Eyes

Invite an optometrist or ophthalmologist into the class to talk about the eye. Encourage students to ask questions of the guest speaker.

Using reference books (e.g. encyclopedia, dictionary, non-fiction books) to look up parts of the eye and how they all work together to help us see.

Present a series of questions, one to each of several small groups, for the groups to research and answer. Provide students with the opportunity to use at least two sources in order to make sure that their answers are correct.

Graph the eye color of students and or how many people in the class wear glasses.

Place a poster with text written in different-sized fonts on a wall. Have students measure the distance they need to stand from the poster to read each of the font sizes.

Using this online color test, work to arrange the colored tiles in order from one hue to the next. The test will supply a score for accuracy when finished. Transfer the results into a number line or graph. NOTE: Due to color differences in computer monitors, do not be concerned about a set of test results.

Animals have body parts that capture and convey different kinds of information needed for growth and survival. Animals respond to these inputs with behaviors that help them survive. Different animals use their body parts in different ways to see, hear, grasp objects, protect themselves, move from place to place, and seek and take in food.

Examples of devices could include a light source to send signals. People use a variety of devices to send and receive information over long distances.

Some materials allow light to pass through them, others allow only some light through, and others block all the light and create a dark shadow on any surface beyond them, where light cannot reach.

Objects can be seen if light is available to illuminate them or if they give off their own light. Examples of observations could include those made in a completely dark room, a pinhole box, and a video of a cave explorer with a flashlight.

Different sense receptors are specialized for particular kinds of information, which may be then processed by the animal's brain. Animals are able to use their perceptions and memories to guide their actions.

Animals have various body structures with specific functions for sustaining life.

An object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes.

Energy is present whenever there is light. Light transfers energy from place to place. Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat or light.

Populations of animals are classified by their characteristics.

Natural selection leads to the predominance of certain traits in a population, and the suppression of others. Emphasis is on using concepts of natural selection in animals, such as selection of favorable traits and heritability of traits.

In multicellular animals, the body is a system of multiple interacting subsystems. These subsystems are groups of cells that work together to form tissues. Tissues form organs that are specialized for particular body functions.

Digitized signals are sent as wave pulses that can be used for communication purposes. Examples could include using fiber optic cable to transmit light pulses, and the conversion of stored binary patterns to make text on a computer screen.

When light shines on an object, it is reflected, absorbed, or transmitted through the object, depending on the object's material and the frequency (color) of the light. The path that light travels can be traced as straight lines, except at surfaces between transparent materials (e.g. air and water, air and glass) where the light path bends. A wave model of light is useful for explaining brightness, color, and the frequency-dependent bending of light at a surface between media.