Year 3 Science: Never look directly at the Sun
Part of the Year 3 Science light and shadows chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page
Never look directly at the Sun
The Sun is a light source. Its light is very bright, and it can damage your eyes. You must never look directly at the Sun, not even for a second.
Do not look at the Sun through binoculars, a telescope or a camera either. These make the light stronger, so they are even more dangerous. Sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun.
There are ways to protect your eyes from the Sun:
- look away from the Sun, down at the ground;
- wear a hat with a brim on a sunny day;
- stand in the shade;
- wear sunglasses that block UV light on a sunny day. UV light is light that we cannot see, and it can harm the eyes.
Never use a mirror to flash sunlight into someone else’s eyes.
The table shows some actions. Some are safe for your eyes, and some are not.
| Action | Safe for your eyes? |
|---|---|
| Look straight at the Sun | no |
| Look at the Sun through binoculars | no |
| Stare at the Sun through sunglasses | no |
| Use a mirror to flash sunlight into someone's eyes | no |
| Wear a hat with a brim on a sunny day | yes |
| Stand in the shade | yes |
| Wear sunglasses that block UV light on a sunny day | yes |
| Look away from the Sun, down at the ground or at your shadow | yes |
Key ideas
- Never look directly at the Sun, even for a second.
- Sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun.
- Binoculars and telescopes make the Sun even more dangerous to look at.
- Look away, wear a hat with a brim, stand in the shade or wear sunglasses that block UV light.
- Never use a mirror to flash sunlight into someone else’s eyes.
Method. Find the row about binoculars.
- Read the row. The row says look at the Sun through binoculars, and the answer in the last column is no.no
- Write the answer. So it is not safe.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Binoculars make the light stronger, so they are dangerous. ✓
Method. Count the rows that say yes.
- Read the last column. Wear a hat, stand in the shade, wear sunglasses that block UV light, and look away are safe.four yes
- Count them. There are four safe actions.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. The other four actions are not safe. ✓
Method. Find a row that says yes.
- Read the table. Wear a hat with a brim on a sunny day says yes.hat
- Write one action. Any of the four yes rows is a safe action.yes rows
- Write the answer. Accept any one of the four safe actions in the table.
Check. Any of the safe actions protects your eyes. ✓
Watch out
Watch out: sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun, and binoculars make the Sun even more dangerous.
Try it at home or school (with a grown-up). On a sunny day, with a grown-up, stand with your back to the Sun. Look down at the ground and find your own shadow. You do not need to look at the Sun to know where it is. Wear a hat and sunglasses that block UV light when you are outside on a bright day.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Say: “We never look straight at the Sun, because it can hurt our eyes.” If your child looks at the Sun by accident, ask them to look away at once. If their eyes hurt afterwards, see a doctor.
Exercise 8D Never look directly at the Sun
Method. Look at the picture on the left.
- Read the picture. The red ring shows that you must not look at the Sun.red ring
- Write the answer. no
Check. Never look directly at the Sun. ✓
Method. Find the row about the hat.
- Read the row. The row says wear a hat with a brim on a sunny day, and the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. A brim shades your eyes. ✓
Method. Read the safety rule.
- Read the rule. Never look directly at the Sun, so look away.look away
- Write the answer. look away
Check. Looking away protects your eyes. ✓
Method. Look at the table.
- Read the row. The row says stand in the shade, and the answer is yes.yes
- Write the answer. yes
Check. The shade blocks some of the Sun’s light. ✓
Method. Read the watch-out box in this section.
- Read the rule. Sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun.no
- Write the answer. no
Check. Sunglasses protect your eyes from some light, but not from staring. ✓
Method. Read the safety rule in this section.
- Read the rule. Never look directly at the Sun.Sun
- Write the answer. Sun
Check. The Sun can damage your eyes. ✓
Method. Think about what a brim does.
- Think about the hat. A brim shades the face and the eyes from the Sun.shades
- Write the answer. true
Check. A hat with a brim is one of the safe actions. ✓
Method. Look at the table.
- Read the row. Use a mirror to flash sunlight into someone’s eyes is not safe.not safe
- Write the answer. false
Check. Never use a mirror to flash sunlight into anyone’s eyes. ✓
Method. Count the rows that say no.
- Read the last column. Look straight at the Sun, look through binoculars, stare through sunglasses and use a mirror are not safe.four no
- Count them. There are four actions that are not safe.4
- Write the answer. 4
Check. Four are safe and four are not. ✓
Method. Think about what the Sun’s light can do.
- Think about the light. The Sun is very bright, and its light can damage the eyes.damage
- Make the prediction. So staring at the Sun for a long time can damage your eyes.damage the eyes
- Write the answer. Accept any sentence that says staring at the Sun can damage your eyes.
Check. Never test this by looking at the Sun. ✓
Method. Read the rule about sunglasses.
- Read the rule. Sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun.not safe
- Decide. So Ruby is not right, and she must look away from the Sun.no
- Write the answer. No. Accept any reason that says sunglasses do not make it safe to look at the Sun.
Check. Sunglasses protect against some light, but the Sun can still damage the eyes. ✓