Rainbow Lesson Plan for Kindergarten Students

Topic: how the rainbow is formed

Objectives & Outcomes

• Students will be able to explain how the rainbow is formed.

Materials

• A sunny day
• A white sheet or large white wall
• Water in a liquid bottle
• Food coloring (optional)
• Tweezers (optional)

Warm-up

• Ask the students if they have ever seen a rainbow.
• Ask them to describe what it looks like and how it is formed.
• Introduce the term "refraction" and explain that it is the process by which light passes through a medium of different density, such as water droplets in the air, and is bent or distorted.

Direct Instruction

• Show the students a glass of water and a white paper sheet.
• Ask them to observe as you put the glass of water on the paper and slowly move it away from the glass.
• As you move the glass away, the students should notice that the colors of the rainbow appear on the paper, starting with red on the left and ending with violet on the right.
• Explain that this is how a rainbow is formed: when light passes through water droplets in the air, it is refracted and bends, creating the colors of the rainbow.

Guided Practice

• Have the students work in pairs and give each pair a glass of water and a white paper sheet.
• Have the students follow the same steps as in the direct instruction and move the glass of water away from the paper while their partner observes the colors of the rainbow appearing on the paper.
• After they have had a chance to try this, have the students share with the class what they saw and explain how the rainbow is formed.

Independent Practice

• Have the students draw a rainbow and color it in, making sure to include the -seven colors of the rainbow in their drawing.
• Ask the students to label each color on their rainbow and write a sentence explaining how rainbow is formed.

Closure

• Review the steps for how rainbow is formed.
• Ask the students to share something they learned about rainbow during the lesson.
• Have the students draw a picture of something they enjoyed about the lesson on a blank sheet of paper and -label it "My Rainbow Learning."

Assessment

• Observe the students as they conduct the experiment and provide feedback.
• Use the students' written explanations as an assessment of their understanding of the science behind rainbow.