Science · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Changing Shadows

Active learning works for this topic because shadows are best understood through direct observation and experimentation, not explanation alone. When pupils track, measure, and manipulate shadows themselves, the abstract concept of light blocking becomes concrete and memorable.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Science - Light

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Whole Class

Outdoor Tracking: Daily Shadow Hunt

Take pupils outside in the morning to mark their shadows with chalk around their feet and note direction. Return in the afternoon to compare length, position, and direction. Discuss patterns as a class.

Compare how a shadow changes from morning to afternoon.

Facilitation Tip

During Outdoor Tracking, bring clipboards and pencils for pupils to trace shadows at fixed intervals, ensuring consistent data collection.

What to look for

Give each student a drawing of a simple object and a sun in the morning position. Ask them to draw the object's shadow. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining why the shadow is long.

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

Activity 02

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Small Groups

Small Groups: Torch Distance Play

Provide each group with a torch, teddy bear, and wall. Pupils predict shadow size, then test by moving the torch closer and farther. Record changes on simple charts.

Predict how a shadow would look if the light source was very close to an object.

Facilitation Tip

In Small Groups: Torch Distance Play, provide one torch per group and ask pupils to move it closer and further from the same object, verbally predicting the shadow change before each move.

What to look for

Hold up a torch and an object. Ask students: 'What will happen to the shadow if I move the torch closer to the object? What will happen if I move it further away?' Encourage them to use the terms 'shadow', 'light source', and 'opaque' in their explanations.

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

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 35 min · Pairs

Pairs: Prediction Stations

Set up stations with objects and lamps at fixed distances. Pairs predict shadow appearance, draw it, then observe and compare. Rotate stations.

Explain why our shadows are longest in the morning and evening.

Facilitation Tip

At Prediction Stations, place sets of objects and torches in labeled stations so pupils rotate, record predictions on simple worksheets, and immediately test their ideas.

What to look for

During an outdoor observation, ask students to point to their shadow and describe its position. Then, ask them to compare it to their shadow earlier in the day, using comparative words like 'longer' or 'shorter'.

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

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 40 min · Individual

Individual: Shadow Journal

Pupils use a sunny spot to draw their shadow hourly over a lesson. Note changes in length and position in a personal journal with labelled sketches.

Compare how a shadow changes from morning to afternoon.

Facilitation Tip

For Shadow Journal, model how to record time, object name, and shadow length with a ruler, then have pupils repeat the process independently each day.

What to look for

Give each student a drawing of a simple object and a sun in the morning position. Ask them to draw the object's shadow. Then, ask them to write one sentence explaining why the shadow is long.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teachers should begin with simple, whole-class observations outdoors to establish the concept, then move to small-group experiments where pupils manipulate one variable at a time. Avoid introducing too many ideas at once; focus on light source distance first, then position. Research shows that repeated, spaced observations help pupils revise misconceptions over time.

Successful learning looks like pupils confidently predicting, testing, and explaining how shadow size and position change with light source distance and position. They should use accurate vocabulary such as 'opaque,' 'light source,' and 'distance' when describing their observations.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Small Groups: Torch Distance Play, watch for pupils who think shadows always match the object's size exactly.

  Prompt pupils to hold up their hands at different distances from the torch and draw what they see, then compare the shadow to the hand size to correct the idea.

• During Outdoor Tracking, watch for pupils who say shadows move by themselves.

  Ask pupils to stand still while you point to the sun’s position and ask them to explain why their shadow shifts, using the words 'light source' and 'position'.

• During Outdoor Tracking, watch for pupils who believe shadows are shortest at sunrise.

  Have pupils measure and record their shadow length at sunrise, mid-morning, and midday, then compare the data to identify the pattern of longest shadows in the morning and evening.

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Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning