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 · over 4 years ago

“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 · about 5 years ago

“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 · about 5 years ago

“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 · about 5 years ago

“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 · about 5 years ago

“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 · over 5 years ago

“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 · over 5 years ago

“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 · over 5 years ago

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

· Saleena · Homeschooler · over 5 years ago

“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 · over 5 years ago

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

· Terry · Teacher · about 6 years ago

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

· Andrew · Teacher · almost 7 years ago

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

· Autumn · Teacher · about 7 years ago

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

· Barbara · Teacher · about 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

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

· Nina · Teacher · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“Love the cow eye dissection!!”

· Catherine · Teacher · over 7 years ago

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

· Susanna · Homeschooler · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

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

· Cindy · Homeschooler · over 7 years ago

“The demonstration of how the lens works.”

· Marla · Teacher · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · over 7 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Jiovanna · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

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

· Winnie · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· David · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Kendall · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

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

· · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Amy · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

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

· Kara · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

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

· Beth · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Kirstie · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Natasha · Homeschooler · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Joanne · Homeschooler · almost 8 years ago

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

· Angela · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“The kids were spellbound during the eye dissection”

· Roberta · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

“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 · almost 8 years ago

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

· Johanna · Teacher · almost 8 years ago

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

· Jack · Homeschooler · almost 8 years ago

“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 · about 8 years ago

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

Spanish narration on!

Click play to start.

¿Qué ven las personas ciegas?

vista

luz

pupila

iris

córnea

retina

estructura

función

lente

experimento

modelo

diseccionar

Image & Video Credits

21 mins

30 mins

4 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Readings

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

Spanish narration on!

Click play to start.

¿Qué ven las personas ciegas?

vista

luz

pupila

iris

córnea

retina

estructura

función

lente

experimento

modelo

diseccionar

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

Readings

Activity

Discussions

Mini-lessons

Transcripts

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