PBS
Ocean Circulation in the North Atlantic
Swirling and churning, the waters of the North Atlantic play a vital role in Earth's climate! Discover the many factors that produce circulation using a multimedia lesson from PBS's Weather and Climate series for high schoolers. Scholars...
CK-12 Foundation
Hot Oven
Why does the air in a hot oven not burn skin, but metal in the oven does? The simulation focuses on the difference between temperature and thermal energy and the way these are transferred. Scholars adjust the temperature of an oven and...
It's About Time
Renewable Energy Sources - Solar and Wind
There has been a huge solar energy spill! Let's go outside to play in it. This lesson includes multiple experiments showcasing solar and wind energies. Scholars build a solar heater and an anemometer before testing the results. The...
Curated OER
Urban Heat Islands: An Introduction to Energy Transfer and Transformation
Elementary school physical scientists explore kinetic mechanical energy by dropping a golf ball on different surfaces. They discuss how human made materials might react to light differently from nature made materials. This lesson plan...
National Energy Education Development Project
The Science of Energy
Did you know the word energy comes from energeia, a Greek word? Introduce learners to the four types of potential energy, five types of kinetic energy, and energy transformation with a presentation about where we get our energy and...
Curated OER
Chemistry: Heat Energy Problems
Seven chemical systems are presented. Chemistry kids calculate the final temperature of each system using specific heat capacity of the involved substances. You will need to provide a specific heat capacity table in order for learners to...
Curated OER
Heat and Conduction
This simple activity is ideal for upper elementary learners when studying physical science. Using their sense of touch to describe how hot something feels, and then comparing their observations to thermometer measurements, they discover...
Curated OER
Heat - A Form of Energy
Middle school or high school physical science pupils will warm up to the topic of heat when viewing this set of slides. It covers heat transfer, measurement tools, phase changes, and more. Have demonstrations and examples of the tools...
American Chemical Society
The Energy of Evaporation
Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? Young scientists observe the evaporation rate of three different liquids. They measure the time, the temperature, and the change in energy. After comparing the chemical formulas, scholars...
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
Energy Basics
As the title says, some basics of energy are given here. The first section of the slide show focuses on heat energy, differentiating between it and temperature. Chemical and sound energy are introduced, and then the three are combined to...
Curated OER
Heat: The Transfer of Thermal Energy
In 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.
Curated OER
The Mathematics of Convection: Nature's Model for Energy Production
High schoolers conduct a series of experiments to investigate density, buoyancy and climate. In this math lesson, pupils design and build a hot air balloon to demonstrate convection. They research and write a paper about solar chimneys.
American Chemical Society
Chemical Reactions and Engineering Design
Construction leads to habitat loss and local wildlife suffers. Scholars must build a reptile egg incubation device that meets many constraints. Various experiments help them discover the chemical reaction needed to reach...
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...
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...
Concord Consortium
Gas Molecules in Motion
Get moving! Science scholars observe the effects of temperature on kinetic energy in an impactful interactive. Individuals control a sliding temperature switch and observe the motion of gas particles that results from the change.
Rochester Institute of Technology
Heat Transfer
Use an exciting role play activity to teach young chemists about the importance of heat transfer in maintaining homeostasis. They assume the role of a dog sled owner who has been abandoned and must fend for themselves with only a...
Curated OER
Measuring Solar Energy
Students study solar energy and how to measure it. In this energy sources lesson students complete a lab, obtain data and use that to convert surface temperature to energy.
Curated OER
What Is Energy? Short Demos
Students engage in three short, hands-on, in-class demos which expand students' understand of energy. First, using peanuts and heat, students see how the human body burns food to make energy. Then, they create paper snake mobiles to...
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
Typical Numeric Questions for Physics I - Heat
The laws of thermodynamics raise the temperature in your classroom when physics pupils complete this learning exercise! They demonstrate their understanding by calculating specific heat capacity, final temperature, amount of work done,...
US Department of Energy
Geothermal Energy
With Earth Day quickly approaching, as well as many science fairs, why not challenge your class to investigate geothermal energy or other renewable energy resources? There are five driving questions explored in depth here, as well as...
Curated OER
Thermal Energy and Heat Unit
Learners explain that heat energy in a material consists of the disordered motions of its atoms or molecules. They know and explain that transformations of energy usually transform some energy into the form of heat, which dissipates by...