Light and Shadows in the Cloud Forest

Grade Level: 5

Introduction: Students will be describing their conceptions of light and shadow in the context of the cloud forest.  After sharing their initial understandings, they will observe light and shadow in panoramas from the Monteverde cloud forest.  Through discussion and the use of photographic evidence, students will enrich their understanding of light movement.  They will arrive at a correct explanation for how shadows form, and they will begin to develop an understanding of how plants use light.
Note: An introduction to the cloud forest and the panoramas will be necessary if students are not already familiar with the panoramas.

Objectives: Students will be able to 1) identify resources that support plant life, 2)  describe how plants acquire necessary resources and 3) demonstrate independent use of interactive panoramic photographs and video in order to collect data.

National Science Standards: Transfer of Energy: Light interacts with matter by transmission (including refraction), absorption, or scattering (including reflection). To see an object, light from that object-- emitted by or scattered from it-- must enter the eye. Populations and Ecoystems: For ecosystems, the major source of energy is sunlight.  Energy entering ecosystems as sunlight is transferred by producers into chemical energy through photosynthesis.  That energy then passes from organisms to organism in food webs. Scientific Inquiry: Use appropriate tools and techniques to gather, analyze, and interpret data.

Time: 1 hour

Related Plans:

Lessons for Younger Classrooms

1. How Cloud Forest Plants Survive and Thrive
2. Light and Shadows in the Cloud Forest