Light and Shadows - 4-Week Year 3 Science Unit

A four-week science unit covering the Year 3 Light programme of study, built for home education and small groups, with safe investigations using a torch, foil, a mirror and a shoebox.

Twelve 20-30 minute sessions, each with a short explainer, an activity and a hands-on investigation, plus a talk-and-write prompt.

Included (print PDF + fully editable PowerPoint, 21 pages):

• Grown-up guide (with sources and safety) and week-by-week plan
• Week 1 · Light and Seeing - dark as the absence of light, natural and human-made light sources, protecting our eyes
• Week 2 · Reflection - reflected light, mirror games, how reflectors keep us safe
• Week 3 · Materials and Shadows - transparent, translucent and opaque, making shadows, a shadow puppet show
• Week 4 · Shadow Science - a fair test on shadow size, finding patterns, shadows outside
• Vocabulary page, end-of-unit check and full answers
• Certificate and a support version (picture word mat and sentence starters)

Safety built in: a clear “never look directly at the Sun” line wherever the Sun comes up, and torches rather than candles.

Every fact is taken from the National Curriculum for England (Year 3 Light) and Oak National Academy’s matching unit, cited in the guide. Dyslexia-aware design throughout, following British Dyslexia Association style guidance.

Also in the range: Everyday Materials and Money and Time.