How a lesson on microscopes supports learning about light in elementary schools

One of the goals of the National Nanotechnology Infrastructure Network (NNIN) is workforce development. If K-12 students are to be ready for the jobs of the 21st century they must be able to work with tools such as microscopes. This study was conducted to determine if the NNIN lesson Taking a Closer Look at Objects helped grades K-5 students connect what they were learning about light and its uses, to how microscopes work. The results of this study indicate that the lesson not only helped students improve their knowledge of how light is used but also helped them become more knowledgeable about how microscopes work. Students learning how light is used to form an image in an optical microscope, lays the foundation for them to learn how other microscopes such as the Scanning Electron Microscope and Atomic Force Microscope are used to form images. This knowledge is important in supporting the continued research and development in the field of nanoscale science and engineering.