Magnify it!

Children come equipped with natural curiosity and creativity and have had many experiences with technology by the time they enter school. In particular, students may have been exposed to optical technology such as glasses, magnifying lenses, or even periscopes, microscopes, and telescopes. Classroom activities should begin to channel students' inventive energy to increase their awareness and purposeful use of tools. In this lesson, students will view objects of various sizes from several viewing distances to discover that their visual field is limited. Students will record what they see and will compare their observations with classmates in an open, nonjudgmental forum. They will have the opportunity to speculate about and experiment freely with magnifying glasses and will also conduct more structured experiments.

Weblink address (URL): 
Magnify it!

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Purpose:

To understand that there are limits to what the eye can see and that a magnifying glass can help extend those limits.

 

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding

Helpful Hints

Note: It's important, however, that students do understand that the closer they hold the glass to an object, the larger the object appears.

References

Contributors: 
Kay Jordan
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation