Boy have we learned a lot!  Here are the four subquestions we answered while working on understanding if we can believe our eyes or not when we see an optical illusion!

1.  How does light allow me to see?
2. What happens when light reaches an object?
3.  How can light have different colors?
4. Is there light I cannot see?

Great work 6th grade!  I bet you'll never look at an optical illusion the same way again!

If there's light we can't see, every model we've established before shows light interacting with objects and our eyes.  But if we can't see it, would it make sense to show it in a model?

Scientists have best shown all types of light, both visible and non-visible as part of the wave model.  We can't see the infrared light that is emitted from a remote because it's travelling too slow for our eyes.  On the flip side, harmful ultraviolet let that comes from the sun moves too quickly for our eyes to see it.  This means that visible light can only be detected by our eyes because our eyes can see the frequencies at which it travels!

Sixth graders were challenged to show how the hidden message worked in a way that was the most comfortable to them in whatever mode they wanted.  Whether it was a song, skit, or drawing, they did it all!  Here are some student samples!

How is it that we see color?  How can we use the light model we previously established to show this?

Students have been working hard to use previous knowledge to predict how we see color. Check out the students' work above to help understand this!  We'll be using this information to create and explain some hidden messages!

As students move on to understanding more about how light and color play a role in understanding one another, students made predictions over the following ideas:

1.  When more light is added to a screen what appears?
2.  When a colored filter (i.e. red) is placed over a light source, what happens?
3.  When three flashlights, each covered with a different colored filter (red, green, and blue), what happens?

Students discovered some very interesting things...

Sixth graders have quickly discovered that light doesn't just reflect/scatter off objects or transmit through them.  Some of the light is also absorbed by an object, too.  We recognized this by comparing the data from an investigation involving clear and colored water.  If both waters received the same amount of light, why is it that they reflect and transmit different amounts of light?  Do they also do something differently with the light?

We extended our thinking to be able to represent how light interacts with various materials in our classroom, and how we could mathematically show this relationship.  Since we're focusing on modeling in our "Can I Believe My Eyes?" unit, creating a mathematical model for how light interacts with various objects seemed incredibly fitting!  ​