Centre: Teacher directed
Mat session:
STEM Shadow Tower
Educator to place line of coloured masking tape roughly 1-2
metres high on wall. Next place line of tape on the floor
roughly 1 metre away from wall. Place torch behind the line
facing the wall. Children are given the task to build a tower,
with unifix cubes. The shadow cast by the unifix cube tower
must reach the line on wall. Begin with children building
tower on floor at the masking tape line. Then experiment
moving the torch closer and farther from the tower until the
shadow cast by the tower reaches the line marked on the
wall.
Question Prompts:
Can you point to the shadow? What happens to the
shadow on the wall if you move the torch closer to the
tower? What happens to the shadow on the wall if you
move the torch away from the tower?
o Enabling – Educator assists children to manipulate
cubes and moves the torch. Children simply observe.
o Extending – Children apply the same principle to other
objects (e.g. plastic animals, peers etc.). Children ‘measure’
the shadow using non-standard measurements such as
hands.
Explicit / Intentional Teaching: Centre:
- Predict various hand-made shadows onto blank wall using Shadow Trace
overhead projector. Ask students if they can guess what animal
is being made by their hand: ‘I am making shadows with my Outdoors or underneath a well-lit window, educator sets up
hands. Can you guess what animal this is? It goes quack!’(etc) various plastic animals on blank paper so that a shadow is
Introduction
cast onto the paper. Children use markers to trace the
- Educator introduces learning intention. That is – to identify and
shadow of the animal of their choosing. After shadow has
experiment with shadows, then plains the scientific concept of
been traced children can decorate and add details to their
shadows.
picture using various craft resources.
Key Teaching Points (KTP’s):
• A shadow is made when an object blocks light, and you can
change the way a shadow looks by moving the object or the Materials:
light source.
Light source: Window/sunlight
- Introduce text: My Shadow (Robert Louis Stevenson) and elicit Paper
children’s prior knowledge by asking: ‘Who knows what a Various toy animals
shadow is? Do you have a shadow? When do you see your Markers
shadow?’Then read text aloud to children, Craft resources
- Educator then places text upon a literacy table which includes
various fiction/non-fiction texts about light and shadow.
Children can access this as part of activity rotations if desired.
- Educator instructs children to move freely to various activity
centres set-up around the classroom.
Centre: Conclusion: Centre:
Projector Play - Children return to mat for concluding mat session. Shadow Portraits

- Educator recaps the Key Teaching Points (KTP’s) about Children to stand so shadow falls on butchers paper whilst
Children explore shadows by placing various loose
shadows using a torch and a plastic animal. Educator educator traces shadow outline with marker. Children can
parts onto overhead projector. Children can also use
moves the torch (light source) and the animal (object) to then colour in their shadow using grey or black crayons.
hats and umbrellas to change the appearance of their
change the size and shape of the shadow. Educator to cut out at later time to put as display around
own shadow. classroom.
- To conclude the lesson, educator guides children in
Materials: singing an action song about their shadow: ‘Hi Materials:
Light source: Overhead projector Shadow!’ (Patty Shukla) https://www.youtube.com/

Umbrella watch?v=ZLph3HVJVFA. As children move, educator Light source: Sun

draws their attention to their own shadow. Butchers paper roll
Hats
Markers
Clear coloured counters
- Children are thanked for their participation then Grey & black crayons
Clear coloured daisy chains
transitioned to next lesson. Floor
Paper doilies
Feathers
Dried leaves
Blank wall
Centre: Objective/s: Centre:
Shadow Puppet Play At the end of this lesson, children will be able to: Superhero Symbol
Experiment with different light sources to create
Children create their own show to a peer-audience shadows Educator assistance required. Children trace cookie
using puppets positioned behind a sheet with a lamp. Identify a shadow when prompted cutter symbol onto cardboard and cut out. Children
Children explore what happens to shadows when they decorate cardboard roll using collage materials. Next
move puppets closer to lamp and further away. glue symbol onto cling wrap and place over opening of
Educator to facilitate conversation focusing on cardboard roll. Pull cling wrap tight and secure with
vocabulary such as light, dark, shadow, near and far. elastic band. Sticky tape cling wrap for extra hold.
Insert small torch into other end of cardboard roll and
Materials: allow children to project symbol onto various surfaces.
Light source: Lamp Educator to facilitate conversation focusing on
White sheet hung from ceiling/table vocabulary such as light, dark, shadow, near and far.
Puppets
Materials:
Light source: Torch
Paper rolls
Thin Cardboard
Cookie cutters
Cling wrap
Scissors
Cellotape
Elastic bands
Assessment & Recording: (What are we assessing? How are we assessing? How are we recording?)

An Assessment Checklist is used to assess children’s ability to accurately identify a shadow when prompted. Anecdotal notes are also used to record
children’s engagement in experimenting to create shadows.

Highlight one or two outcomes specifically connected to your objective/s.