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Instructional Video1:08
PBS

Thermal Energy 101: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Discover what makes a cup of tea feel hot one minute and cold the next. Young physicists learn about thermal energy, why substances feel hot or cold, and the three means of thermal energy transfer: conduction, convection, and radiation...
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Instructional Video1:11
PBS

Thermal Radiation: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
What do people, campfires, and microwaves have in common? Investigators explore heat transfer by thermal radiation, discover the role of electromagnetic waves, and see examples of radiation while viewing a video. Scholars challenge their...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Energy Forms and States Demonstrations

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Does a tennis ball have energy? What about a bowling ball? Demonstrate concepts of different forms of energy forms and states with a variety of objects. Using the equations for potential and kinetic energy, learners determine the amount...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Energy Systems

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Is electricity created in the outlet? Using posters of several energy systems, collaborative groups identify and describe the parts of their systems. The groups also look at the environmental impacts of the systems and present their...
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Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Thermal Insulators: Keep it Hot!

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
There's nothing like a cup of hot chocolate on a chilly winter's day. Except for when that hot chocolate quickly becomes lukewarm chocolate ... or even cold chocolate. What material provides the best insulation to keep the chocolate from...
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Activity
Discovery Education

It's Melting!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It's a race to the finish! Which ice cube will melt the fastest? Scholars discover the effect thermal energy has on melting ice. They experiment with melting ice cubes on different materials and learn that even at a consistent...
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Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Geothermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
With Earth Day quickly approaching, as well as many science fairs, why not challenge your class to investigate geothermal energy or other renewable energy resources? There are five driving questions explored in depth here, as well as...
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Instructional Video1:08
PBS

Convection: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
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....
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Household Energy Audit

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Do you have an energy hog in your home? Individuals pick at least one room at home to determine the amount of energy the appliances consume. Using that information, pupils fill out a worksheet to determine the cost of running each...
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Lesson Plan
American Physiological Society

Why is Kettle Corn Cooked in Copper Pots?

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The kitchen — it's not just for eating anymore! Specific heat is often a difficult concept to grasp, so give it context by relating it to cooking. Learners gain experience in the principles of thermal energy transfer by designing an...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Human Power

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How many humans does it take to power a light bulb? The 10th part of a 25-lesson Energy Systems and Solutions unit has learners conduct an experiment to calculate power. They then use the results to determine how many classmates they...
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Activity
It's About Time

What Drives the Plates?

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
It's getting hot in here! Lead your emerging geoscientists on a thrilling journey as they calculate liquid densities to determine forces that stimulate thermal plates from within the earth's crust. They explore effects of temperature on...
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Instructional Video1:19
PBS

Phase Changes | Phases of Matter | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Take an energetic ride through the phase changes of a water molecule in a compact activity. Young scientists learn about the phases of matter and discover the role of thermal energy in governing phase changes while watching a short...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Cool It!

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Adjust the melting time of ice without varying the temperature! Learners experiment with different materials to decide how the materials affect the rate an ice cube melts. They then connect their findings to the conductivity of each...
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Activity3:32
DiscoverE

At Home: Keep a Cube Activity

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
Let cooler heads prevail. Future engineers first learn about heat transfer and insulation. They then design and build a contraption that will prevent an ice cube from melting for as long as possible.
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Activity
Colorado State University

How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...
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Worksheet
SFPOnline

States of Matter Worksheet

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Young scientists get to the heart of the matter as they complete this worksheet on the properties of solids, liquids, and gases.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

More on Conduction and Convection

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Why do some items feel colder when they are the same temperature? How should you keep your soda cold? What makes the wind blow? These are just some of the things middle schoolers discover when completing a lesson on conduction and...
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Activity
International Technology Education Association

Pixel This!

For Teachers 6th - 10th Standards
Did the image I drew match the image you saw? By simulating a satellite and a ground station, teams of two transmit data in the form of pixels in order to recreate an image. They use four different levels of brightness, creating slightly...
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Activity
Colorado State University

What Makes a Gas, a Greenhouse Gas?—The Carbon Dioxide Dance

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Investigate a heated topic in environmental science. Scholars team up to play the parts of gas molecules in the atmosphere. As the teacher moves about, acting as the electromagnetic wave, learners react as their molecules would to the...

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