Light and Shadows: Blocking Light

Active learning works for this topic because young children learn best when they can see, touch, and move objects. By handling torches and objects, students directly observe how light travels and shadows form, which builds strong mental models of abstract ideas like straight-line light rays and object blocking.

• Year 1
• Science
• 4 activities
• 20 min–45 min

Learning Objectives

1. Explain how an opaque object blocks light to create a shadow.
2. Compare the size and shape of shadows cast by objects of different sizes.
3. Predict how the distance between an object and a light source affects shadow size.
4. Demonstrate how moving an object closer to or farther from a light source changes its shadow.

Experiential Learning

⏱ 30 min·Pairs

Pairs: Torch Shadow Play

Pairs shine a torch on small and large objects against a white screen. They draw shadow shapes, then slowly move objects closer to the torch to predict and observe size changes. Pairs record before-and-after sketches on worksheets.

Prepare & details

Explain how your body makes a shadow.

Facilitation Tip: Before the Torch Shadow Play, remind pairs to angle their torches so the beam is low and parallel to the table, making shadows long and easy to measure.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 45 min·Small Groups

Small Groups: Shadow Size Stations

Prepare three stations with torches at fixed distances and sets of objects. Groups rotate every 10 minutes, measuring shadow lengths with rulers and comparing small versus large objects. Groups share one key finding per station.

Prepare & details

Compare the shadow made by a small object to a large object.

Facilitation Tip: At each Shadow Size Station, place a metric ruler under the torch so students can read distances in centimeters as they move objects closer and farther away.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 25 min·Whole Class

Whole Class: Outdoor Body Shadows

Students pair up outside and trace each other's shadows with chalk at two times, 30 minutes apart. Class returns to compare tracings and discuss why lengths changed with sun movement. Chart results on the board.

Prepare & details

Predict how the size of a shadow changes as you move closer to a light source.

Facilitation Tip: During Outdoor Body Shadows, invite students to stand on a marked line so they can repeat their positions and compare shadows across the day.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Experiential Learning

⏱ 20 min·Individual

Individual: Prediction Drawings

Each student draws predicted shadows for an object near, middle, and far from a light source. They test predictions using a desk torch, then note matches or surprises in a journal.

Prepare & details

Explain how your body makes a shadow.

Facilitation Tip: For Prediction Drawings, give students colored pencils so they can outline both object and shadow, helping them see shape correspondence immediately.

Setup: Varies; may include outdoor space, lab, or community setting

Materials: Experience setup materials, Reflection journal with prompts, Observation worksheet, Connection-to-content framework

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Teaching This Topic

Teachers approach this topic by letting students make mistakes and then guiding them back to evidence. Start with hands-on explorations before introducing vocabulary, so students attach meaning to words like opaque and shadow. Avoid long explanations; instead, ask questions that focus attention on the light’s path and the object’s position. Research shows that early-years learners grasp spatial concepts best when they physically manipulate objects and observe changes over time.

What to Expect

Students will confidently explain that shadows form when an object blocks light, predict changes in shadow size based on distance, and use terms like light source, opaque, and shadow edge to describe their observations in small-group and whole-class discussions.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Torch Shadow Play, watch for students who assume the shadow must match the object’s size exactly, even when the object is far from the torch.

What to Teach Instead

Have partners move the object closer to the torch and observe how the shadow grows larger than the object, then ask them to sketch the new size on paper and measure both heights to confirm the difference.

Common Misconception

During Outdoor Body Shadows, watch for students who think shadows only appear in dark places like under a tree or indoors.

What to Teach Instead

Stand in full sunlight and have students trace each other’s shadows on paper, then compare these bright-day shadows to those made under the tree; ask them to explain where the light source is in each case.

Common Misconception

During Shadow Size Stations, watch for students who believe light bends around the object to create the shadow shape.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to hold a single sheet of paper between torch and surface to see a sharp square shadow, then move the paper closer or farther to show the shadow edges stay straight, confirming light travels in straight lines.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Prediction Drawings, collect students’ drawings and one-sentence explanations, then review for correct object-to-shadow shape mapping and use of the word “block” to show light was stopped.

Discussion Prompt

After Outdoor Body Shadows, pose the prompt and have students turn to a partner to explain; listen for mentions of distance from the wall and sun direction to assess understanding of shadow change.

Quick Check

During Torch Shadow Play, circulate and ask students to hold up one finger if their shadow is getting bigger as they move the object closer, two fingers if smaller; ask each student to whisper the reason to you before moving on.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask early finishers to place a small mirror in the light path and predict where the reflected light will hit the wall, then test their predictions.
• Scaffolding: For students who struggle, provide translucent objects alongside opaque ones so they can feel and compare differences in shadow sharpness.
• Deeper exploration: After Outdoor Body Shadows, have students trace their shadow at 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM, then compare how the sun’s angle changes shadow length and direction.

Key Vocabulary

light source	Anything that produces light, such as the sun or a torch.
opaque	An object that does not allow light to pass through it.
shadow	A dark area formed when an opaque object blocks light.
block	To prevent light from passing through an object.