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How could you send a secret message to someone far away?
Lights & Sounds Unit | Lesson 5 of 6
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How could you send a secret message to someone far away?

Lights & Sounds Unit | Lesson 5 of 6
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
Scroll for prep
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Can`you`think`of`a
way`to`communicate
YES`or`NO`to
someone`using`only
a`light?

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Anchor Connection In the past lesson, you communicated with light. Discuss. What were the messages that you sent? How did you send them?
Fireflies also send messages with light. Different kinds of fireflies flash in different ways. Some stay lit up all the time. Some blink on and off. The fireflies in the Everglades blink on and off. The fireflies can find each other by looking for flashes that are the same as their own.
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People can use lots of ways to communicate. We can talk, we can use sign language, and we can use flashlights and colored paper. Fireflies communicate by flashing light from their bodies!
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Look at the "Wonder" column of your See-Think-Wonder chart. Have any questions been answered? Do you have any new questions? Save this chart. You will use it after the next lesson.
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light


1 of 4

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

sound


2 of 4

vibrations that you can usually hear with your ears
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communicate


3 of 4

to give and get information
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invent


4 of 4

to create something new, often an object or a way of doing something
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Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Grade 1

Light, Sound, & Communication

Light, Communication, & Engineering

1-PS4-4, K-2-ETS1-2

4664 reviews

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students practice using light to communicate information. In the activity, Secret Signals, students work in pairs to build a device that solves the problem of communicating over a distance. They send secret messages to one another using light and colored markers.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Color Codes printout Print 30 copies
Markers
Preferably 1 red, 1 blue, and 1 green. You can use three other colors, but make sure they are very different from one another. Similar colors (red, pink, and orange) can lead to confusion.
Details
45 markers
LED Flashlights
30 flashlights
Prep Instructions

Make sure you have enough space. Pairs of students will need to be at least 5 or 6 feet apart, and have a clear line of sight to each other. Homeschool students working alone will need a partner to do this activity.

You will need to do this activity in the dark with the lights off and curtains drawn.

Classroom Management Tip

Flashlights are very fun, but can be very distracting! We suggest waiting to distribute flashlights to students until Step 6 of the activity.

Exploration

17 mins

Hands-On Activity

25 mins

Grade 1

Light, Sound, & Communication

Light, Communication, & Engineering

1-PS4-4, K-2-ETS1-2

4664 reviews
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Light Lesson 5: How could you send a secret message to someone far away?

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