Curated OER
Urban Heat Islands: An Introduction to Energy Transfer and Transformation
Elementary school physical scientists explore kinetic mechanical energy by dropping a golf ball on different surfaces. They discuss how human made materials might react to light differently from nature made materials. This lesson plan...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Using Heat from the Sun
Students examine fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable fuels. They study investigate types of heat transfer such as convection, conduction, and radiation. They complete crossword puzzles based on the vocabulary. They design, construct and...
Space Awareness
Oceans as a Heat Reservoir
Oceans absorb half of the carbon dioxide and 80 percent of the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. Scholars learn how and why the oceans store heat more effectively than land and how they help mitigate global warming. Pupils...
Science Matters
Energy and Winds
In the study of wind energy, scholars build a small windmill and observe how it transfers wind into mechanical energy. Learners will make connections to the previous lesson with concepts such as the creation of wind through convection.
University of California
Energy and Biomass Pyramids
Young scientists play tag as they act out the food pyramid in the ocean ecosystem. Energy circles pass from the smaller prey to the predators and at the end of the activity, a data chart and analysis questions allow pupils to apply their...
Curated OER
Heat and Conduction
This simple activity is ideal for upper elementary learners when studying physical science. Using their sense of touch to describe how hot something feels, and then comparing their observations to thermometer measurements, they discover...
Curated OER
Go With the Energy Flow
Students explore energy and nutrient flow. In this science lesson, students diagram the flow of energy through food chains and food webs. Students discuss the importance of energy flow in Earth's ecosystems.
Curated OER
Thermal Energy: Temperature and Heat
Matter and the energy held by molecules is explained here. The information provided about the transfer of energy between substances and the resulting temperature change will be useful to your students. They will be able to work through...
PBS
Convection: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science
Learn why what goes up must come down in both air and liquids. Investigators discover how convection transfers thermal energy and the movement of particles in liquids and gases due to density differences by viewing an animated video....
Bonneville
Making the Standard Solar Heater
Heat up a lesson on solar energy. The first of three parts in the Experimenting with Solar Heaters unit has scholars construct solar heaters. They then use them to heat up a container of water and calculate the amount of heat energy...
Science Matters
Hot Wire S’mores
The proof is in the marshmallows. Believing that electric energy can transform into heat energy can be abstract, but a hands-on lesson gives pupils a concrete example. Young scientists cut marshmallows with copper wires before and...
Curated OER
Energy Resources and Transfers
For this heat and temperature worksheet, students decide how 4 objects transfer their heat energy. Students answer 8 short answer questions involving energy resources and transfers.
Curated OER
BioFuels: The Chemistry and Economics of Alternative Fuels
Junior chemists manufacture biodiesel in the lab. For this exercise, they check the purity of the biodiesel using thin layer chromatography. They also calculate its density and heat of combustion. They are sure to rise to the challenge...
Curated OER
Energy Transformations
In this energy transformations worksheet, students fill in the objects to a chart for which one would fit each energy transformation, and fill in the blanks to a chart about which energy transfer fits each object. Students complete 6...
It's About Time
Exploring Energy Resource Concepts
Please turn off the lights to conserve energy. Or not, after all energy is always conserved. This first lesson in an eight-part series includes three parts. Part A contains one hands-on activity and two inquiry-based experiments on heat...
Exploratorium
Give and Take
Heat-sensitive liquid crystal sheets are available in a variety of sizes and temperature ranges. Purchase a class set of hand-held sheets and color half of each with a silver permanent marking pen. Learners of light can hold them under a...
Texas State Energy Conservation Office
Investigation: Building a Parabolic-Trough Collector
Amateurs of alternative energy build a mini parabolic-trough solar energy collector and use it to heat water. Temperature is recorded over a three-minute period and the data is graphed and analyzed. Note that in order to paint aquarium...
Herff Jones Education
Chemical Energy
Provide the class with a quick lesson on chemical energy as they are assisted in creating hot and cold packs to demonstrate energy transfer between objects. They observe the energy change in matter as it transforms and distinguish...
Colorado State University
What Is Energy?
Don't let the energy of your classroom falter! Explore the scientific definition of energy through play. A hands-on lesson focuses on the change of energy from one form to another.
Curated OER
Energy Transformations
Students investigate energy transformation in the form of wind energy. They read a handout, answer questions, identify points in an energy system where transformations occur, and build a wind turbine.
Curated OER
When Things Start Heating Up
Young scholars explore how and why heat is produced from things that give off light, from machines, or when one thing is rubbed against another. They participate in several hands-on activities designed to help them realize that heat is...
Colorado State University
How Does the Earth Cool Itself Off?
Where does all the heat go when the sun goes down? An interesting lesson has learners explore this question by monitoring the infrared radiation emitted over time. They learn that hot spots cool more quickly that cooler spots.
Curated OER
When Things Start Heating Up
Students develop a clearer understanding of how and why heat is produced from things that give off light, from machines, or when one thing is rubbed against another.
Curated OER
How Hot Is It?
Discuss the difference between conduction, convection and radiation of thermal energy, and complete activities with your class by investigating the difference between temperature, thermal energy and the heat capacity of different materials.