You Will Need
Provided Resources
- Crime Lab case files
- Light challenges
Additional resources
- Quiz sheet
A crime has been committed and the UK Crime Lab needs a team to analyse its evidence against six suspects. They need a team with mathematical prowess and a scientific line of attack. Could you be the team to tackle the mystery of the West Hollow High School laptop thief?
Take part in a Crime Lab light expert selection challenge. Do you have what it takes to join the investigation? Take a look at the initial crime report and cast your eye over the key suspects.
Science Objectives
i) Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines.
ii) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
iii) Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes.
iv) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.
Working Scientifically
Provided Resources
Additional resources
Teaching
Activities
Investigation - planning, fair testing, exploring
Investigate a range of simple light challenges.
Vocabulary
Light, light source, names of light sources, dark, reflect, reflective, mirror, shadow, block, absorb, direct/ direction, transparent, opaque, translucent, straight, rainbow, colours
The thief was spotted on CCTV ‘casing’ the school, using a torch. Can you demonstrate that light travels in straight lines and calculate plausible heights of the suspect based on their torch beam?
Science Objectives
i) Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines.
ii) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
iii) Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes.
Working Scientifically
Other Curriculum Areas
Maths
Provided Resources
Weblinks
Light travels in straight lines from bbc.co.uk
The human eye from bbc.co.uk
Key Teaching
Key Activities
Key Investigation
Investigate and demonstrate that light travels in straight lines (exploring)
Key Vocabulary
Light, light source, dark/darkness, reflect, reflective, direct/ direction, straight
We know that the thief could see round corners, and likely used a periscope. All suspects have one, but are they using materials that reflect well enough to see? Can you investigate and eliminate another suspect?
Science Objectives
i) Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines.
ii) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
iii) Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes.
Working Scientifically
Additional resources
Weblinks
Reflective materials from www.bbc.co.uk
Make your own periscope or kaleidoscope from www.makingyourown.co.uk
Key Teaching
Key Activities
Key Investigation - exploring, problemsolving
Investigate how light reflects (make a periscope).
Key Vocabulary
Light, light source, names of light sources, e.g. torch, dark/darkness, reflect, reflective, mirror, shadow, block, absorb, direct/ direction, transparent, opaque, translucent, straight, rainbow
Many witnesses saw the thief in shadow form, but none of the sightings add up to the same person - each shadow was a different size! Explore how shadows can be deceptive and recreate each sighting to help identify the possible height of our thief.
Science Objectives
i) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them.
Working Scientifically
Provided Resources
Additional resources
Key Teaching
Key Activities
Key Investigation - fair testing, exploring, pattern seeking
Investigate shadows and how they change as a result of light sources.
Key Vocabulary
Light, light source, reflect, reflective, mirror, shadow, block, direction, transparent, opaque, translucent, straight
How did our criminal read the encrypted laptop password that is too high up on the wall to see with the naked eye? And how did they decode it? Have a go at splitting white light into rainbow colours to help you crash through the password code.
Science Objectives
i) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
ii) Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes.
Working Scientifically
Provided Resources
Additional resources
Weblinks
Information about rainbows from bbc.co.uk
Teaching
Activities
Investigation - exploring
Explore split light (finding ‘rainbows’).
Vocabulary
Light, light source, refraction, mirror, magnifying glass, absorb, direct/ direction, transparent, opaque, translucent, straight, bend, rainbow
Our thief was spotted wearing not only a blue outfit, but also a red one and a yellow one. How is this possible and does it have something to do with the coloured transparencies found in the bin? Can you gather all of your evidence together to identify our key suspect?
Science Objectives
i) Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye.
ii) Explain that we see things because light travels from light sources to our eyes or from light sources to objects and then to our eyes.
Working Scientifically
Extended Writing Opportunity
Explanations: Report and present findings from your light enquiries, including conclusions, causal relationships and explanations of and degree of trust in results, in written report.
Journalistic writing: Write up the crime enquiry and final court proceedings, as if for a local newsletter.
Additional resources
Weblinks
Explore Technology: mixing primary colours from physics-chemistry-interactive-flash-animation.com
Teaching
Activities
Investigation - exploring, problem solving
Investigate coloured light mixing.
Vocabulary
Light, light source, reflect, reflective, absorb, direct/ direction, transparent, opaque, translucent, straight
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