Light - R2P

This resource provides a lesson plan showing how to use the history of science as a context for teaching light and colour. 

The research summary discusses how pupils find light a complex and challenging topic which leads to many misconceptions including that colour is an intrinsic property of an object. Elements of the research are used within the lesson plan to challenge these misconceptions, such as using a didactic approach accompanied by simple practical activities set within the historical context of Isaac Newton's work. The lesson plan also lists some key questions to ask to illicit understanding, and assessment suggestions.

By the end of the lesson pupils should be able to explain why objects appear different colours when illuminated by different coloured light thus demonstrating why colour is not an intrinsic property of an object.

This resource is part of a collection of research informed secondary science lesson plans produced as part of the Research-2-Practice (R2P) project undertaken by research teams at the University of Roehampton, University of Lincoln, York St John University and KYRA research school, between 2020 and 2021, which was funded by Wellcome.

The overall aim of the project was to enhance the quality of teaching and learning in science by giving time-pressed teachers quick and easy access to relevant research to inform their practice and provide exemplar lesson plans to show how the research could be used in the classroom. More resources can be found here.