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Science and Technology K–6 · Years 1–2

See-through or not: sorting materials by how light passes

Physical World, energy comes in different forms that can be detected, and Material World (NSW 2017); Science inquiry (ACARA v9)

PracticalLow risk

The idea

Materials let most, some or none of the light through, and that property decides where they are used.

What you need

  • A torch; a white card as a screen
  • Samples about 10 cm square: clear plastic, baking paper, tissue paper, frosted plastic, thin cotton, cardboard, aluminium foil, a wooden tile; and a glass microscope slide (smaller, with its edges taped)
  • Three sorting labels: most light through and a clear view (transparent), some light through but no clear view (translucent), no light through (opaque)

How to do it

  1. Hold each sample between the torch and the card, 10 cm from the card. Look at the card.
  2. Sort: a clear bright spot with sharp edges is most through; a soft glow is some through; a dark shadow is none through.
  3. Try to read a word on the card through each sample.
  4. Name one thing at school made from each group and say why that group suits it.

What you should see

Clear plastic and glass pass most of the light and the word can be read (they also reflect a little, which is why a faint reflection of the torch shows on them); baking paper, tissue, frosted plastic and thin cotton pass a glow and the word cannot be read; cardboard, foil and wood pass none. Windows are transparent, bathroom windows translucent, doors and walls opaque. The learner knows it worked when the reading test agrees with the torch test for every sample.

What changes

This activity lists no variables to change, measure and keep the same.

Common misconceptions

Each of these ideas is wrong, and the activity is a chance to test it.

  • Anything thin lets light through.
  • Shiny things let light through (foil is shiny and opaque).

Safety card

Low riskLearners carry it out

Hazards

  • Glass slide edges

Controls

  • Slide taped at the edges; torch not shone into eyes

Note

No chemicals or heat. Record the activity on the school's risk assessment (Primary School RiskAssess, Ecosolve Australia, riskassess.com.au).

Curriculum references

The NSW syllabus outcomes and Australian Curriculum v9 codes this activity supports. They are references, not a verified or complete curriculum alignment.

  • Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2017), NESA. Current syllabus; NESA's timeline is 2026 plan and prepare, 2027 start teaching the 2024 syllabus. Code read from the official syllabus document on 2026-09-22.ST1-8PW-SST1-7MW-TST1-1WS-S
  • Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus (2024), NESA. Implementation from 2027, so this code describes the future syllabus. Code read from the outcomes page on 2026-09-22.ST1-SCI-01ST1-DAT-01
  • Australian Curriculum v9AC9S1I02AC9S1I03AC9S1I06

Sources

The pages the author read to write this activity.

  1. www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/curriculum/science/science-and-technology-k-6-2017
  2. primaryconnections.org.au/v84-sequences/look-listen

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