Case 4: STEM Lesson Plan- How the Eye Perceives Color and Images From

the World Around Us

[Learning how the eyes see color + extracting pigment from plants to make paint and doing art with it. (sort of
paint)]

Learning Environment:
Target Audience: 6th grade students involved with College Mentors for Kids
Background Knowledge of Material in Lesson: kids know very basic human anatomy
(general concepts of each major bodily system)
Location: Horticulture Gardens on Purdue University campus
Lesson Duration: approx. 30-45 minutes
Mentor to Child Ratio: 1 to 1
Class Size: about 15-20 students
Instructional Goals and
objectives

Students will be able to identify the main structures in the eye

involved in image and color perception by discussion with their
individual mentors.
Students will be able to briefly describe how the eye picks up
color and images by answering questions as a group.

Materials

video of how the eye functions https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kA17S7A3_c

mortar and pestle
hot water
ethanol
washing container
paint brushes, eye droppers
paper
paper towels
assorted flowers
aluminum foil
Sharpies
disposable gloves
glass beakers
plastic spoons
thick parchment paper
small glass jars

Procedures

1. Introduce the concept of what the eye is and does.

2. Show video of structures within the eyeball and their functions
3. Introduce the activity: extracting pigments from flower petals
and leaves (a way to exercise our eyes ability to see color in
the world around us)
4. List tools needed for the pigment extraction:
-mortar and pestle
-assorted flowers
-hot bath
-aluminum foil
-Sharpies

-disposable gloves
-glass beakers
-plastic spoons
-eye droppers
-paint brushes
-sealed containers of ethanol
-thick parchment paper
-small glass jars
(paper towels for potential spills)
5. Show students the pre-done pigment extractions (pigments
from various flowers pre-dried on parchment paper)
6. Allow students to pick a flower for them to extract pigments
from
7. Have students record which flower species they chose (and
the expected dried pigment color from that specific flower
species)
8. Have students tear apart the petals of their specific flower and
place petal pieces into mortar
9. Pour in a little bit of ethanol into the mortar along with the
petals
10.Crush up petals finely
11.Pour contents of mortar into jar
12.Label your jar according to flower species and name of student
13.Add enough ethanol to completely cover petal residue that is
in the jar
14.Cover jar with a piece of aluminum foil
15.Sit jar into hot bath (leave approx. 20-25 minutes)
16.While waiting for the extraction to occur do the assessment
with the kids (worksheet labeling the eye and and informal
reviewing discussion. Also allow kids to fill in their journal
entries about what they learned and draw an outline of the
picture that the students want to later fill in with the extracted
pigments.)
17.Remove jar from hot bath and sit it on the counter
18.Allow contents to cool
19.Do painting activity using extracted colors (give each child a
piece of paper and materials to paint with like paint brushes or
eye droppers. Allow the kids to use the different extracted
colors to paint an image of their own of flowers or plants or
any other type of scene)
20.Allow time for pigment art projects to dry
21.Review the steps that light + color travels through the eye
with the kids and have them help recall the steps so they will
be able to remember them and share them with others after
leaving
(Example Questions for Group Leader/Mentors to ask their
students:
What is the structure in the eye that acts as a window?
[cornea]

What does the optic nerve do? [transmits the stimulus from
the retina as electrical signals to the brain]
What types of cells found in the back of the eye help detect
color? [cone cells]
What does the iris do? [it contracts and relaxes to determine
how much light can pass through the pupil])
Assessment

While they are waiting for the extractions to occur, students

will fill out a worksheet of an unlabeled eye using a word bank
of terms on the side. They will also write in their journals about
what they learned. As a group we will also informally review
the materials learned in this activity by asking questions to the
kids.

Resources

1) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biological_pigment - talks about

pigments in plants and animals.
2) https://www.ebiomedia.com/the-living-camera-how-do-eyesmake-images.html
- talks about how the eye works
3) Pigment Extraction Activity from Dr. Orvis of Purdue
University

Usability

If flowers are not readily available, teacher would provide

flowers.

Inspiration:
A large inspiration for our lesson plan on the function of the eye and its relation to
color (easily found in certain flower structures) was the educational pursuits of two
of our group members, Maddy Demeter and Emily Dobson. Emily is currently
studying to become an Agriculture Education teacher, and has been taking courses
like horticulture and botany, which have both gone in depth on flower structures
and their functions. Maddy is working towards a career as an Elementary Art
teacher, and has been involved in art classes that have gone into depth on colors
and how the eyeball takes in and processes images and colors from the outside
world. In order to stay in line with the STEM curriculum, we decided to have the
main focus of our lesson plan as the structures and functions of the eye, but then tie
in the pigment extraction activity to make the concept of color perception more
hands-on and memorable. The pigment extraction activity was one that Emily
partook in while in her Horticulture 101 lab this semester, and felt that it could be a
unique way to have students in the CMFK program to remember the importance of
specific functions the parts of the eye.

Articles:
1. Reitenbach, G. (2015). From STEM to STEAM Education. Power, 159(6), 6.

a. This article highlighted the importance of STEM education, but that it alone may not
be enough. It introduced the idea of adding the a to STEM with the addition of art.
The article explained many 21st century skills that are acquired through the arts
such as problem solving skills, creativity, and communication. It explained that
these can be beneficial to people in STEM fields and also said that STEM education
can be important for people in the arts. Examples of these in balance and
complimenting each other successfully were identified as Steve Job and leonardo Da
Vinci. We recognized the importance of 21st century skills from what we had
learned previously in this class and agree that the arts, though often undermined,
are very important in education. We used this information as part of the inspiration
for our project and our decision to integrate both science and art together in our
lesson plan.
2.

Why STEM Education is Important for Everyone. (2015). Retrieved November 9,

2015.
a. Why Stem Education is Important to Everyone discussed the necessity of stressed
STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) curriculum within our
elementary through high school school systems. The article explained that while
STEM work in schools not only helps provide general knowledge of those fields for
students, but it also provides a strong base of focus for those going into higher
education or the work force. The article explained that eight of the top ten most
sought-after employees from the years 2008-2018 are those who have degrees in
areas that an arguably be a part of the STEM curriculum area. Additionally, the
article claims that STEM careers are jobs in this century that have the most impact
on society, either through research advancement or economic progression. Another
pro-STEM claim made by the article was that STEM learners are those who can
practice clear critical-thinking and problem-solving skills that are essential to a
world that is so deeply integrated and complex. The information provided by this
article gave us ample motivation for creating an engaging STEM-related lesson plan
to inspire the children involved in Purdue Universitys CMFK program.
Lesson Plan Creators:
Robin Teegarden - rteegard@purdue.edu
Emily Dobson edobson@purdue.edu
Maddy Demeter mdemeter@purdue.edu