Worksheet

The Red Basket at the Autumn Stand

Analyze an autumn farm stand investigation and model how light travels to an object, bounces off it, and enters an eye.

Grade 4ScienceInteractive · Printable

Aligned to4-PS4-2

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What’s included

Single worksheet
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1 NGSS standard
Printable answer key
14 questions
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Details

Format: Interactive · Printable
Grade: Grade 4
Subject: Science
Question types: Fill in the blank, Multiple choice, Circle the answer, Sorting, Short answer

About this worksheet

What students practice

Students model light traveling from a source to an object and from the object into an eye.
Students use investigation evidence to explain why an object is visible or hidden.
Students evaluate changes to a light-path setup using cause-and-effect reasoning.

How to use

Read the farm stand investigation together, then have students use the test results to evaluate light-path models and explain cause and effect.

Curriculum

NGSS standard covered

4-PS4-2

Model how light bounces off objects and enters the eye so that we can see them.

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Name Date

The Red Basket at the Autumn Stand

Use test results to model how light reaches an object and then enters an eye.

Read the stand investigation

Read Nia's notes about the autumn farm stand. Use the notes and the test table to answer the questions.

Nia's Light-Path Notes

At an autumn farm stand, Nia and her class tested a small red basket before the stand opened. The basket did not make its own light. A lantern was placed on one side of the basket, and an observer looked through an opening on the other side. The class used an opaque card, which blocks light, and a clear sheet, which lets light pass through. They kept the basket, lantern, and observer in the same places unless a test record says otherwise.

In Test A, the lantern was on, the two openings were clear, and the observer saw the basket. In Test B, the lantern was off, and the observer did not see the basket. In Test C, the lantern was on, but an opaque card was placed between the lantern and the basket. The observer did not see the basket.

In Test D, the lantern was on and the card was moved to a place between the basket and the observer. The observer did not see the basket. In Test E, the card was replaced with a clear sheet at that same place. The observer saw the basket. In Test F, the lantern was on and the observer saw a white cloth in place of the basket.

Nia wrote that the class could observe whether the basket was visible, but the path of light inside the setup was a model. Nia asked the class to draw a model that connects the lantern, the basket, and the observer's eye.

Which statement is a direct observation from Nia's notes?

A. The basket sent light toward the lantern.
B. The observer's brain changed the basket's color.
C. The observer saw the basket in Test E.
D. The basket reflected more light than the cloth.

In how many tests was the lantern on but the basket was not visible?

tests

Which model best represents the complete light path in Test A? Arrows show the direction light travels.

A. Observer's eye → basket → lantern
B. Lantern → basket → observer's eye
C. Lantern → observer's eye → basket
D. Basket → lantern → observer's eye

Select the TWO details that make Tests A and C a useful comparison.

The lantern was on in both tests.The observer saw the basket in Test A.The same basket was used.The lantern was moved in Test C.The tests happened at an autumn farm stand.

What does comparing Tests A and C best support?

A. The basket made its own light in Test A.
B. The card made the lantern brighter in Test C.
C. The observer moved closer to the basket in Test C.
D. A card blocking the light can keep the basket from being seen.

Word bank: bounces · melts · reflects · hides

Complete the model. Light travels from the lantern to the basket, then from the basket into the observer's eye.

Use evidence to check the model

Think about what changed, what happened next, and why. Use the investigation results to answer.

Start with the working setup in Test A. Sort each change by what you predict will happen.

Place a clear sheet between the basket and observer.Turn the lantern off.Place an opaque card between the lantern and basket.Place an opaque card between the basket and observer.

The basket should remain visible	The basket should not be visible

A student draws this model for Test A: lantern → observer's eye → basket. Which revision best fixes the model?

A. Show light traveling from the lantern to the basket and then to the eye.
B. Remove the basket because the lantern provides the light the eye needs.
C. Show light traveling from the eye to the basket, then to the lantern.
D. Place the observer's eye between the lantern and the basket in the setup.

Select the TWO predictions that fit the class's light-path model.

If an opaque card blocks the path from the basket to the eye, the basket will be harder to see.If the lantern is on, the basket will be visible even when a card blocks both openings.If light cannot reach the basket from the lantern, the observer may not see the basket.If the basket is not visible, light must be traveling from the eye to the basket.If the lantern is moved farther away, the basket will become a light source.

10.

The class wants to compare an opaque card with a clear sheet fairly. Which plan is best?

A. Use the opaque card with the basket, then use the clear sheet with a different object and lantern.
B. Place the two materials in different places and change the observer's position each time.
C. Place each material in the same position while keeping the basket, lantern, and observer in the same places.
D. Use the clear sheet when the lantern is on and the opaque card when the lantern is off.

11.

What do Tests C and D show about two different parts of the light path?

A. A card between the lantern and basket blocks the eye from sending light.
B. A card can block light before it reaches the basket or after it leaves.
C. A card makes the basket stop reflecting light when it is nearby.
D. A card between the basket and eye lets more light reach the basket.

12.

What is the best explanation for the result in Test F?

A. Light from the lantern hit the cloth and bounced into the eye.
B. The observer saw the cloth because light traveled from the eye to the cloth.
C. The cloth was visible because the card blocked light from reaching the lantern.
D. The white cloth was visible because it produced light like a lantern.

13.

Write a complete light-path model for why the observer saw the basket in Test A. Name the light source, the object, and the eye. Explain what happened to the light at the basket.

14.

A student says, “The lantern was on, so the basket should have been visible in every test.” Make a claim about this statement and support it with evidence from two tests. Explain what happened next and why.