Year 6 Block 1: Light
Year 6 Topic – Light
This unit of work develops children’s understanding of light and its properties through a series of practical, thought-provoking investigations. Pupils explore how light travels, how we see things, and how shadows are formed and change. They also investigate light phenomena such as coloured shadows, refraction and the visible spectrum, applying their knowledge to real-life contexts like road safety and scientific discovery.
Lessons are approximately 75 minutes long and should be taught in order. It is recommended that this is the first science unit taught in Year 6, as it builds on earlier learning about light in lower key stages and introduces key concepts needed for more advanced scientific enquiry.
Disciplinary knowledge is embedded throughout the unit alongside carefully chosen substantive knowledge, enabling children to plan and carry out fair tests, use diagrams and charts to record data, and draw meaningful conclusions from their findings.
View small steps and unit outcomes
Lesson titles
- How does light travel?
- How do we see things?
- How does light make shadows?
- What are reflective materials?
- Let’s investigate the reflectiveness of materials
- What are light phenomena?
Unit Outcomes (secure)
Light
- Recognise that light appears to travel in straight lines
- Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain how we see objects
- Explain that objects are seen because they give out or reflect light into the eye
- Use the idea that light travels in straight lines to explain why shadows have the same shape as the objects that cast them
Working scientifically
- Planning different types of scientific enquiries to answer questions
- Recording data and results using scientific diagrams, tables and bar charts
- Using test results to make predictions and set up further investigations
Year 6 Science Scheme | Block 1: Light
Help pupils explore light, reflection and shadows with this complete Year 6 Light lesson pack. Designed for upper Key Stage 2, this unit includes everything you need to teach the Year 6 science topic on light, from planning to assessment.
This fully-resourced unit covers all National Curriculum objectives for light in Year 6 science, including:
- How light travels in straight lines
- How we see things – including the role of the eye, reflection and light sources
- How shadows are formed and how they change depending on the light source
- How to investigate reflective materials and their everyday uses
- Understanding refraction, rainbows and the visible spectrum of light
Each lesson comes with a full set of differentiated Year 6 light worksheets, a knowledge organiser, and practical investigation resources. You’ll also get interactive slides for whole-class teaching and clear guidance notes for each activity. This unit helps pupils build working scientifically skills by planning fair tests, recording results using diagrams and tables, and drawing conclusions based on evidence.
This Year 6 light unit is perfect for schools looking for a structured, engaging way to teach physics topics at Key Stage 2. It can be used by classroom teachers, subject leaders or science coordinators as part of a complete programme of study.
Start your free trial to access this Year 6 Light lesson pack and explore our full KS2 science scheme of work.
