Curated OER
Feeling the Heat
Pupils record temperatures at different locations around campus. They examine the results and draw conclusions about how materials and colors affect the amount of heat produced. They also analyze Los Angeles' temperature records over a...
Captain Planet Foundation
Solar Cooking Race
Study heat transfer with activities that focus on how heat energy works. Using a solar cooker, ice cubes, and heat transfer bracelets, kids experiment and record what they find by keeping ice cubes cold and vegetables hot.
Center Science Education
Looking Into Surface Albedo
How does the color of a surface affect the heating of the earth? Middle school science classes experiment with color and surface albedo to determine the relationship. The website has tabs for an overview, teacher's instructions,...
Curated OER
Radiation and Color
Tenth graders explore the relationship between color and heat absorption by measuring the temperature change of water in differently colored test tubes as they are exposed to a heat lamp. They work in small groups to collect data and...
Curated OER
Albedo and Irradiation of Surfaces
Here is a physical science activity where pupils place thermometers inside of a white and a black paper pocket and place them under a lamp. They record and compare the temperature increase over a ten-minute period. Have your class...
Colorado State University
What Does Color Have to Do with Cooling?
Study the rate of cooling for objects of different colors. Learners focus on the reflection and absorption of infrared light. Your classes may be surprised to learn objects that heat the slowest also cool the slowest.
Curated OER
Black and White Bottle Experiment
Students investigate solar energy and color. In this solar energy lesson, students assess the benefits of solar energy. Students discover that solar energy is attracted to darker colors and conduct an experiment using colored bottles to...
Curated OER
Light Week
First graders experiment with prisms to explore sequence of colors of light created.
Curated OER
Which Colors Absorb the Most Energy?
Young scholars measure the temperatures over time of different colored envelopes in order to explore the different rates at which each color absorbs energy from a heat lamp. They record their data and graph their results.
Curated OER
Cool Suits
Students examine the materials that are used to make space suits. They complete an experiment in which they test different materials in different colors to determine the best one for keeping astronauts comfortable. They analyze the data.
Curated OER
Colored H2 Balloon Explosions
Students perform an experiment in which they put different types of salts in a balloon, fill it with hydrogen gas, and ignite it. The electrons in the salt molecules are excited by the heat and release energy in the form of light. ...
Curated OER
The Spectrum of a Star
Tenth graders identify stars based on their line spectra. In this astronomy lesson, 10th graders analyze spectrograph and determine the elements present in the star. They explain the relationship between temperature and star classes.