Why Are the Sky Blue and the Leaves Green?

Why Are the Sky Blue and the Leaves Green?
Arabic

Instructors

Dr. Amal Al-Aboudi
Organic Chemistry
Chemistry Department
University of Jordan
Amman, Jordan

Lesson Feedback

Introduction

This learning video is designed to encourage students to be curious about things they experience in their everyday lives. It emphasizes the importance of questioning and searching for answers. To demonstrate this, simple questions like – “Why the sky is blue? Why the leaves change colors in the fall? - are discussed. The estimated time to complete this video lesson is about one class session of 50 minutes. Many simple experiments are provided in the teaching guide as well as in the module to make learning fun and interesting. The students should have a general knowledge of the properties of light, and the only materials needed are some leaves and some acetone. In building up the segments of this lesson, the students should establish a deeper understanding of the different causes of colors. They should use results of simple experiments to explain observations and to learn how to draw conclusions. It is hoped that by the end of this module, the students will have an increased sense of curiosity about natural phenomena, adopt deeper critical thinking about their daily observations and read more in scientific books to seek a better understanding of the causes of any phenomenon.

Instructor Biography

Amal Al-Aboudi enjoys teaching and interaction with the students through a variety of extra-curricular activities. She teaches organic chemistry courses at the University of Jordan and is an active member in the Jordanian Chemical Society.

Additional Online Resources

Alabama Learning Exchange: What Color are the Leaves?
This page, sponsored by the Alabama Learning Exchange web site, provides an award-winning lesson plan on What Color are the Leaves?

Web Exhibits: Why are things colored?
This site explores and explains why things are colored.

YouTube: How to make your own glow stick
This is a YouTube video demonstrating how to make your own glow stick.