Chemical Education Today
Especially for High School Teachers by Laura E. Slocum with Erica K. Jacobsen
Connections between Light and Color
Laura Erica
photo by L. Slocum
Probably like many of you, I connect light and color through science—an object absorbs various types of light and Secondary School Featured Articles then the color of the object is a result of the light that it reflects. ◭ Triple Point: Chemist, Teacher, Student. Three Phases of The color we see also depends on how our eyes and brains transa Substance Exist in Equilibrium by Sally B. Mitchell, late that input. For example, dogs don’t “see” colors the same way pp 1013–1018. we do. However, this summer I had the opportunity to think ◭ Chemistry and Children’s Literature: Keep the Lights about light and color in a whole new way. Burning, Abbie by Patricia B. McKean, pp 1019–1021. I grew up in Indianapolis and never saw a lighthouse until I sometimes be a daunting was in my mid 20s. Then, task, let alone how to during the 16 years that use all the various pieces I lived in Connecticut, of technology that are I saw numerous New available—tr ying to England lighthouses and figure out how best to fell in love with explorteach our students using them. When I haping these various techpened to travel near one, nological tools is not a I always visited it. All Algoma Pierhead Light on Lake Michigan in Algoma, Wisconsin. simple task, either. of the lighthouses that Each of us has faced these challenges in various ways, and I I ever saw were white and round (although one did have a red think that the more we can help to prepare new teachers for the stripe in the middle of it). Thus, I thought that lighthouses had classroom, the better they will feel about being teachers. Our to be white and round. Well, I was wrong! profession is a wonderful one, but not a simple one, and the This summer I traveled for a week along Lake Michigan in more we can collaborate and support each other, the better we Wisconsin and Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of Michiwill all be professionally. gan where I saw 12 lighthouses in all shapes, sizes, and colors. I wish each of you a wonderful 2009–2010 school year and The lighthouses that were painted completely red especially please let Erica and me know if there is a particular way that the surprised me. I asked about why they were red and not white, Journal of Chemical Education can help you more. but no one could give me a direct answer. Does anyone have a suggestion about why they are red? Then I opened this month’s issue of the Journal and found Erica’s Take on the Issue even more lighthouses to explore in Patricia McKean’s article Reading Laura’s comments on white vs red lighthouses in the Classroom Activity Connection (p 1019). She links spurred me to drag out a photo album from a long-ago trip to children’s literature, lighthouses, and lightsticks. On page 1021 Massachusetts and do my own informal research. Would the she even has a model of a lighthouse made from a tennis ball several lighthouses I’d photographed be white? red? both? The can, and it is red. I immediately went out and bought the book verdict: all were white, except for one that was white with a red she talks about, Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, for my niece band on the top. I hadn’t noticed the pattern at the time, but it and nephew and read it to them. I enjoyed the book as much as reminds me now that observations such as this can come from they did. What a great way to enjoy my summer and learn more anywhere, and can lead us to look at the world around us in a about light and color. new way. Sally Mitchell’s Conant Award Address (p 1013) is However, what I learned about light and color was not another reminder of real-world connections to science. Much more about the science, it was about my own misconceptions of her teaching focuses on the chemistry of cooking, and has about lighthouses and their color. They do not all have to be resulted in more than one student “…who understands and apwhite—some are even brown and gray. However, the ones that preciates chemistry each and every time she enters a kitchen”. I are still needed do have to work, and McKean makes some wonplan to do some informal research on supersaturation based on derful connections in her article for us to share with students. some of Sally’s handouts—particularly her Cookies and Cream Preservice Teachers and Technology Fudge recipe. Daniel Tofan (p 1060) describes a course offered at his Supporting JCE Online Material university to preservice teachers on the use of various types of http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2009/Sep/abs1005.html software to teach chemistry. As I read this, I thought about how fortunate those teachers must be to know how to use many of Full text (HTML and PDF) the different types of technology in their classrooms when they Blogged at http://expertvoices.nsdl.org/chemeddl/ first start to teach. Just trying to know what textbook to use can © Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 86 No. 9 September 2009 • Journal of Chemical Education
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