As first graders test their light communication tools on their partners, they are realizing that they can improve their tools to better communicate the information they need to tell someone.  Students have learned to manipulate the materials in many ways so that their tools are clearer.  Improving a design is a very important part of an engineer's work.  Our goal is to have our partner answer three questions without an error.  

First graders used existing technologies that use light to communicate as their inspiration.  We looked at traffic lights, blinkers on cars, and lighthouses.  Each of these technologies sends a message with light!  

Keep up the great work communicating with light first grade!

As first graders plan and build their light communication tools, they must test them out on a partner to see how effective they are!  

Here's the setup!  Student A writes down questions about themselves.  They give their journal to Student B.  Student B asks the questions to Student A, but student A can't respond in words...they must use their light communication tool to communicate their answers!  

Check out the examples below!  Each student's goal was to have their partner answer the most questions correctly.  This indicates that their light communication tool was a success!

Way to go first grade!  

Mrs. Brinza's given the first graders a challenge...try to answer a friend's question WITHOUT TALKING!

Using a code, first graders are showing how they can communicate by using light.  Since light interacts with materials differently, light can send a message in many different ways.  Light can flash, stay on, turn off, and even create different types of shadows based on it's relative position to an object or the tyo of material the object is made from.  Knowing all these things will come in handy as first graders create a "LIGHT CODE."  

For example, flashing a light might represent "YES."  Turning the flashlight off might represent "NO."

Using this code, can you learn a little bit more about Mrs. Brinza?

First graders are working on drawing models.  Modeling is an important practice of an engineer's work. Using various materials, first graders are drawing and explaining what happens when those materials are placed in front of a flashlight.  They are looking for evidence to support the reasoning in their models.  

First graders' next investigation looks at how light interacts with different materials.  Our big focus is looking for evidence.  In a simple experiment involving flashlights and two makeshift walls, they are looking for evidence that light can bounce off a material (reflect), go through a material (transmit) or stop at a material (absorb).  We will be using our findings in an upcoming design challenge!

First graders are putting their knowledge to the test!  By using what they know about light, they are trying to get different zoo animals to become illuminated.  Sounds easy right?  Well, once we put those ideas on paper, it becomes a bit trickier.  We're practicing placement and directions, all of which are important in identifying where the light source is and how light travels from the light source to the object it illuminates.