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Activity
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NOAA

The Climate Team: Make a Solar Heat Engine

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Learners investigate how solar energy is converted into heat in part two of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They build and test homemade solar cookers to boil water and cook rice. Pupils consider the impact of heat...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Efficiency of a Water Heating System

For Teachers 8th - 10th Standards
Tired of waiting for hot water? Groups of three determine the efficiency of an electric water-heating device. They calculate the amount of energy it takes to heat the water and the theoretical amount of energy required to heat the water....
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Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Solar Energy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Warm up to the idea of solar energy. A instructional activity includes three activities that challenge scholars to apply knowledge in new ways. First, they learn to run an alarm clock without a battery by using solar energy. Next, they...
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Activity
1
1
NOAA

The Great, Glowing Orb What You Will Do: Make a Solar Heat Engine

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
How is solar energy able to move wind and water to control the climate? Scholars explore the concept of solar energy in the first of 10 activities in the Discover Your Changing World series. They follow instructions to build homemade...
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Activity
NASA

Feel the Heat

For Teachers 4th - 12th Standards
Heat water up like a NASA engineer. Using the engineering design process, investigators create a system to trap and move heat through a water-filled tube. Designers participate in a post-activity discussion that highlights the role of...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Light vs. Heat Bulbs

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Careful, that light bulb is hot! Compare heat and light energy using a simple light bulb. The exercise addresses energy conservation and presents actual calculations to determine the most cost-effective light bulb.
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Activity
Herff Jones Education

Chemical Energy

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
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...
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Activity
Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Investigation: Insulation

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Youngsters compare the heat-holding abilities of three different cans by insulating two with different materials and measuring the temperature change of hot water over a 20-minute period. 
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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
Colorado State University

Why Can Warm Air "Hold" More Moisture than Cold Air?—Vapor Pressure Exercise

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Does it feel a little humid in here? Learners assume the role of water vapor in the atmosphere as they explore the differences between warm and cold air. They roll dice to determine their level of energy, which determines if they stay...
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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
PBS

Light Bulb Challenge

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Efficiency equals money where homes are concerned. A comparative lesson asks learners to measure heat output of incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulbs. They follow their investigation with calculating the cost of using the two...
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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
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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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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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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Activity
PBS

House Warming

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Things should heat up during a hands-on lesson exploring solar energy. An enlightening activity challenges young scientists to design a structure that collects solar energy efficiently. They keep track of temperature data over time and...
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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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Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Electrical Energy

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
My friend told me how electricity is measured and I was like Watt! In the hands-on activity, learners explore electricity by building circuits, both parallel and series. They also determine how increasing the number of light bulbs and...
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Activity
PBS

Insulation Station

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
It's all about the material. Learners experiment with different substances as they try to keep an ice cube from melting. They draw conclusions by answering a set of questions about the types and amount of material that had the best result.
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Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Molecules and Fuel Cell Technology

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
A fuel cell is where the jailer keeps gas guzzlers. Scholars review chemical reactions, chemical bonds, and chemical structure in order to apply these concepts. Participants construct fuel cell kits, using electrolysis to run the car and...
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Activity
Discovery Education

Motion in the Ocean

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do temperature changes affect ocean currents? Scholars explore convection currents by demonstrating the flow of water in a baking dish. They use ice, heat, and food coloring to see currents. Then, they draw conclusions about their...
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Workbook
1
1
University of California

Seasons Lab Book

For Students 5th - 8th Standards
Unlock the mystery behind seasonal change with a collection of worksheets and activities. Whether they are drawing pictures of Earth's orbit around the sun or graphing the temperature and daylight hours of different locations from around...
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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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