Colorado State University
How Does the Earth Cool Itself Off?
Where does all the heat go when the sun goes down? An interesting lesson has learners explore this question by monitoring the infrared radiation emitted over time. They learn that hot spots cool more quickly that cooler spots.
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...
Space Awareness
The Thermal Layers of Oceans
How much does the sun heat up a lake or ocean? Scholars use a cup and a strong lamp to investigate the heat transfer and thermal layers in the ocean to come up with the answer. They collect data and graph it in order to better understand...
American Museum of Natural History
What is the Greenhouse Effect?
Without the greenhouse effect, Earth would not be inhabitable. A thorough online resource describes the greenhouse effect and how it occurs. The source highlights the different types of gases that work together to absorb the sun's...
Curated OER
TE Lesson: Using Heat from the Sun
Students examine fossil fuels, nuclear and renewable fuels. They study investigate types of heat transfer such as convection, conduction, and radiation. They complete crossword puzzles based on the vocabulary. They design, construct and...
Curated OER
Let the Sun Shine!
Students investigate how the sun can be used for energy. They read a handout, discuss the pros and cons of passive solar building design, develop flashcard questions, and identify jobs that can be helped by solar energy.
Curated OER
Collecting Electromagnetic Radiation
Students using different experiments and activities explore electromagnetic radiation and the effect on the Earth.
Curated OER
The Reason for the Seasons
Students compare graphs of their data that was generated on a NASA website. In this seasons lesson students complete a lab activity.
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...
Curated OER
Melts in Your Bag, Not in Your Hands
Learners study how the sun transfers heat to the earth through radiation. They examine how animals absorb energy from the sun to warm their bodies by experiment with chocolate melting. They examine sun safety.
Curated OER
Sensing the Invisible
Learners study visible light and explain why we want to use infrared radiation to study Mercury. For this sunlight lesson students construct a device to measure the presence of infrared radiation in sunlight.
Curated OER
Sunlight and Warm Air
Students discuss radiant energy from the sun, performing a simple experiment with sun glasses and bright light to demonstrate the concept. Students further participate in simple in-class experiments to demonstrate: air density as it...
Curated OER
Three Methods of Heat Transfer
Pupils participate in a variety of experiments designed to illustrate types of heat transfer including conduction, convection and radiation. They complete worksheets as an assessment of the experiments.
Curated OER
Solar Box Cooker
Students explore solar power. In this solar power lesson, students build simple solar cookers after they study convection, conduction, and radiation. Students transfer their knowledge of how the solar cooker works to climate changes on...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #7 Positioning Solar Panels I: Explorations with Tracking
Learners track and record data on the Sun's position in the sky and on the output of a solar panel tracking the Sun. On a second day, students graph and analyze the data to identify relationships between (1) the time of day, (2) the...
Curated OER
Heat Transfer
In this heat transfer worksheet, students observe photographs of the various ways heat is transferred. Included is a radiator giving off heat that rises and cools as it settles, the sun radiating heat to the earth and a house absorbing...
Curated OER
Heat Transfer
Students examine heat transfer using energy efficient houses. In this heat transfer lesson students calculate the heat that is transferred between a system and its surroundings.
Curated OER
Radiation Crossword Puzzle
In this radiation activity, students complete a crossword puzzle by figuring out the vocabulary terms associated with the 25 clues given.
Curated OER
Snow Goggles And Limiting Sunlight
Students investigate the effects of light radiation on the human eyes. They construct a pair of snow goggles that are used to see how a filter can protect the eyes from radiation. Then students explain how the scientific method can be...
Curated OER
It's Gettin' Hot In Here, So Transfer Energy
Students study the means by which energy is transferred from the sun through the Earth's atmosphere. They examine radiation, conduction, and convection. They complete a lab to determine how the different transfers affect the atmosphere...
Curated OER
Ways to See the Sun
Students examine how the regions of the Sun are studied using spectroscopy. They investigate the electromagnetic spectrum and the types of radiation that are associated with it. They use prisms and CD's to examine the light spectrum....
Rhythm Rhyme Results
Whatʼs the Same and Whatʼs Different?
Learn about radiation, convection, and conduction with a multiple choice worksheet. Each question prompts kids to decide what is different about each form of heat energy transfer, and what is the same.
Curated OER
Radiation Budget Lesson: Exploring Albedo
Students experiment with sunlight and temperature. They study the definition of albedo, or the percentage of incoming sunlight that is reflected, rather than absorbed.
K20 LEARN
This Is How the World Ends: Coronal Mass Ejections/Space Storms
Is this the end of the world as we know it? Pupils prepare for a coronal mass ejection during a instructional activity from the K20 Center. The activity combines video and Internet research in a collaborative assignment that focuses on...