Teachers and Parents
This section features articles, classroom activities and teaching tools, as well as multi-media clips about the science of optics. The information is intended to help explain many of the principles featured in the experiments, tutorials and optical illusions.
Articles
The experiments and activities on this site will prompt many questions and further exploration from your students. These articles provide simple to understand, in-depth information about physics and the scientific properties of optics.
Classroom Activities
This section features classroom activities coupled with more in-depth explanations of the optical principles.
Educational Outreach Resources
The Optical Society of America provides a variety of educational materials for students from elementary school through 12th grade. Many of these resources are available free of charge.
Optics in the News
A great introduction to science-based news, Discoveries and Breakthroughs Inside Science (DBIS) are TV segments presented in both English and Spanish. Featuring accurate, scientifically reviewed and reliable science information, DBIS clips cover many of the recent developments in optical devices and systems we use every day. These stories will help you understand advancements being made in optics.
Podcasts
The Optical Society of America regularly produces free science-oriented audio and video recordings. These programs and PowerPoint slides can be viewed free of charge on your computer or downloaded to an MP3 player.
Useful Websites
There are many Web sites featuring background and research information on Optics. Many include quality experiments and online and classroom activities. Visit these sites to continue you and your students’ exploration of the science of light.