Science – Seeing and Reflecting (Grade 5 Notes)
🔦 1. Light Travels in Straight Lines
Light always moves in a straight path.
If something blocks the light, it creates a shadow.
Light doesn’t bend around corners!
🌑 2. How Shadows Are Made
When opaque objects (like books or your hand) block light, a
shadow is formed.
The shape of the shadow is the same as the object.
The size of the shadow depends on how close the object is
to the light.
👀 3. Why We Can See Things – Reflection
We can see things because light reflects (bounces off)
objects and enters our eyes.
🪞 4. Shiny Surfaces
Smooth, shiny surfaces (like mirrors or still water) reflect
light clearly.
You can see your reflection in them.
🧪 Try this: Look into a mirror or clean spoon. You’ll see yourself!
🪨 5. Rough Surfaces
Rough surfaces (like walls or clothes) scatter light in many
directions.
You can see the object, but not your reflection.
📊 Ray Diagrams
Scientists represent the direction that light travels in by using
lines like this
to show rays of light.
When we draw a ray diagram we just draw one line to show each
direction that the light travels in. Only One arrow is needed on
each part of the line.
🔦 Reflecting Light
All objects reflect light.
We can see things because light reflects off them and into our
eyes.
Some surfaces reflect light better than others.
✨ Shiny Surfaces
Shiny surfaces are very smooth.
They reflect all the rays of light in the same direction.
This helps us see clear reflections (like in a mirror or polished
metal).
Examples: Kettle, clock, spoon, tools.
Diagram:
Light rays bounce off a smooth shiny surface in the same
direction.
🌫️Dull Surfaces
Dull or rough surfaces do not reflect light well.
The light that hits them is scattered in many directions.
This means we cannot see clear reflections on dull surfaces.
Examples: Rusty metal, old wood, cloth.
Diagram:
Light rays hit a rough surface and scatter in different directions.
How We See Objects:
o We see objects when light travels from a light source to
our eyes.
o Example: Light from a TV screen travels directly to our eyes.
o We also see objects when light reflects off them before
reaching our eyes.
Example: Light from a lamp hits a book → reflects off the
book → enters our eyes.
Importance of Light:
o If the light is switched off, no light reaches our eyes, so we
can’t see objects.
o Example: In a dark room, you can’t see a spider until a light is
turned on.
🌑 Shadows
🔹 Shadows are made when opaque objects block light.
🔹 Light cannot pass through these objects.
🔹 The shadow is a dark shape that looks like the object.
🔹 Shadows have the same shape as the object but their size can change.
✅ Key points:
Shadows are created by a light source.
When the object is closer to the light, the shadow is bigger.
When the object is far from the light, the shadow is smaller.
🔦 Reflection
🔹 Light travels in straight lines.
🔹 When light hits a surface, it changes direction – this is called reflection.
🔹 Smooth, shiny surfaces (like mirrors or balloons) reflect light well.
🔹 The light bounces off at the same angle it hits the surface.
🔹 Dull, rough, or dark surfaces (like bricks) do not reflect light well.
🔹 The reflected light is scattered and not clear.
✅ Examples:
✅ Shiny balloon and star balloon: reflect light well.
❌ Red brick: does not reflect light well.
Investigating Safety Clothing
🔹 Some people wear special bright clothing to stay safe when working or walking in
dangerous places.
☀️During the Day:
These clothes are bright in color like yellow or orange.
Bright colors are easy to see in the sunlight.
This helps people to be noticed quickly in busy or risky places.
🌙 At Night:
The clothes have stripes made of a special material.
These stripes reflect light from cars or streetlights.
This makes the person wearing the jacket visible in the dark.
✅ Why Safety Clothing is Important:
Keeps people safe and visible during both day and night.
Very helpful in hazardous areas like construction sites or roads.
🧠 Think About This:
Where do you think people should wear safety clothing?
💡 Examples:
Construction workers
Road workers
Police officers at night
People riding bicycles or walking near traffic
