Science • Years 3-6 • Physical science

Light and Shadows

Use this handout to help ākonga sort light sources, explain how shadows form, and observe what changes when the light source or object moves.

Ingoa / Name

Akomanga / Class

Best for

Junior and middle-years science, observation tasks, and light-and-shadow investigations using simple classroom materials.

Kaiako use

Use before or alongside torch work, sunny-day shadow observations, or art/science integrated tasks.

Ākonga use

Students sort sources of light, compare shadow changes, and draw what they notice in an investigation.

Linked next step

Best followed by a shadow investigation outside or by linking to seasonal light observations in a local place.

Free observation scaffold, premium local-investigation path

This page already contains the light-source sorting, prediction prompts, and draw-on space. Te Wānanga can adapt it for your school environment, your age group, or a specific local inquiry such as Matariki, maramataka noticing, or seasonal light change.

Swap in local observation prompts and site-specific examples.
Create a picture-heavy beginner version or a stronger explanation version.
Save the adapted inquiry in My Kete and refine it in Creation Studio later.

Adapt this in Te Wānanga Open Creation Studio Compare paid workflow options

Kaiako planning snapshot

Use length: 30-40 minutes.
Grouping: Whole-class modelling, then pairs and independent recording.
Prep: Torches, simple objects, or access to a sunny outside space.
Teaching move: Keep the science tied to what students can actually observe, not just what they think should happen.

Observation Prediction

Resources already provided

Source and non-source sorting
Shadow-change prompts
Draw-and-label investigation space
Simple explanation tasks
Teacher-only curriculum companion

The page already contains the structured observation and drawing materials for the lesson.

Ngā Whāinga Akoranga / Learning Intentions

We are learning that some things make light and some only reflect it.
We are learning how shadows form.
We are learning how moving the light source or object changes the shadow.

Paearu Angitu / Success Criteria

I can identify a source of light.
I can explain why a shadow appears.
I can describe one way a shadow changes during an investigation.

Curriculum integration / Te Mātaiaho alignment

Use the companion page to connect this handout to observable change, explanation, and early physical science investigations. This is strongest when students record evidence and then explain it.

Physical science Observation Prediction

Light as a pattern we can notice

Students often understand light best through direct noticing: where sunlight falls, how shadows move across a day, or how a torch changes shape and size of a shadow when moved closer or further away.

Those observation habits can connect naturally to wider local noticing such as maramataka, seasonal shifts, and the role of light in everyday life.

A mātauranga Māori lens supports this best when it stays grounded in careful local noticing of daylight, shade, and seasonal patterns rather than being forced in as a separate add-on.

Source or not a source?

Source of light

Sun
Torch
Light bulb

Reflects light only

Moon
Book
Your hand

What changes the shadow?

If this changes...	What might happen to the shadow?	Why?
The torch moves closer.
The object moves further away.
The light comes from the side instead of above.

Draw your investigation

Draw an object, the light source, and the shadow. Add arrows or labels to show what changed.

Support, core, stretch

Support

Use the sentence frame: “The shadow changed because...”

Core

Complete the table and draw one labelled light-shadow setup.

Stretch

Compare morning and afternoon shadows outdoors and explain what caused the difference.

Students may respond through labelled drawings, oral explanation, or short written sentences depending on age and confidence.

Hononga Marautanga · Curriculum Alignment

Curriculum alignment for this handout has not yet been verified against the live curriculum statements. A generated placeholder that stood here was removed on 2026-08-29 because it matched no real statement.

Aronga Mātauranga Māori

Mātauranga Māori is a sophisticated knowledge system built through centuries of careful observation, hypothesis, testing, and refinement — the same processes that define scientific inquiry. Māori knowledge of ecology, weather patterns, seasonal change, and animal behaviour guided sustainable resource management for generations before Western science arrived in Aotearoa. Understanding science through a dual-knowledge lens — bringing mātauranga Māori and Western science into dialogue rather than hierarchy — produces richer, more contextually grounded understanding. The concept of kaitiakitanga reminds us that scientific knowledge carries obligations: understanding how natural systems work means accepting responsibility for how we treat them.

Tuhia ōu whakaaro · Write Your Thoughts

Reflect on what you have learned today. What was the most important idea? What question do you still have?

Ngā Rauemi Tautoko · Support Materials

This handout is designed to be used alongside the broader unit resources available at Te Kete Ako handouts library. This handout stands on its own; it is not part of a linked unit planner. All resources are provided — no additional preparation is required to use this handout in your classroom.