Colorado State University
How Do Long and Short EM Waves Interact with the Earth's Atmosphere?
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...
Space Awareness
Climate Zones
The climate at the equator is hotter than the climate at the poles, but why? The lesson goes in depth, explaining how the angles of illumination relate to the heating rate at different latitudes and seasons. Scholars use a strong lamp,...
Colorado State University
If Hot Air Rises, Why Is it Cold in the Mountains?
Investigate the relationship between temperature and pressure. Learners change the pressure of a sample of air and monitor its temperature. They learn that as air decreases its pressure, its thermal energy converts to kinetic energy.
Curated OER
Sunlight and Warm Air
Young scholars examine the different ways heat can be felt. In this radiation and conduction instructional activity, students recognize that the sun radiates heat. Young scholars conduct three experiments to find how the sun warms...
Curated OER
Compact Fluorescent Lamp Experiments
High schoolers conduct a series of experiment on incandescent and fluorescent bulbs. In this physics lesson, students explain how they operate. They compare the efficiency and power rating of both bulbs.
Curated OER
Food Energy
In this food energy worksheet, students review calories and how calories are determined. Students calculate how much thermal energy it would take to raise certain volumes of water a certain number of degrees. This worksheet has 3 word...
Curated OER
Global Warming Experiment
Students examine the changes in Earth's temperature. In this global warming lesson, students perform an experiment testing temperatures of soil. Students record their findings and discuss what made the differences in the soil temperature.
Curated OER
Solar Energy Lab
In this solar energy worksheet, students experiment with soil and water to determine if they heat at different rates. They record the temperature of the soil and water under light and in the dark. They graph their data and answer...
Curated OER
What's the Matter? (Experiments)
Students observe a scientific discrepant event, and are then challenged to create experiments to solve the dilemma.
Curated OER
Science Experiment: Take a Rainbow's Temperature
In this science experiment worksheet, students gather materials and perform an investigation using thermometers and prisms. Students are asked if red is hotter than blue. They answer 6 questions.
Curated OER
Too Cool for School-The Greenhouse Experiment
Learners create a town model and analyze the type of greenhouse gases their town emits. In this earth science lesson, students build greenhouses to investigate how trapped heat causes temperature change. They relate this activity to...
Curated OER
Water Cycle
Young scientists explore Earth elements by conducting an experiment. They define water vocabulary terms such as condensation and precipitation. In addition, they conduct a water experiment in which they build a terrarium, so they can...
Curated OER
Energy Defined
Fourth graders complete activities to study the sources of energy and forms. In this energy lesson, 4th graders discuss the origin of energy and define it. Students participate in several experiments to further study energy including a...
Curated OER
Energy Forms
Young scholars explore energy by participating in a science lab in class. In this energy form lesson, students define the different types of energy such as light, mechanical and sound while examining energy measuring tools in class....
Curated OER
Hot Rocks
Students demonstrate that setting of plaster and cement is a change, which involves a release of heat energy, use data collected experimentally to construct comparison graphs and analyze the graphs to make predictions about future...
Curated OER
Specific Heat Capacity of a Metal
Eleventh graders investigate the relationship between heat and energy transfer. They review terms including heat, work, calorimetry and the procedures for an experiment. After assembling the materials for the experiment, they observe...
Curated OER
Energy Transfer
Students investigate the properties of heated air. They make predictions about what they think makes the wind blow on a worksheet, and conduct two experiments to demonstrate the properties of heated air. Students heat a bottle until a...
Curated OER
Do It Yourself: Energy Transfer Lesson Plan
Fifth graders discuss the different types of energy and experiment with tesla coil to show the three types of energy transfer. They write conclusions in their science journal.
Curated OER
It's All In The Surface: The Effects Of Color & Texture On The Ability Of A Surface To Absorb Solar Energy
Ninth graders examine how dark surfaces absorb more light than light surfaces. They perform an experiment that compares various surfaces abilities to absorb heat, then record and analyze the results.
Curated OER
The Heat is On
Third graders experiment with heat through investigations. They rub objects together and compare the relative differences in the amount of heat given off. They write in their journals about the results they find.
Curated OER
Energy in the Form of Calories
Young scholars calculate the amount of food calories found in an individual peanut. In small groups, they set up the experiment so that a burning peanut will heat water above it. Using the temperature change and volume of the water they...
Curated OER
How the Amount of Solar Energy Absorbed by the Earth is Dependent Upon the Earth's Position
Students investigate the angle of light and how it faces the earth. They conduct a series of investigations with the following two objectives. Students determine if the angle of light is a factor in the absorption of heat. They correlate...
NOAA
I Didn’t Do It…Did I?: Make Your Own Greenhouse Effect
How do greenhouse gases affect the climate on Earth? Pupils explore the concept by first building their own apparatuses to model the greenhouse effect. Then, they record data to measure temperature change and determine...
Space Awareness
Global Warming of the Atmosphere
Scientists know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. Scholars learn about the amount of thermic radiation absorbed by air and what happens to the rest of the...