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Magnify That A Learning Activity for Discoveries at Willow Creek Magnify That Purpose Materials • To learn about observation skills and how tools can help people make observations. • Elementary GLOBE • To learn what “magnification” means. book: Discoveries at • To learn that scientists use tools, such as magnifying lenses, to examine Willow Creek objects. Part 1: Overview • Magnifying lenses Students will learn about magnification and how a magnifying lens works. They (one for each student will examine a variety of different objects, first without a magnifier and then in your class) with a magnifier, and compare what they observe. They will practice observing • Paper details of these objects with a magnifying lens. • Scissors • Objects to observe Student Outcomes (some good choices Students will be able to identify a magnifying glass and its purpose. They will be are: leaves, wood, able to describe how the same object looks different when using the unaided sponges, items of eye versus a magnifying lens. clothing, newspaper, hands/fingers, etc.) Science Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry • Abilities necessary to do scientific inquiry • Copies of Magnify That Student Activity Science Content Standard B: Physical Science Sheet 1 • Properties of objects and materials Science Content Standard C: Life Science Part 2: • The characteristics of organisms • Magnifying lenses Science Content Standard E: Science and Technology (one for each student • Understanding about science and technology in your class) • Salt and sugar Time • Black construction • Part 1: One 30-45 minute class period paper • Part 2: One 30-45 minute class period, or longer if this is included as a • White chalk or crayons center • Optional – additional magnifiers of different Level strengths Primary (most appropriate for grades K-4) • Copies of Magnify That Student Activity Sheet 2 The GLOBE Program Magnify That - Page 1 Discoveries at Willow Creek © 2006 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research All Rights Reserved or power, varies among magnifying lenses. Try to Preparation have several different powers of magnifiers available. When you introduce the magnifiers, let the students Read the Elementary GLOBE book Discoveries at use them on their own for a while. Let them explore Willow Creek - either read it to the class or have different objects. Plan viewing opportunities that students read it to themselves. The books can be permit students to view objects in different ways – downloaded from www.globe.gov/elementaryglobe. with the naked eye, magnified, and magnified under different powers. This tool will come in handy with all Teacher’s Notes types of scientific investigations! A lens is a curved shape you can see through. A magnifying lens is a convex lens that makes close What To Do objects appear larger. Both sides of the lens curve and How To Do It outward, and it is thicker in the middle than on the edges. It is also called a hand lens. When a Part 1: magnifying lens is placed directly on top of an object, the object appears the same and does not look any 1. Discuss with your students how people use their larger. If you raise the lens, the object appears larger, senses to discover things in their environment. or magnified. If you raise the lens too close to your Ask the students what senses they use when eyes, the object will become blurry. Both marbles they observe things. Discuss the advantages and and drops of water can act like lenses; they can limitations of each of the five senses (sight, sound, magnify objects because they are clear and have a touch, smell, taste). curved surface that is thicker in the middle than on 2. Ask the students the following question: Why do the edges. objects look different when magnified? 3. Then discuss with your students why the GLOBE When looking at objects through a magnifying lens, students needed a magnifying lens in the Discoveries the objects look larger. You can discover and examine at Willow Creek book. Tell them that they are going small details that you might not otherwise be able to to learn how to use a magnifying lens so they can see. For example, when you look at a newspaper use it as a tool when making observations. with a magnifying lens you will learn that the black parts of pictures in the newspaper are not solid black; 4. Pass out a sheet of paper (scrap will do!) to each instead they are made of tiny black and white dots. student. Show them how to fold it into quarters. On the inside corner (where there are no edges), Using magnifying glasses with children: have students make a mark one centimeter along Younger primary grade children may recognize that the edge in each direction. Then have the students an object looks larger under a magnifying lens, and cut out the area between the marks. This will create older primary grade children may observe more a square hole in the middle of the paper. Note for details not seen with the unaided eye. Magnifiers younger students: Have younger students put their encourage children of all ages to look at objects a little thumb over the inner corner and trace around it more closely. A hand magnifier (magnifying glass with a pencil. Then they should cut this out and it or hand lens) with an unbreakable acrylic lens and will make a window for them to look through that handle is a perfect tool to help children investigate is roughly the same size. the environment. This magnifier has the advantage 5. Have the students hold the hole in front of one eye of being small, mobile, and inexpensive. They are and look closely around them - at their hands, shoes, available in several sizes, in a variety of shapes, and clothes, pencil, etc. Ask the students if they notice are ideal for outdoor activities. The magnification, anything different about what they are observing. The GLOBE Program Magnify That - Page 2 Discoveries at Willow Creek © 2006 University Corporation for Atmospheric Research All Rights Reserved 6. Pass out the magnifying lenses and have the their magnifying lenses. Have them describe what students repeat their observations. Explain the they see, and write/draw a description on their concept of seeing “details” here. Ask the following Magnify That Student Activity Sheet 2. questions: 3. The students will learn that salt and sugar grains • What do you see with the magnifying lens that look different when magnified. Both salt and you did not see before? sugar are crystals. Salt crystals are the shape of a • Do you see any details like lines, shapes, numbers, cube and have flat sides. Sugar crystals are oblong or textures? and are slanted at both ends. Have a discussion • Did you know the details were there before? with the class about how this information will help • Describe two things that look different when them make observations of other objects using a using a magnifying lens. magnifying lens. 7. Give each student a leaf. Encourage them to examine the leaf with and without the magnifying lens. Then ask them to focus their observations on Adaptations for Younger the part of the leaf where the leaf stem (petiole) enters the leaf. Students should look at this specific and Older Students part of the leaf first using their paper with the hole in it and then using the magnifying lens. Have the Younger Students students draw what they see on the Magnify That Prior to doing this activity with kindergarten students, Student Activity Sheet 1 and share their results with it might be helpful to discuss and practice observation the class. skills with your students. One good way to do this is by using books from the “I Spy” series. Either read “I Part 2: Spy” books with the students or use an “I Spy” poster Note to teachers: this activity works better with with the class. Ask your students to practice observing younger students when done at a center so an adult details when looking at the books. The following can work with a few students at a time. Web site provides information on how to buy “I Spy” products and also has some good activities that you 1. Now have the students guess what certain objects can print from www.scholastic.com/ispy. will look like when viewed with a magnifying lens. Hold up containers of salt and sugar and ask the students what they think each substance will look Older Students like when magnified. Have the students write Discuss the appropriate uses of magnifying lenses down how they think each substance will look on versus microscopes. For example, it is possible to their Magnify That Student Activity Sheet 2. Note see details on a leaf with a magnifying lens, but not for younger students: These students will probably organisms in a drop of water – this requires more write “bigger” as their guess, because they might powerful magnification. not think about the possibility of seeing details in something like salt and sugar. 2. Pass out a piece of black construction paper to Further Investigations each student. Have the students use white chalk or a white crayon to draw a line on the paper to • Water as a Magnifier: Cut a hole the size of 3 divide it in half. Sprinkle a few grains of salt on centimeters in diameter out of a piece of cardboard. one half of the paper and a few grains of sugar on Tape plastic wrap over the hole, making sure it is the other half of the paper. Be sure to keep the smooth and tight over the hole. Place this over salt and sugar away from each other on the paper.
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