+
eBook
Rice University

College Physics for AP® Courses

For Students 9th - Higher Ed Standards
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 multiple...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Science 4 Inquiry

Investigating How Heat Flows

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
It is impossible to cool down a glass of water by adding ice. Young scientists explore heat transfer through videos, experiments, and interactive games. They quickly catch on that the water melts the ice and things aren't always as they...
+
Lesson Plan
Oceanic Research Group

Heat Transfer and Cooling

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Astronauts train underwater to simulate the change in gravity. An out-of-this-world unit includes three hands-on activities, one teacher demonstration, and a discussion related to some of the challenges astronauts face. Scholars apply...
+
Lesson Plan
Science Matters

Thermal Energy Flow in Materials

For Teachers 6th Standards
The sun sends the earth 35,000 times the amount of energy required by all of us on the entire planet, every day. The fourth activity in the 10-part series looks at how light energy from the sun transfers into thermal energy. Scholars...
+
Unit Plan
Intel

Plugging into the Sun

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
What's cooking? A sizzling STEM unit challenges scholars to build a solar cooker that can successfully cook an egg. The unit opens with a study of Earth's rotation, the sun's energy, and shadows. Pupils use a compass and thermometer to...
+
Unit Plan
US Department of Energy

Thermodynamics—Teacher Guide

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
I'm so cool! No, you're exothermic. This thermodynamics lab unit includes an introduction, teacher demonstrations, six labs that students rotate through each class day, homework assignments, application of knowledge, and assessments....
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
American Chemical Society

Changing State: Melting

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Dry ice is extremely cold — it is -109.3°F or -78.5°C. Scholars observe and explain the molecular motion associated with melting. Then they design their own experiments to speed up the melting process. Finally, a teacher presents a...
+
Lesson Plan
2
2
American Chemical Society

Heat, Temperature, and Conduction

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How does heat move from one item to another, even when the items are in different states of matter? Pupils experiment with adding washers to hot water and adding hot washers to room temperature water to observe the heat transfer. 
+
Unit Plan
Teach Engineering

Solar Water: Heat it Up!

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
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.
+
Lesson Plan
Captain Planet Foundation

Solar Cooking Race

For Teachers 3rd Standards
Study heat transfer with activities that focus on how heat energy works. Using a solar cooker, ice cubes, and heat transfer bracelets, kids experiment and record what they find by keeping ice cubes cold and vegetables hot.
+
Interactive3:46
Scholastic

Study Jams! Heat

For Students 4th - 9th
Raise the temperature in your class with this hot film! Cartoon teens discuss thermal energy, the conservation and transfer of energy, three methods of heat transfer, conductors, and insulators. The publisher effectively packed every...
+
Lesson Plan
US Department of Energy

Geothermal Energy

For Teachers 5th - 8th Standards
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...
+
Lesson Plan
Center Science Education

Feeling the Heat

For Teachers 6th - 12th
What is an urban heat island? Middle school meteorologists find out by comparing temperatures at different locations on campus. They relate their findings to what might be happening in a concrete jungle and how it impacts local weather....
+
Lesson Plan
National Geographic

Expedition Clothing Then and Now

For Teachers 4th - 9th
Introduce your class to the Everest expedition to reenact a 1924 climb by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Discuss and show pictures of the types of clothing worn at that time and compare it to today's state-of-the-art climbing gear....
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Heat and the Second Law of Thermodynamics

For Teachers 7th - 12th
More than a week's worth of investigation is provided in this source. Physical science stars experiment to describe specific heat, conduction, convection, and radiation. They also discover the relationship between mechanical and thermal...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Phase Changes of Water

For Teachers 6th - 12th
A micro-unit on the phase changes of water includes three laboratory activities. Junior scientists compare the densities of ice and water, and then they do the same for cold and warm water. They examine freezing and boiling temperatures....
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Heat Transfer Demos

For Students 5th - 8th
Step-by-step instructions are given for two hands-on activities. Young scientists cut out a paper spiral and hold it over a hot plate to demonstrate convection, and they place a small piece of wax on the end of a metal rod opposite the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

How Hot Is It?

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Discuss the difference between conduction, convection and radiation of thermal energy, and complete activities with your class by investigating the difference between temperature, thermal energy and the heat capacity of different materials.
+
Lesson Plan
Beyond Benign

What's In a Window?

For Teachers 6th - 8th
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...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Bioreactor Water Circulation System

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
Make those microbes warm up water. Pupils first investigate water pumps, then design a water circulation system that uses solar energy. A bioreactor in the system takes energy from compost and helps heat water.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Creating the Most Effective Solar Heater

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
If changing one variable can improve a design, why not try changing more? Using the results from the previous activity, scholars decide on the variables that caused the most improvement in the effectiveness of the solar heater. They take...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Manipulating Design Variables on Solar Heaters

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Always strive to make things better. The second of three activities in the Experimenting with Solar Heaters unit has learners design new solar heaters that are more effective compared to the simple models they used in the previous...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Bonneville

Making the Standard Solar Heater

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
Heat up a lesson on solar energy. The first of three parts in the Experimenting with Solar Heaters unit has scholars construct solar heaters. They then use them to heat up a container of water and calculate the amount of heat energy...
+
Instructional Video1:11
PBS

Thermal Radiation: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
What do people, campfires, and microwaves have in common? Investigators explore heat transfer by thermal radiation, discover the role of electromagnetic waves, and see examples of radiation while viewing a video. Scholars challenge their...