What do people who are blind see?

“They were absolutely enthralled. The cow eye was a stretch for a few, but they all learned things they didn't know. They had more questions at the end of the lesson than I have heard from any lesson in a while, so I was thrilled. They thought the eye model was the best ever, and they are showing them to their grandparents today for Grandparents' Day. This was as close to a perfect lesson as it gets.”

· Cherie · Teacher

“Great Mystery!! The activity had a high level of engagement. It was a simple model to demonstrate the principal. Several students asked for copies of the materials so that they could recreate at home. I definitely recommend doing the extension.”

· Nicole · Teacher

“The kids were so engaged! We have already learned about how the eye works, but this really solidified it for them! They have a much deeper understanding of the parts of the eye and how they work together. They loved every second. Thank you!!”

· Jenny · Teacher

“All students were engaged in creating the cornea lens model and using it to demonstrate understanding through their discussions and responses on the brief assessment.The additional articles further demonstrated understanding through reading and written responding.WE love Mystery Science is their opinion!”

· Patty · Teacher

“Probably the best one yet! My students liked learning about the man without eyesight and how when they made their models, they actually saw an image on their "retina" piece of paper. If the school day wasn't ending, they could have been experimenting with those functional models for 15 more minutes.”

· Robert · Teacher

“The best part was when the kids were able to find images on their index cards. They really thought that was unbelievable and tried so many different things on their own to discover why people have blurry vision or no vision. This is one of my favorite ones so far. ”

· Kelsey · Teacher

“This lesson was amazing, for teachers and students alike. We all were able to learn and grow together, and the lesson sparked incredible discussions and "ah-ha" moments. The lens model was creative and truly illustrated the process of vision.”

· Crystal · Teacher

“For me - incredibly clear directions for the children to follow; an experiment that didn't need a lot of materials; an experiment that didn't need a lot of time For kids - captivating video; the complete success of the experiment - they were excited and learned so much”

· Carolyn · Teacher

“They really loved seeing how the eye works and were amazed at how fast it happens. ”

· Saleena · Homeschooler

“Students being able to see the image on the 3x5 card. THAT is when they really began to understand and put everything together.”

· LaDeana · Admin

“It had so much great information in it and the activity was mind blowing for the students. ”

· Terry · Teacher

“Loved working with the eye model. Eruptions of amazing discovery when students saw an image displayed on the 3x5 card / retina screen.”

· Andrew · Teacher

“They LOVED making the eye model! They were completely convinced beforehand that there was no way it could work.”

· Autumn · Teacher

“I loved seeing the kids gasp out loud in excitement when they saw the image from outside on the retina!”

· Barbara · Teacher

“The activity was filled with WOW's and COOL's. I'm always amazed at how you take something that seem difficult to explain and turn it into student centered experience.”

· Jodi · Teacher

“The model of the eye worked great. This prompted some wonderful written responses in student science notebooks.”

· Nina · Teacher

“It helped the kids to understand how and why our blind paper delivery person is the way he is and helped them to understand why Mom wears glasses.”

· · Homeschooler

“The students were amazed at the images the were able to project using their "lens" and "retina". They made some real connections between the experiment and the way their eyes work!”

· · Teacher

“A fabulous lesson. We love mystery science. Easy to follow and use and the learning is quicker and more thorough than from a text book. Thank you.”

· Giulia · Homeschooler

“The kids loved the model of the eye! They were so incredibly excited about it. They were really upset they couldn't take them home the first day. ”

· Megan · Teacher

“Love the cow eye dissection!!”

· Catherine · Teacher

“Really interesting to watch link clip about the upside down glasses”

· Susanna · Homeschooler

“Really really loved the activity and the explanations. My students had lots of questions about why certain people had certain colors of eyes....maybe you want to consider a lesson on that with punnet square or even a lesson about genetics.”

· Jordyn · Teacher

“Nice job on the eye lesson. We enjoyed playing with the lenses. One thing: there are actually THREE things that can go wrong with sight -- cornea lens, retina/optic nerve, and BRAIN damage. I know you are trying to keep things simple, but sight is one of the five senses, and it's an oversight (pun intended) to dismiss the brain's function of interpreting those senses. If you wanted to pursue this in another lesson, you could make one on optical illusions, on how the brain misinterprets signals from the eyes. That would be fun!”

· Leonard · Homeschooler

“This was a fantastic lesson! The model of the eye was very realistic. Thank you for another great one!”

· Cindy · Homeschooler

“The demonstration of how the lens works.”

· Marla · Teacher

“The Mystery Science lessons and activities are so engaging. My students learn and gain a thorough understanding of each concept taught. As usual, the lesson on How Eyes Work was super!!!”

· Mary · Teacher

“Although the eye dissection was a little yucky for some kids, making the model eye was incredible. My class was amazed by the upside down image. Great model for what happens in their eyes.”

· Amy · Teacher

“making the leens was so cool, even for the adults in the room! literally "oohs" and "ahhs" when the students saw the images for the first time ”

· Laura · Teacher

“Our favorite experiment so far! At first we thought that the experiment wasn't working, once it did we were so excited. This is so cool! Thanks.”

· Simone · Homeschooler

“Making the eye model was FANTASTIC! The excitement when they saw the image was actually upside down...they will never forget it! Also learning about how the retina disrupts the image being viewed was also a favorite activity!”

