Lesson Ideas:Grades 4 through 5Implement any of the following lesson ideas to teach your students about the eyes, visualsystem, eye health and safety. Each lesson idea can be completed as an independent learn-ing activity or incorporated into your existing curriculum.

Masters for photocopying a variety of fun Vision Quest materials to help students learn areincluded in this kit.

Lesson #1: Optical illusions andhow the eyes and visual system workSuggested Vision Quest materials: “Optical Illusions” and “Diagram of the Eye and VisualSystem” activity sheets.

Ask students to test their “eye-Q” by com-pleting the “Optical Illusions” activitysheet. Discuss each illusion, explainingthat our eyes can play tricks on us becausevision is a complicated system requiring,not only our eyes and light, but our brain tointerpret what we see.

Use these illusions and the “Diagram of theEye and Visual System” activity sheet tolaunch a discussion of the parts of the eyesand the workings of the visual system.Include these key points:

3 Vision requires three things: (1) light tosee objects, (2) eyes to absorb lightreflected from objects we see, and (3) abrain to interpret these light signals andcreate an image in our mind.

3 Vision begins when light rays enter theeye through the cornea, the transparentfront surface of the eyeball.

3 The cornea bends (or refracts) the lightrays so they can pass through the pupil,the small black hole in the center of thecolored part of the eye.

3 The amount of light passing through thepupil is controlled, in part, by the mus-cles in the iris, the colored part of theeye, that can tighten or relax to make thepupil smaller or larger.

3 The rays flow through the pupil then passthrough the eye’s lens which is very sim-ilar to a lens on a camera. The lens fur-ther bends (or refracts) the light rays so

that they focus on the retina, the nerve-rich lining at the back of the eye.

3 The retina contains millions of tiny light-sensitive nerve cells that create a series ofelectrical impulses that are sent throughthe optic nerve to the brain. The braininterprets these impulses allowing a pic-ture to form in the mind.

3 Good visual acuity (visual sharpness)occurs when the lens focuses light raysprecisely on the retina. In some people,the lens of the eye may focus the light raysat a point in front of the retina. This iscalled myopia (or nearsightedness) andmakes close objects easier to see clearlythan those at a distance.

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Learn more about how the eyes and visualsystems of animals work similarly to anddifferently from humans by launching thestudents on a research project using the“Animal Eyes” activity sheet.

Begin the lesson by having students cut outpictures of animals from old magazinesand mount them in groups according toanimal type on a bulletin board. If maga-zines are not available, discuss the animalgroupings found on the activity sheet.

Divide students into groups and assign an ani-mal (or animal species) to each group. Takestudents to your school’s library where thelibrarian can show them how to find informa-tion about animal eyes in books, magazinearticles, encyclopedias and on the Web.

Have students answer the questions on theactivity sheet and post their completed sheetson the bulletin board by the animal’s pic-tures. Have a representative of each groupshare some of their findings with the class.

Findings may include:

• Cats, tigers and lions have vertical pupilsthat close to a slit. These enable them tosee up and down which is very impor-tant to animals that must jump and leap.

• Horses, cows and other grazing animalshave horizontal pupils so they can seewell from side to side. Their eyes arelocated on the sides, rather than thefronts, of their heads helping them tonavigate in fields and search for food.

• Birds have three eyelids to protect theireyes from dust, sand and wind and tocarry cleansing tears across the surfaceof their eyes. Owls have huge eyes andthe ability to swivel their heads so theycan spot food sources such as mice.

• Insects such as house flies, ants and beeshave compound eyes that create multipleimages of a single object. Compound eyesare very efficient at detecting motionwhich can help the insect avoid predators.

Lesson #2: Animal eyes research project

Suggested Vision Quest materials: “Animal Eyes” activity sheet.

Help students learn more about the importantrelationship between their vision and their gen-eral health and safety by hosting an eye health

fair in your classroom. Photocopy and distrib-ute the “Eye Fitness Checklist” to guide stu-dents in setting up and moving through the fair.

Lesson #3: Eye health fair

Suggested Vision Quest materials: “Eye Fitness Checklist.”

3 In some people, the lens of the eye mayfocus the light rays at a point behind theretina. This is called hyperopia (or farsight-edness) and makes distant objects easier tosee clearly than those nearer to the eyes.Myopia, hyperopia and many other visualconditions can be corrected with prescrip-tion eyeglasses or contact lenses.

3 It is a good idea to visit your doctor ofoptometry at least once every year for aneye examination to make sure your eyesare healthy and working properly.

Conclude the lesson with a final illusion:Demonstrate that a pencil inserted into aglass that is half filled with water appearsbent. Have students research and explainwhy this occurs. (Answer: The pencil willappear to be bent or “refracted” because lightwaves (necessary for our eyes and brains tointerpret what we see) travel at differentspeeds through different materials. Thus, wesee (and interpret) the part of the pencil in thewater at a different speed than the part in theair making it appear bent.)

Grades

4-5Create several stations in different parts ofthe classroom where students can learnmore about one aspect of vision or eyehealth. Ideas for stations include:

• A sensory station where students are blind-folded and asked to identify an item (suchas a bell, crayon, rock, orange, bar of soapor peppermint) hidden in a box. (Thishelps students realize that, without vision,we must rely heavily on our other senses tointerpret the world around us.)

• A visual awareness station where stu-dents are asked to name everything theycan see out a window or from a certainview in 15 seconds. (This helps studentscomprehend how much our eyes areconstantly seeing.)

