Things you'll need to decide on as you plan: photons

Bringing together two sets of constraints

Focusing on the learners:

Distinguishing–eliciting–connecting. How will you:

• build connections between the macroscopic and the sub-microscopic
• develop a model of photons that is based on a wide range of phenomena
• avoid confusing them with the detritus of history

Teacher Tip: These are all related to findings about children's ideas from research. The teaching activities will provide some suggestions. So will colleagues, near and far.

Focusing on the physics:

Representing–noticing–recording. How will you:

• represent photons
• model frequency-dependent phenomena
• connect existing models of energy with shifting energy in chunks
• separate power in pathways from energy in stores

Teacher Tip: Connecting what is experienced with what is written and drawn is essential to making sense of the connections between the theoretical world of physics and the lived-in world of the children. Don't forget to exemplify this action.