Video trouble?

DISCUSS (1 of 3):

Why do you think some people have problems with vision?

DISCUSS (2 of 3):

How could we figure out how eyes work?

Here’s what we came up with...

DISCUSS (3 of 3): Look at these eyes, and the eyes of the person next to you. What's the same? What's different?

Eyes Comparison

Do you think that any of the differences could explain why some people have trouble with vision, or not?

Video trouble?

vision

1 of 12

the ability to see

Video trouble?

light

2 of 12

what comes from the Sun and lamps and makes it possible to see things

pupil

3 of 12

the dark opening in the center of the eye

iris

4 of 12

the colored part of the eye that is shaped like a donut

cornea

5 of 12

the clear layer in front of the eye

retina

6 of 12

the back of the eye that senses light and sends messages to the brain

structure

7 of 12

the specific form and shape of something

function

8 of 12

what something does

Video trouble?

lens

9 of 12

a clear object that changes the direction of light as it passes through

Video trouble?

experiment

10 of 12

a test used to discover new information about a question

model

11 of 12

a pretend version of something that scientists use when the real thing is too big, small, or complicated to work with

dissect

12 of 12

to take something apart to study it

Extend this lesson

Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

blind man by TommyEdisonXP , used under CC BY

cat in window by Chris Lattuada , used under CC BY / Heavily modified

glasses by Michelle Arseneault , used under CC BY-SA / Adjusted color, cropped

cow by Peggy Greb

Activity

race car by The Tire Zoo , used under CC BY

light switch by Derek Gavey , used under CC BY-SA

man standing in front of curtains by Maegan Tintari , used under CC BY-SA

Other

Unit: brown eye by Giulia Marotta , used under Public Domain

Credits

Try Making An Image With the Lens Before Class

As soon as you have a 3X magnifying lens, use it to make an image. For the best image, you need a dimly lit room and an interesting light source — like a window that lets light in, a lamp with a shade, or a television. Watch this short video for a demonstration.

After you’ve made an image, check to see what will work in your classroom. Do you have a door to the outside that you can prop open? A bright window? An interesting light fixture?

If you have a large class, you can set up a few stations with lamps around the room, or send students in batches to a window.

“They were absolutely enthralled. The cow eye was a stretch for a few, but they all learned things they didn't know. They had more questions at the end of the lesson than I have heard from any lesson in a while, so I was thrilled. They thought the eye model was the best ever, and they are showing them to their grandparents today for Grandparents' Day. This was as close to a perfect lesson as it gets.”

“Great Mystery!! The activity had a high level of engagement. It was a simple model to demonstrate the principal. Several students asked for copies of the materials so that they could recreate at home. I definitely recommend doing the extension.”

“The kids were so engaged! We have already learned about how the eye works, but this really solidified it for them! They have a much deeper understanding of the parts of the eye and how they work together. They loved every second. Thank you!!”

“All students were engaged in creating the cornea lens model and using it to demonstrate understanding through their discussions and responses on the brief assessment.The additional articles further demonstrated understanding through reading and written responding.WE love Mystery Science is their opinion!”

“Probably the best one yet! My students liked learning about the man without eyesight and how when they made their models, they actually saw an image on their "retina" piece of paper. If the school day wasn't ending, they could have been experimenting with those functional models for 15 more minutes.”

“The best part was when the kids were able to find images on their index cards. They really thought that was unbelievable and tried so many different things on their own to discover why people have blurry vision or no vision. This is one of my favorite ones so far. ”

“This lesson was amazing, for teachers and students alike. We all were able to learn and grow together, and the lesson sparked incredible discussions and "ah-ha" moments. The lens model was creative and truly illustrated the process of vision.”

“For me - incredibly clear directions for the children to follow; an experiment that didn't need a lot of materials; an experiment that didn't need a lot of time For kids - captivating video; the complete success of the experiment - they were excited and learned so much”

“Really really loved the activity and the explanations. My students had lots of questions about why certain people had certain colors of eyes....maybe you want to consider a lesson on that with punnet square or even a lesson about genetics.”

“Nice job on the eye lesson. We enjoyed playing with the lenses. One thing: there are actually THREE things that can go wrong with sight -- cornea lens, retina/optic nerve, and BRAIN damage. I know you are trying to keep things simple, but sight is one of the five senses, and it's an oversight (pun intended) to dismiss the brain's function of interpreting those senses. If you wanted to pursue this in another lesson, you could make one on optical illusions, on how the brain misinterprets signals from the eyes. That would be fun!”

“Making the eye model was FANTASTIC! The excitement when they saw the image was actually upside down...they will never forget it! Also learning about how the retina disrupts the image being viewed was also a favorite activity!”

“When my students used the lenses and started experimenting with it---Wow! Excitement! I purposely didn't guide them in any way. But they discovered everything I wanted to and MORE! That's the way kids retain information! Great Job Mystery Science! I am excited to say that our principal just bought a school license for next year! Yeah!!!!!”

“The kids loved every hands-on part of this lesson. It was neat to hear the sounds when they observed pupils dilating! The reasoning behind eyes glowing and red eye were very interesting for adults and kids. Very nice lesson!”

“Experimenting with the cornea lens and retina was fantastic. What a great activity to help us understand how the eye works. I even learned something new myself. I had no idea the pupil was a hole! So interesting! Again, we also loved the dissection. It's always nice to see what things truly look like and to examine them closer. Thank you for an excellent lesson. ”

“Our favorite part of this series was the dissection. the kiddos loved making the eyes and experimenting with them. They absolutely love when Doug gives them a 'thumbs up' during the activity time.”

“The best part was that moment when each student's image came into focus on their retina card. Very cool. As always, the way you guys give directions is just masterful. The gross out factor with the cow eye was pretty severe. I provided plenty of warning for my students, and there were still a couple who had to leave half way through that section. You might want to encourage teachers to warn parents ahead of time. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but some parents may not appreciate the scientific value of that process the same way we do.”

“I'm sorry, I keep using the same word, but WOW! The kids were blown away by the image appearing on the retina. Then our principal stopped by and told about her Lasik surgery and they recognized the words and understood what she had done. Amazing! ”

Front of the Eye printout	Print 30 copies
Markers Used to color the iris so we suggest brown, blue, and green colors. Crayons or colored pencils will also work.	Details 30 markers
Scissors	30 pairs
Dot Stickers We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom. Tape also works.	Details 60 stickers
Index Cards (3x5)	30 cards
Credit Card Size Magnifiers (3x) You can find great prices on ebay.com, but you have to plan a few weeks ahead. Search ebay for “3X credit-card magnifier.”	Details 30 lenses

What do people who are blind see?

vision

light

pupil

iris

cornea

retina

structure

function

lens

experiment

model

dissect

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

Image & Video Credits

21 mins

30 mins

4 mins

Share this lesson

Student link

Google Classroom

Email parents

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

What do people who are blind see?

vision

light

pupil

iris

cornea

retina

structure

function

lens

experiment

model

dissect

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

Image & Video Credits

Activity Prep

Try Making An Image With the Lens Before Class

Hold On To The Eye Models

21 mins

30 mins

4 mins

Share this lesson

Student link

Google Classroom

Email parents

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Assessments

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

This episode is locked