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Title
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The Magic School Bus Gets a Bright Idea |
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Author
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Joanna Cole |
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Illustrator
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Bruce Degen |
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Publisher
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Scholastic, Inc. |
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Date
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1999 |
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ISBN
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0-439-10274-X |
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| After the kids see a light show that Arnold’s cousin Janet finds to be dull, Janet and Arnold disappear into the theater. Ms. Frizzle arrives and the kids share an adventure in the theater to learn about the properties of light and how to manipulate light. As a result, they find Arnold and Janet. | |
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| The main concepts conveyed here are: a light bulb produces light; the light from the light bulb can travel in any direction; the light will travel until it is “stopped” by a solid object (which is how shadows are made); mirrors cause light to “bounce” (i.e., reflect); that curved mirrors can be used to make all the light from a light bulb travel in one direction; and light can reflect from and travel through a pane of glass. At the end of the book are instructions for constructing the optical illusion called Pepper’s Ghost. Also, from a social viewpoint, one who plays jokes must be prepared to have a joke played on them! | |
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2. Reflection from mirrors and glass |
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