on other senses like hearing. This helps take their own light with them Amazing fact
us to move around safely and get to the places we cannot Some animals see by hearing!
see. How could you test this? They make a clicking sound. The
sound bounces back to them from
Investigation: Does seeing help us to hear better?
buildings and other objects. This
stops the animal bumping into
things. It also helps them to hunt.

1 Take it in turns to wear 2 Think about all the 3 Take off the blindfold.
a blindfold. Then sit sounds you can hear. What can you hear
very still and quiet. now?
Circle the correct answer.
When could you hear the most noises? Why?
1 Darkness is when there is:

Some people say they can see in the dark. This is not true. There light no light
has to be some light to see by.

Light and Dark

2 Can we see in the dark?
Our brain makes our eyes get used to less light and it helps us to
see things when there is very little light. How could you prove this? Yes No

Investigation: Is all light the same? 3 Light is needed to let us see

1 Try to read this page in the dark. Don’t touch the candle
Think about… because:
Imagine you had no
12 2 Then use candlelight. once it has been lit. it makes it bounces off 13
artificial light. What
You could get burned. things objects and
3 Now try it with a torch. would you miss?
glow into our eyes
What did you find? When was it easier to read the page?
Now turn to pages 16–7 to review what you know.
 What is a shadow?
Understand shadows.
Investigation: Using your hand to make a shadow
1 Stand in front of a wall or
The Big Idea clean surface.

Shadows are made 2 Hold your hand in front of

the torch.
by blocking light.
3 Try making different shapes
with your fingers.

If you hold the torch very close to your hand what

happens to the shadow?

What can you see in total darkness? What happens if you hold the torch
further away? Think about…
A shadow is the same
shape as the object
During the day, what is the natural source of light? that makes it.

Light and Dark

When light from any source is blocked by an object it forms Circle the correct answer.
a dark patch. This is called a shadow.
1 Shadows are only made by the Sun. True False
When any source of light like a light bulb is blocked it forms a
14 2 Shadows are formed when an 15
shadow. It is not just light from the Sun that makes a shadow.
object blocks light. True False
Try to find as many shadows as you can in the classroom. 3 Shadows never change size. True False
Have you ever noticed your own shadow?
Now turn to page 17 to review what you know.
 What we have learned
about light and dark
Where does light come from? (pages 6–9) I understand that when there is no light
There are two kinds of sources of light. One is natural it is called darkness.
like the Sun. What is the other kind of light source?

I know why we cannot see in the dark.

When light bounces off a shiny surface like a mirror

it is called … What is a shadow? (pages 14–15)
Circle the correct answer.
1 Shadows are only made by the Sun. True False

2 Shadows are formed when an object blocks light. True False

I understand the difference between
natural and artificial light. 3 Shadows never change size. True False

I know that when an object blocks light

I know that shiny surfaces are not
a shadow is formed.
sources of light.

We need light to see things (pages 10–13) I can change the size of a shadow.

Light and Dark

Deep underground it is completely dark. Why is that?

16 When we see things it is because 17

from the things has reached our eyes.