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Activity
US Department of Energy

Solar Cooking

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Who needs a barbecue grill to cook hot dogs when you have the amazing power of the sun at your disposal? Engage young scientists in learning about solar energy with this fun activity that turns a used Pringles can into a solar powered...
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Activity
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American Chemical Society

Heat Up and Cool Down

For Students K - 5th Standards
Don't be so dense! Using food coloring, pupils conduct two experiments with the difference in densities of hot and cold water. In the first experiment, learners add dyed hot and cold water into room temperature water and observe how the...
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Activity
American Chemical Society

Preparation and Combustion of Biodiesel

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The United States is the world's largest producer of biofuel. During an in-class investigation, young scientists produce their own biodiesel. They burn a sample of it to determine the heat of combustion. Then they discuss the results...
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Lesson Plan
University of Waikato

Māui and the Sun

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Using a Maori legend, How Maui Tamed the Sun, youngsters are introduced to the importance of sunlight to civilization. Teach them about nuclear fusion that occurs to produce the solar energy we later receive on Earth as electromagnetic...
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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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Activity
Savvas Learning

Let's Get Moving

For Students 4th - 6th Standards
Scholars examine, cut, paste, and sort 12 images featuring different types of movement in order to show what they know about energy—potential and kinetic. 
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Lesson Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Introduction to Climate

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Begin a full activity on climate change by demonstrating how carbon dioxide gas contributes to increased temperatures. Be aware that pressure inside the antacid-containing bottle in Activity 2 may cause the lid to fly off; keep viewers...
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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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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
Curated OER

Heat: The Transfer of Thermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 10th
For this heat worksheet, students complete experiments with heat and answer short answer questions about the transfer of thermal energy. Students complete 4 questions, one chart, and one bar graph.
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Activity
Curated OER

The BEAM Project: Building Efficient Architectural Models

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Technology or engineering teams are given a task to design, construct, and test the efficiency of a structure that will foster an even temperature throughout an entire sunny day. Intended as a long-term project, pupils research, plan,...
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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
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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Lesson Plan
DiscoverE

Sun-Warmed Treats

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Treat your class to a fun activity, complete with treats. Groups create a solar oven from a pizza box. They then use it to heat up some food ... that's what an oven is for, after all!
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Activity
It's About Time

States of Matter: Solid, Liquid, and Gas

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Solid, liquid, and gas: they all matter. Scholars create an animation of the various states of matter, experiment with the temperature of water as it changes states, and observe carbon dioxide as it changes states. The lesson also...
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Activity
Re Energy

Build Your Own Biogas Generator

For Students 8th - 12th Standards
What is biogas and how is it made? After examining background information about the sources of biogas and biogas generators, class members follow the provided information and build a biogas generator that can be used in the classroom.
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Activity
DiscoverE

Aviary Architect

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
New ReviewGroups 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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Activity
American Chemical Society

Exothermic, Endothermic, and Chemical Change

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Scientists can't observe bonds breaking or forming, so how do they distinguish between exothermic and endothermic reactions? Young scholars complete two experiments to do just that. They monitor temperature change and calculate the...
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Activity
Teach Engineering

Beating the Motion Sensor

For Teachers 7th - 9th Standards
I bet I can cross the room without having the lights come on. Class members set up an experiment in which they try to determine what materials will mask motion detected by a sensor. Groups predict how materials will interact with light,...
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Activity
University of Waikato

Solid to Liquid to Gas

For Teachers K - 3rd
Help classes understand heat as a form of energy. A hands-on activity has learners investigate how heat, or the lack of heat, affects the physical state of water. They then connect their discoveries to the water cycle.
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Lesson Plan
National Museum of Nuclear Science & History

Alphas, Betas and Gammas Oh, My!

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Referring to the periodic table of elements, nuclear physics learners determine the resulting elements of alpha and beta decay. Answers are given in atomic notation, showing the atomic symbol, mass, atomic number, and emission particles....

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