• A visual testing station where students canread letters of various sizes on a board atnear and far distances. Students with eye-glasses may want to try to do this with andwithout their glasses.

• A peripheral vision station where stu-dents are asked to look at an objectdirectly in front of them and to inform thetester as soon as a second student (walk-ing in a circle around the student frombehind) comes into view.

• A focusing station where students are askedto look a near object (such as a desk)placed in front of a far object (such as aword printed on the board). Students willbecome aware of the eye’s ability to shift

focus when attention is placed on the nearor far object and the opposite objectappears out of focus.

• A sunglasses station where students cantry on different sunglasses in front of amirror while being reminded of the sun’sharmful ultraviolet rays.

• An athletic safety booth where students cantry on hockey or catcher’s masks, football orbiking helmets and swim goggles while astudent or coach explains how the equip-ment helps protect the eyes.

• An eye emergency booth where a schoolnurse can discuss what students shoulddo if they get something in their eye or ifthey severely injure their eye. Using amirror, the school nurse can demon-strate how the eyelid can be gentlypulled forward to allow tears to cleansethe eye in the event that dust or dirt getsin the eye. A disconnected telephonecan be used to practice calling a parentor 911 in the event of severe eye injuryor accident.

• A nutrition station where students cansample carrots, spinach, raisins, blueber-ries, tomatoes and other foods rich innutrients that help the eyes.

Ensure that each student has an opportuni-ty to man a station and to visit alternativestations. When the fair is over, have stu-dents complete their checklists and discusswhat they learned at each station.

Begin the lesson by reminding students thatthere are many things in the environment thatcan hurt our eyes, and that we can help pro-tect ourselves by becoming more aware ofour surroundings and potential eye hazards.

Ask students to name situations that can behazardous to the eyes (e.g., playing sports orriding a bike without protective eyewearand/or headgear, running with sharp objects,

poking or rubbing the eyes, spilling or spray-ing chemicals into the eyes, staring at the sun,and walking or playing in areas with insuffi-cient light). Also think of situations that cantire the eyes (such as watching TV, playingvideo games or working on the computer forlong periods of time).

Make a list of the hazardous and tiring sit-uations on the board and discuss the poten-

Lesson #4: Eye safety art showSuggested Vision Quest materials: “Book Marks and Mailing Inserts” copy master and“Healthy Eyes for Students and their Families” fact sheet.

As children become young adults, it isimportant that they learn to identify individ-uals who can provide them with accurateinformation and to become confident inlearning how to ask questions.

Help students develop a safety tip sheet fortheir favorite sport by distributing photo-copies of the “Sports Vision Safety” activitysheet at the start of the lesson.

Ask students what sports they play and howthey use their eyes when playing thesesports. Discuss possible hazards sportspresent for the eyes. Examples include:• baseball (possibility of being struck by a

ball or bat),• football and soccer (possibility of being

struck by a ball or other players and/orgetting dust and debris in the eyes),

• biking or rollerblading (possibility ofhead trauma in the event of a tumble),

• swimming (possible eye irritation fromchlorine and other pool chemicals),

• tennis and racquetball (possibility of beingstruck by a ball, racquet or other players),

• paintball (possibility of being struck in theeye and/or getting paint in the eye), and

• hockey (danger of flying hockey pucksand accidental blows from sticks).

Next, ask to whom students should go withquestions about protecting their eyes whenplaying sports (e.g., coaches, school nurses,physical education instructors, librarians,eye care professionals or managers of sport-

ing goods stores) and have them practiceshaping and asking questions. Assign sever-al students to each sport and, using theiractivity sheet as a guide, see what kind ofinformation they can bring back to sharewith the class.

Invite a doctor of optometry to speak with theclass about how athletes use their eyes whenplaying some of the more popular sports andto demonstrate how students can protect theireyes through proper use of equipment, safetyhabits, and protective eyewear and headgear.Ask the optometrist to bring along some exam-ples of protective eyewear (such as gogglesand safety glasses) and to discuss how undiag-nosed visual conditions can impact sports per-formance. Encourage children to prepare anyquestions they have for the doctor about eyesafety and general eye health prior to the visit.

As a follow-up assignment, have studentsshare their completed “Sports Vision Safety”activity sheets with their parents.

Lesson #5: Ask the doctor about vision and sports

tial danger or fatigue it can cause, what oneshould do if injury or fatigue results, and –most importantly – how the situation canbe avoided.

As you review each situation, appoint twostudents to keep a running list of eye healthand safety DOs and DON’Ts. (Rememberto add some proactive DOs such as obtain-ing annual eye examinations, wearing pre-scription eyeglasses when needed, eatingnutritious foods, getting plenty of exerciseand sleep, and wearing sunglasses for ultra-

violet protection.)

Challenge students to share this informa-tion with others by creating an art exhibiton “The DOs and DON’Ts of Eye Healthand Safety” for your school’s hallway, cafe-teria or library. Ask each student to createa poster using words and images to com-municate a specific DO or DON’T.Students can also decorate a supply ofbookmarks and “Healthy Eyes” fact sheetsfor their schoolmates and parents using thecopy masters found in this kit.

Suggested Vision Quest materials: “Sports Vision Safety” activity sheet.

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Let us help!

The South DakotaOptometric Societyoffers a video lend-ing library, assis-tance locating speakers, travelingexhibits and photocopying assistance(where available). Contact the society at605-224-8199 or www.sdeyes.org formore information.

South Dakota

Society

Optometric