Color Analyzers
Grades 5—8
Written by Cary I. Sneider, Alan Gould,
and Cheryll Hawthorne
Teasing a rainbow from a lightbulb. Decoding messages from
abstract art. Unveiling the answer to why an apple looks red.
Through these activities and others in this unit, students are
immediately and physically involved in investigations of light,
color, and the wonders of how our eyes work.
Experimenting with color filters, students decipher secret messages—and
create their own—as they learn how certain colors are better
reflected from some items than others—why that apple looks
red, for instance. They use diffraction gratings to appreciate
how many "hidden" colors a source gives off, even
though our naked eye perceives only one.
A background section provides information on color, light, and
how the eye and brain sense and comprehend color. The guide's
colorful front cover camouflages a secret message used in class
activities; the back cover's photo of a nebula, when viewed
through different filters, helps students understand how color
filters help astronomers scan the heavens.
Two other GEMS guides, More Than
Magnifiers and
Microscopic Explorations,
make excellent connections to this unit.
The class set of color filters and diffraction gratings necessary
for these activities must be purchased separately. The
set is available through Carolina Biological Supply Company.
To
order call 1-800-334-5551 extension 6252.
Comment on this GEMS unit.
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