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Converting Energy
Students explore the concepts of energy transformation and conversion. They engage in Internet and hands-on activities. Students visit the Atoms Family Website and complete a Building a Better Pyramid activity by adding insulation to...
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Vibrating Objects Produce Sound
Students use many different materials and resources in order to study and identify sounds that are loud or soft, high or low, pleasant or unpleasant.
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Heat and Light Come From Various Sources
First graders study heat and light and how they come from various sources. They list sources of heat and light and identify the different energy sources as heat, light, or both heat and light.
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Heat Energy- Temperature
Second graders investigate the meaning of temperature. They determine what happens to a thermometer when the temperature rises or falls. They place thermometers in different classroom locations in order to compare the temperature in a...
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Transformation of Energy: Heat
Sixth graders investigate how heat is transferred and the concepts of conduction, convection, and radiation. They define key vocabulary terms, and observe teacher-led demonstrations of conduction, convection, and radiation.
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Ice Ain't Easy
Students are introduced to the laws of thermodynamics. The 1st law of thermodynamics states that the energy must be conserved when two objects of different temperatures come in contact. If one object gains energy, the other object must...
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Methods of Heat Transfer
Eighth graders discuss the forms of heat transfer that relate to the human body. Discussion revolves around the ability of different designs of hats to change the rate of heat transfer to and from the body. Students then experiment...
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Energy/Light/Heat/Sound
Fourth graders study the properties of heat in this series of lessons. They discuss sources of heat and experiment to determine its properties. They identify insulators and conductors by measuring temperatures, and graphing their data....
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Heating of Water: Water Vapour
Seventh graders read the directions printed on their worksheet and follow them carefully. They set up a beaker with a tripod and Bunsen burner under it. They record the temperature of water every 30 seconds. Students graph the data and...
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On-line Heat Investigation
Students use the Internet to find an experiment on heat. In teams, they perform the experiment along with hypothesis and solutions. They complete a form given to them by their teacher to discover the properties of heat.
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Heating Crystals
Students examine the effects of heating on various crystals. They answer questions in the observation category which assess their ability to use a variety of senses to observe data in a certain way- a scientific way.
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Ice Melting
Students design investigations to test various materials to prevent heat gain in frozen water. The task assess students' knowledge of scientific inquiry including the following skills: observation, data collection, measurement,...
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Insulators
Students design and carry out an investigation to test which materials is the best insulator: they predict which way heat energy flows in a system and analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one form to...
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Heat Retention
Students test 4 materials to see which would be best for use as a heat mass. They then graph the temperature verus the time of the substances and decide which material would make the best heat mass.
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The Captain And Lake Wilmar
Tenth graders examine the ecosystem of Lake Wilmar through three coordinated performance tasks. They first investigate the effects of pH on freshwater animals by comparing the zooplankton counts from three different areas. They then...
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How Effective is Perspiration at Cooling?
Students collect data on the cooling of water in two different test tubes, one that is wrapped in wet newspaper and one in dry newspaper. They then relate this cooling effect to the body's perspiration.
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Rate of Cooling Experiment
Ninth graders measure the insulation properties of different fabrics by immersing cans of water covered with fabric "socks" in an ice bath and measuring temperature changes. They then calculate heat loss and graph the data individually.
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Density Balloon
Students experiment with density using a mylar balloon and hair dryer in an experimental setting. The concept of density is often confusing to students and this activity gives them an introductory insight into the concept in a fun way.
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The Magic School Bus Kicks Up a Storm
Students investigate how warm air from a lamp affects a spiral of paper. They determine how the warm air rises while cooler air moves into take its place which creates wind in this Magic School Bus activity.
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Measuring Thermal Energy Transfer
Students conduct an experiment to calculate and quantify heat transfer. They conduct the experiment, and complete a data and lab conclusion sheet.
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Do Different Colors Absorb Heat Better?
Students work together to test how the color of a material affects how much heat it absorbs. They make predictions and take notes on their observations. They discover how engineers use this type of information.
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Melts in Your Bag, Not in Your Hands
Learners study how the sun transfers heat to the earth through radiation. They examine how animals absorb energy from the sun to warm their bodies by experiment with chocolate melting. They examine sun safety.
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Three Methods of Heat Transfer
Learners participate in a variety of experiments designed to illustrate types of heat transfer including conduction, convection and radiation. They complete worksheets as an assessment of the experiments.
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Insulators
Sixth graders examine properties of four types of spoons, record observations, and apply their knowledge by designing the perfect hot chocolate cup.