Chicago Botanic Garden
Albedo, Reflectivity, and Absorption
What is reflectivity, and what does it have to do with the Earth's climate? As reflectivity is measured by albedo, scientists can gather information on Earth's energy balances that relate to global warming or climate change. Budding...
Discovery Education
Cool It!
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...
University of California
Hot! Hot! Hot!
Calories are not tiny creatures that sew your clothes tighter every night, but what are they? A science lesson, presented at multiple levels, has learners experiment with heat, heat transfer, and graph the function over time....
Curated OER
Power Play
Once your physical science stars have a grasp of the different forms of energy, use this resource to get them putting the energy to work. Small groups choose from seven different project options and work together to build an energy...
Discovery Education
It's Melting!
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...
Curated OER
TO CONSERVE OR NOT TO CONSERVE
Students explore how energy is wasted at home and at work and develop a program to save energy in a specific area.
Curated OER
Calorimetry Problems
In this calorimetry worksheet, students complete 30 problems. They calculate the change in heat of a system given the mass and the change in temperature of the system. Students also find the final temperature of a reaction given the...
Curated OER
Make a Solar Oven
Students build a solar oven. In this Science lesson plan, students construct a functional solar oven. Students design the oven and explain the energy concepts involved.
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...
Colorado State University
Can Boiling Make Something Freeze?
Use boiling as an avenue for freezing. Young scholars watch as liquid nitrogen removes heat from the ingredients for ice cream. As this happens, the nitrogen boils and the ice cream freezes—all in the same container. A little science magic!
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,...
Curated OER
Rooftop Gardens
Second graders investigate how to help a city building remain cooler on the inside. They create a rooftop garden in order to shield the building and lower the internal temperature. The garden is meant to replace the black tar paper that...
PHET
Friction
Friction leads to movement, heat, and melting on such a small scale most people don't notice. A short simulation permits scholars to observe the reaction between atoms as they move together. The simulation applies the concept of...
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
The Greenhouse Effect
Why does it get so hot inside of our cars in the summertime? The greenhouse effect! Lab groups experiment to see what happens to an ice cube enclosed in a jar and placed in sunlight as compared to an ice cube outside of the jar. They...
Messenger Education
Give Me a Boost—How Gravity Assists Aid Space Exploration
The propellant needed for space explorations runs in the thousands, while paying to get the craft into orbit costs millions! In the second installment of three, two activities explore laws of conservation of energy and momentum. Using...
Curated OER
Solar S'Mores
Students see that solar energy is the energy given off by the sun. They explain that when light energy is absorbed by objects it is changed to heat energy and that dark-colored objects absorb more light and store more heat from sunlight.
Curated OER
Heat and Temperature Word Search
In this heat and temperature word search, students identify terms dealing with types of energy and heat. They locate 30 terms from a provided list. An answer sheet is provided.
Mr. E. Science
Thermal Energy and Heat
The presentation covers Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin scales for temperature as well as conduction, convection, and radiation.
Curated OER
Earth Energy Budget Pre Lab
Students explore energy by conducting an in class experiment. In this climate change lesson plan, students conduct a water vapor experiment in a soda bottle. Students utilize graphs and charts to analyze the results of the experiment and...
Curated OER
CONVERTING ENERGY
Students explore energy through the idea of energy transformations and conversions, and to develop students' ideas of what energy is and how it can be measured.
Curated OER
Temperature and Thermal Energy
In this temperature worksheet, students answer 8 questions about temperature and thermal energy. For example, "What term refers to an energy transfer that causes a change in temperature?"
Curated OER
Physical Science Review 5th Grade
In this review of physical science activity, students use recall to answer multiple choice questions about electricity and chemical changes. Students answer 25 questions.
Teach Engineering
Solar Water: Heat it Up!
Young engineers are instructed to design and build their own solar water heaters. Then, they calculate the efficiency and cost and compare them to commercially available models. This is a full unit for pupils to apply their knowledge.