Perception & Illusion 3: Do You Believe What You See?

This lesson plan for pupils aged 7–11 looks at illusions. It encourages them to investigate whether they can always believe what they see – and to reflect on this in their everyday lives.

Through a series of activities and visual prompts, including artworks and the classic ‘Kanisza triangle’ optical illusion, pupils will explore how our brains fill in the gaps of a scene or make ‘best guesses’ when information appears to be missing.

Developed for Dreamachine by A New Direction with the British Science Association, this 10-page lesson plan is one of three ‘Perception & Illusion’ resources for pupils aged 7–11. It includes prompts for questions and discussions, plus links and resources for further learning.