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1st grade · Science · Unit 2 of 8

Light & Sound

Bright, dark, loud and quiet

What your child practices

Sources of light and sound, loud and quiet, high and low sounds, shadows, and how light passes through glass but not walls.

New York State Learning Standards learning standard: 1-PS4-1; 1-PS4-2; 1-PS4-3 · sound and vibration, seeing only with light, and how materials block or let through light

How we explain it

Children can open this short lesson before they practice.

  1. The sun, a flashlight and a candle make their own light.
  2. We need light to see colors.
  3. Light passes through clear glass but not through a wall.

Example: Does a spoon make its own light? A spoon can shine, but only when light hits it. It does not make light. Answer: no

Light & Sound in New York

In the New York State Learning Standards, this is unit 2 of 8 in 1st grade Science, after Animal Survival and before Sky & Seasons.

Gradelings describes a child's practice on this unit as Beginning, Approaching, Meeting or Exceeding (Four practice steps). That reflects practice, not a report-card mark: the teacher decides the mark.

Source: New York State Education Department (NYSED)

Sample questions

A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.

  1. Question 1

    Which one wakes you up with a sound?

    • ⏰alarm clock
    • 🪞mirror
    • 💡lamp

  2. Question 2

    Where does daylight come from?

    • 🌙the moon
    • ☀️the sun
    • ☁️the clouds

  3. Question 3

    Which animal makes a high, squeaky sound?

    • 🐄cow
    • 🐭mouse
    • 🐻bear

  4. Question 4

    Is the sound loud or quiet? Tap an item, then tap its basket.

    Sort into: 📢 loud · 🤫 quiet

    • 📖turning a page
    • 🥁drum
    • ⏰alarm clock
    • 🐈cat purring
    • 🎺trumpet
    • ❄️snow falling

  5. Question 5

    Does the moon make its own light?

    🌕
    • ☀️No, sunlight bounces off it
    • ✨Yes, it glows by itself

  6. Question 6

    Does it make its own light? Tap an item, then tap its basket.

    Sort into: ✨ makes light · ⬛ does not make light

    • 💡light bulb
    • 🧸teddy bear
    • 📕book
    • 🕯️candle
    • 🪨rock
    • ☀️sun

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