Beyond Benign
What's In a Window?
Take a peek inside a window to heat efficiency. Scholars watch a demonstration to investigate how heat dissipates from several different cups of hot water. Scholars then relate the exchange to how heat escapes from the windows of a...
Bonneville
Compost Bioreactor Design
Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...
Curated OER
The Urban Heat Island Effect - Lesson 2 (Grade 5)
Fifth graders use the scientific process to examine how when various surfaces are exposed to similar environmental conditions, surface temperatures may vary. They conduct an experiment to show the relationship between surface and...
Curated OER
Latent Heat of Fusion
Students conduct a series of investigation on latent heat of fusion. In this chemistry lesson, students explain how thermal storage systems work. They draw and interpret graphs.
Curated OER
Transfer of Thermal Energy
In this thermal energy instructional activity, students will explore different ways heat is transferred including conduction and convection. Students will look at how insulators work and how room temperature can affect heat transfer....
Curated OER
Energy Transformation
Young scholars identify different kinds of energy such as heat energy, kinetic energy, potential energy, and magnetic energy. They investigate the concept of conservation of energy.
Curated OER
More on Conduction and Convection
Why do some items feel colder when they are the same temperature? How should you keep your soda cold? What makes the wind blow? These are just some of the things middle schoolers discover when completing a lesson on...
Curated OER
Make a Solar Oven
Students build a solar oven. In this Science lesson, students construct a functional solar oven. Students design the oven and explain the energy concepts involved.
Curated OER
How Does Thermal Energy Spread?
In this thermal energy worksheet, students will brainstorm a main idea on how thermal energy is spread and then they will write in three details that support their main idea.
Curated OER
Natural Refrigeration
Students build a refrigerator that does not require electricity. In this environmental science instructional activity, student consider desert dwellers of Africa who have no access to electricity. Students use flower pots, sand and water...
Curated OER
AP Chemistry-Thermochemistry
In this thermochemistry instructional activity, students answer twenty multiple choice questions about heat, enthalpy changes, thermal, mechanical and electrical energy and the laws of thermodynamics.
Curated OER
Temperature
Several slides compare different temperature scales. Thermal expansion, heat transfer, and Maxwell speed distribution are also explored. The last two slides seem unrelated to the topic of heat, but are easily left out of this otherwise...
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
Magnetic Induction
In this electricity activity, students learn about magnetic induction plus compare a generator with a motor. Students also review the different kinds of energy and the formulas associated with energy. This activity has 28 matching, 10...
Rice University
College Physics for AP® Courses
Take a look at an organized physics course. The 34-section electronic textbook covers material in AP® Physics 1 and 2. Teachers use the text to supplement lectures and have the class work through the labs. Each section contains...
Colorado State University
How Can Freezing Make Something Warmer?
Crazy fact—freezing liquid actually gives off heat! Young scholars investigate the transfer of energy when liquids freeze using a chemical heat pack. The heat pack gives off heat as its liquid core freezes.
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...
Science Geek
Bulk Properties of Water
Learn the ins and outs of the properties of water through an engaging slide show. The lesson presents different facts about water including phase change, heat of fusion, heat of vaporization, and specific heat among others.
Colorado State University
What Is a "Convection Cell"?
Round and round in circles it goes! A hands-on activity has learners recreate a model of a convection cell. They watch as the difference in density of their materials creates a current.
Teach Engineering
Human Power
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...
Creative Chemistry
Thermal Decomposition of Calcium Carbonate
For this thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate learning exercise, students perform three experiments on calcium carbonate, make observations, and write the equations for each reaction. Students explain in detail what happened at...
Curated OER
Kinetic and Potential Energy
In this kinetic and potential energy activity, students read for information and evaluate comprehension. In this multiple choice and fill in the blanks activity, students answer fifteen questions.
Curated OER
Heat Pollution and Communities
Students examine thermal pollution by collecting temperature data on the school's photovoltaic panel. Students collect data for four consecutive days and retrieve information from other classes that meet at different times of the day. ...
Curated OER
Energy
Students distinguish between kinetic an potential energy. They recognize that energy is conserved when changing from one form to another. Students compare the scientific meaning of work with its everyday meaning.