An approach which is designed to help students better understand the utility of models in understanding and doing physics, specifically in a course in light and color, is described in this paper. Explanations are given and illustrations are provided of an analogue model of waves which assist in the creation of an abstract model to deduce Snell's Law. A series of viewgraphs and overlays are included. The advantages of this approach are that (1) students see the evolution from a demonstration of the phenomena through the typology to the abstract model which can be proposed as a paradigm; (2) the proposed paradigm can be tested by its power in deducing previously obtained empirical results; and (3) students are enabled to acquire a better understanding of the use of models in doing physics. (ML)