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Lesson Plan
PBS

Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Swirling and churning, the waters of the North Atlantic play a vital role in Earth's climate! Discover the many factors that produce circulation using a multimedia lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series for high schoolers. Scholars...
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Lesson Plan
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Science 4 Inquiry

Investigating How Heat Flows

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It is impossible to cool down a glass of water by adding ice. Young scientists explore heat transfer through videos, experiments, and interactive games. They quickly catch on that the water melts the ice and things aren't always as they...
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Lesson Plan
Cornell University

Energy Changes in Chemical Reactions

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The heat of solution measures how much thermal energy a dissolving substance consumes or gives off. The experiment demonstrates both endothermic and exothermic reactions. Scholars dissolve several substances, measure the temperature...
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Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Thermal Energy Flow in Materials

For Teachers 6th Standards
The sun sends the earth 35,000 times the amount of energy required by all of us on the entire planet, every day. The fourth lesson in the 10-part series looks at how light energy from the sun transfers into thermal energy. Scholars build...
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Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Forms of Energy

For Teachers 6th Standards
The amount of energy Americans use doubles every 20 years. The first instructional activity in a 10-part series teaches scholars about different forms of energy. They rotate through five stations with hands-on activities or experiments...
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Interactive
PHET

Energy Skate Park: Basics

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Keep calm and half pipe. An exciting simulation teaches pupils about energy transfer from potential to kinetic and thermal as a skater moves through a half pipe or other track. After a brief introduction, scholars can build their own...
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Interactive
PHET

Energy Forms and Changes

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Is the ice cooling down the water or is the water melting the ice? Here is a simulation that explores thermal energy transfer with iron, brick, and water. It demonstrates the flow of energy and what happens when each material is either...
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Lesson Plan
Rochester Institute of Technology

Heat Transfer

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Use an exciting role play activity to teach young chemists about the importance of heat transfer in maintaining homeostasis. They assume the role of a dog sled owner who has been abandoned and must fend for themselves with only a few...
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Unit Plan
Government of South Australia

Don't Waste Your Energy

For Teachers 4th - 8th Standards
Don't lift another finger, this physical and environmental science unit has everything you need to begin teaching your class about energy. Starting with a look at the greenhouse effect, these lessons and activities take young scientists...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Changing the Density of a Liquid - Heating and Cooling

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
During a unit on density, pupils ponder whether or not temperature affects this property. By carefully inserting blue cold water and yellow hot water into a room-temperature sample, they will see the answer. Make sure to have done the...
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Lesson Plan
American Chemical Society

Matter on the Move

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Start this mini unit on matter out by demonstrating how food coloring behaves when placed in cold and in hot water. Then have the class experiment with warm water and soap film. Pupils will learn that an increase in thermal energy also...
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Worksheet
Texas State Energy Conservation Office

Nuts! Calculating Thermal Efficiency

For Students 6th - 9th Standards
Oh nuts! Do macadamias or almonds produce more thermal energy? Energy enthusiasts find out with this experiment. The objective is to demonstrate to your class how the chemical energy contained in foods can be converted into useable...
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Interactive3:46
Scholastic

Study Jams! Heat

For Students 4th - 9th
Raise the temperature in your class with this hot film! Cartoon teens discuss thermal energy, the conservation and transfer of energy, three methods of heat transfer, conductors, and insulators. The publisher effectively packed every...
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Interactive3:45
Scholastic

Study Jams! Energy & Matter

For Students 4th - 8th Standards
After Sam knocks a glass off the lunchroom table, he uses it as a springboard for explaining kinetic and potential energy. He mentions that sound is a type of kinetic energy and introduces the different forms of energy: thermal,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heat, Temperature, and Transfer

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Physical science scholars discover an array of heat sources. They experiment to connect radiation to heat. They begin to understand thermal equilibrium. Then, they test to see if mass affects the rate of temperature change. Choose a few,...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

For Teachers 7th - 12th
More than a week's worth of investigation is provided in this source. Physical science stars experiment to describe specific heat, conduction, convection, and radiation. They also discover the relationship between mechanical and thermal...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Gas Pressure, Volume, and Temperature

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Physical science learners conduct a simple experiment using the heat of their hands to affect the fluid pressure. They place a balloon atop a freezing cold bottle and observe what occurs as it warms up. Both activities demonstrate how...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Make Your Own Temperature Scale

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Differentiate between temperature and thermal energy. Your class will build a thermometer using simple materials and develop their own scale for measuring temperature. Discuss with your class and consider why engineers need to understand...
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Activity
DiscoverE

Aviary Architect

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Groups of two to four work collaboratively to engineer a birdhouse that will stay cool in the summer heat. Teams examine several different-colored roofs, testing the efficiency of each with a heat lamp. Then, groups sketch their ideas,...
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Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Thermal Expansion of Water: Rise of Sea Level

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Using bunsen burners, Erlenmeyer flasks, thermometers, hollow glass tubes, stoppers, and rulers, learners experiment with and measure how water expands when heated. The activity connects the expansion of water when heated to global...
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Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

What's In a Window?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Take a peek inside a window to heat efficiency. Scholars watch a demonstration to investigate how heat dissipates from several different cups of hot water. Scholars then relate the exchange to how heat escapes from the windows of a...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Earth’s Energy Budget - Seasonal Cycles

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Earth's energy budget should be in the red. Young researchers review satellite data in a presentation to study Earth's solar radiation. They make both qualitative and quantitative observations about variations in available seasonal...
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Lesson Plan
NASA

Hurricanes as Heat Engines

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Hurricanes are a destructive yet fascinating phenomenon. Individuals examine evidence that hurricanes use thermal energy from the ocean as they approach land. Learners use images, charts, and graphs to collect data and then draw...
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Lesson Plan
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Bonneville

Let's Build Our Wind and Solar Energy Toy

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Who says toys can't be educational? The fourth of five parts in the Solar Updraft Towers unit has scholars create toys that run on solar and wind energy. The devices need to be solar updraft towers that can be placed on a warm surface...