Shadows: How They Form and Change — Interactive Lesson (Year 3)

Why is your shadow long in the morning but short at lunchtime? This 15-slide interactive lesson on shadows builds understanding one small step at a time, with 9 self-marking activities and nothing to prepare beforehand.

Teaching Shadows: How They Form and Change in KS2 Science

Pupils learn that light travels in straight lines and that a shadow forms when an opaque object blocks the light. They sort materials into transparent, translucent and opaque, predict where a shadow will fall, and explain how moving an object or the Sun's position changes a shadow's size and length.

What Pupils Will Learn

• Explain how a shadow is formed.
• Sort materials into transparent, translucent and opaque.
• Describe how a shadow's size changes.
• Explain how shadows from the Sun change during the day.

What’s Included

• 15-slide interactive lesson on shadows
• 9 self-marking activities: multiple-choice questions, true-or-false checks, sorting tasks and fill-in-the-gap questions
• Step-by-step teaching cards that reveal one point at a time
• A written explanation task with a model answer for self-assessment

Why Teachers Love It

• No prep — open it on an interactive whiteboard, laptop or tablet
• Instant feedback explains every answer, right or wrong
• Everyday examples make science feel real
• Works for whole-class teaching, independent study or revision

Curriculum Alignment

Supports the UK National Curriculum for KS2 Science (Year 3 programme of study: Light) and the Nigerian Basic Science and Technology curriculum for Primary 3.

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FAQ

What year groups is this for? Year 3 (ages 7–11), and Primary 3 in Nigeria.

Is it self-marking? Yes — all 9 activities give instant feedback.

Do pupils need to log in? No. The lesson runs in any modern web browser.

Can I use it for revision? Yes. Pupils can replay it as often as they like, and the results screen shows which questions to review before a test.