What is light energy?

It’s the energy we can see and one of the most fascinating topics in middle school science. This complete lesson plan makes light energy easy to understand with the help of the comic-style format. It reaches every learner in the room, from struggling readers to gifted students who need more than a textbook.

Students follow three characters as they investigate the properties of light. They learn how light waves travel in a straight line at incredible speed, how they bounce off surfaces in reflection, how they bend as they pass through different materials in refraction, and how they’re absorbed and converted to heat.

Every concept is illustrated visually in a one-page comic that functions as both a reading passage and an anchor chart your students can reference all year.

The refraction inquiry lab is where the learning really takes off. Students layer household liquids, such as maple syrup, dish soap, water, and cooking oil,  and place a straw through each one to observe how light energy bends differently through different mediums. It’s one of the most memorable science experiments for middle school students because they’ve seen refraction before without knowing what it was called. The lab puts a name to something they’ve already experienced!

This resource includes everything you need for a complete light energy unit:

• Full-color light energy comic (perfect as a projected lesson or anchor chart)
• Black-line comic (great science coloring sheet)
• Animated Google Slides deck (editable, shareable copy)
• Waves doodle notes (fill-in-the-blank guided notes)
• Refraction intro demo with comic-style instructions
• Refraction inquiry lab enabling students to test light through household liquids
• Inquiry follow-up lab sheet
• Follow-up science worksheet with drawing prompts
• One-pager blank comic template + rubrics
• Bonus light energy word search
• Answer keys
• Detailed lesson plan

Whether you’re introducing light energy or reinforcing the properties of light before a test, this bundle gives you a full week of instruction with zero prep headache. Perfect for 4th–7th grade classrooms, homeschool families, struggling readers, ELL/ESL students, and any teacher looking for middle school science resources that actually engage every student in the room.

Aligned to NGSS 4-PS3-2 and MS-PS4-2.

Doodle Notes is a trademarked term used with permission. Visit www.Doodlenotes.org for more information.