· Holly · Teacher

“This was so cool! It blew my 4th graders away to see the image from the window projected on their "retina".”

· Jiovanna · Teacher

“Students enjoyed using the models to learn. They were super excited to see how our own human eyes actually work.”

· Winnie · Teacher

“When my students used the lenses and started experimenting with it---Wow! Excitement! I purposely didn't guide them in any way. But they discovered everything I wanted to and MORE! That's the way kids retain information! Great Job Mystery Science! I am excited to say that our principal just bought a school license for next year! Yeah!!!!!”

· Bonny · Teacher

“The students' reactions when they focused the image on the "retina" were amazing. Great lesson.”

· David · Teacher

“Students really enjoyed the activity and caught on to the parts of the eye and what each part does. The quiz was well done and matched the lesson. ”

· Dave · Teacher

“The eye model was so interesting--I think it clicked for many kids, including myself!!!”

· Kendall · Teacher

“Learning about how the eyes see and why vision is sometimes blurry caused an "a-ha" moment with my students.”

· · Teacher

“The kids loved every hands-on part of this lesson. It was neat to hear the sounds when they observed pupils dilating! The reasoning behind eyes glowing and red eye were very interesting for adults and kids. Very nice lesson!”

· Shane · Teacher

“We really enjoyed the experiment, and the cow's eye dissection. We're going to do this at our science museum in May!”

· Melissa · Homeschooler

“This activity really helped the students understand the parts of the eye and how they work together.”

· Amy · Teacher

“Explained things so well. Lots of "Aha!" moments for the kids.”

· Kara · Teacher

“The students had no idea that the picture projected through the cornea lens would actually produce a picture on the retina.”

· Beth · Teacher

“This was GREAT! My students are both grossed out and mesmerized by the dissection of the cow eye. This was an excellent lesson to talk about the eye and vision. ”

· Jenn · Teacher

“Fantastic. We used this for PE this week and the kids loved it! ”

· Kirstie · Teacher

“Experimenting with the cornea lens and retina was fantastic. What a great activity to help us understand how the eye works. I even learned something new myself. I had no idea the pupil was a hole! So interesting! Again, we also loved the dissection. It's always nice to see what things truly look like and to examine them closer. Thank you for an excellent lesson. ”

· Josie · Homeschooler

“Our favorite part of this series was the dissection. the kiddos loved making the eyes and experimenting with them. They absolutely love when Doug gives them a 'thumbs up' during the activity time.”

· Julie · Teacher

“THE COWS EYEBALL. KIDS LOVED IT AND WERE GLUED TO THE SCREEN. WITH A LOT OF SHRIEKS AND SCREAMS.”

· Natasha · Homeschooler

“The best part was that moment when each student's image came into focus on their retina card. Very cool. As always, the way you guys give directions is just masterful. The gross out factor with the cow eye was pretty severe. I provided plenty of warning for my students, and there were still a couple who had to leave half way through that section. You might want to encourage teachers to warn parents ahead of time. I wish it didn't have to be that way, but some parents may not appreciate the scientific value of that process the same way we do.”

· · Teacher

“The eye model was a fantastic way to show how the eye works. My kids were amazed. ”

· Joanne · Homeschooler

“My kids loved making the eye model and seeing the upside down image on the retina!”

· Angela · Teacher

“The kids were spellbound during the eye dissection”

· Roberta · Teacher

“I'm sorry, I keep using the same word, but WOW! The kids were blown away by the image appearing on the retina. Then our principal stopped by and told about her Lasik surgery and they recognized the words and understood what she had done. Amazing! ”

· Jessica · Teacher

“My students have loved the interesting videos and all the great activities. The activities are so teacher and student friendly. I am so lucky to have this amazing curriculum. ”

· Sara · Teacher

“Watching the Cows eye! They also loved the beginning story!”

· Johanna · Teacher

“Amazing !!!My 5 year old and 8 year old both love this one, they've asked to do it three times already! ”

· Jack · Homeschooler

“we used a magnifying glass on hand and it was so neat hearing the "aha!" when making the "pupil" smaller. They really got it. ”

· JenP · Homeschooler

Front of the Eye printout	1 per student
Markers Used to color the iris so we suggest brown, blue, and green colors. Crayons or colored pencils will also work.	Details 1 marker per student
Scissors	1 pair per student
Dot Stickers We prefer stickers because they are easier to distribute in a classroom. Tape also works.	Details 2 stickers per student
Index Cards (3x5)	1 card per student
Credit Card Size Magnifiers (3x) You can find great prices on ebay.com, but you have to plan a few weeks ahead. Search ebay for “3X credit-card magnifier.”	Details 1 lens per student

What do people who are blind see?

vision

light

pupil

iris

cornea

retina

structure

function

lens

experiment

model

dissect

Image & Video Credits

21 mins

30 mins

4 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

What do people who are blind see?

vision

light

pupil

iris

cornea

retina

structure

function

lens

experiment

model

dissect

Image & Video Credits

Featured Reviews

Activity Prep

Try Making An Image With the Lens Before Class

Hold On To The Eye Models

21 mins

30 mins

4 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Unit Reading

Reading in the Dark

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

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