University of Georgia
Heating and Cooling of Land Forms
Compare heating and cooling rates of different land forms. A lab activity has groups collect data on the rate of heating and cooling of soil, grass, saltwater, fresh water, and sand. An analysis of the rates shows how the different land...
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Keep It Cool
Young scholars complete a science experiment to study insulation, heat transfer, and permafrost. For this permafrost study lesson, students design and test a soda insulator. Young scholars graph their class data and discuss the results....
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Sand or Rock? Finding Out From 1,000 km
Students observe how measurements are made with different instruments. In this remote sensing lesson students investigate the physical state of surfaces including the surfaces of the solar system.
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Hot Cans and Cold Cans
Students investigate the physics of heating and cooling through conduction, convection, and radiation. Working in groups, they determine the best way to cool a can of water and warm a can of water. Temperature is taken at five minute...
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Cool It
Students simulate lizard temperature regulation. In this Science lesson, students use a thermometer as a pretend lizard. Students must keep their lizard within a particular temperature range while moving through a specified course.
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Cool Times with Heat
Students work with thermometers to complete problems about temperature. They investigate cooling patterns, how location affects temperature, and what happens when water having different temperature is mixed. They measure temperature in...
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Activity #13 Changing The Look of Sugar
Students observe what happens when sugar is dissolved in water and when it is heated. They weigh the products after each of the two experiments on a balance scale. Pupils distinguish between physical and chemical changes. Students are...
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TE Activity: You're in Hot Water
Young scholars study different ways of using solar energy. They design a solar water heater and determine how much water it can heat in a set amount of time. They examine how the heaters work by solar radiation and convection.
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Melt Away
Students explore objects before and after heating using their senses. For this matter and energy lesson, students experiment with a variety of objects and use their senses (except taste) to make predictions and record observations about...
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Keeping Cool
Students investigate the air conditioner units around the school. They chart the temperature by placing a thermometer in different situations and decide how to keep cool and save energy in the summer.
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Chill Out
Students investigate Newton’s Law of Cooling. In this Algebra II/ Pre-Calculus lesson, students explore exponential regression as they conduct an experiment to simulate the temperature variations that occur as a liquid cools. The...
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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...
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Modeling Hot and Cold Planets
Students, in teams, design and construct models of two planets, one hot and the other cold, using a variety of materials. They attempt to create the models out of substances that will actually show the greatest temperature differences...
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A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature
Learners use the NASA website's Live Access Server to create a graph of surface temperature at two locations on earth. They analyze the data and then answer specific questions provided in this lesson. They also examine and compare the...
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Don't Marry the Mole!
Third graders examine the power of solar energy. In groups, they create their own pizza box solar oven to discover the power of the sun and how it is a source for heat and light. To end the lesson, they use the internet to examine...
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States of Matter: Liquid
Students work in a mini lab where they measure the temperature every 30 seconds for several minutes as water is heated. They are asked what makes liquid different from a solid. Students view a PowerPoint on the model of liquids,...
Teach Engineering
Designing a Winning Guest Village in the Saguaro National Park
Don't desert a resource on the desert! Scholars work in groups to build on their ideas from the previous lesson to design a sustainable guest village in the Saguaro National Park. Each group produces a PowerPoint presentation to share...
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Solar Kit Lesson #7 - Positioning Solar Panels I: Explorations with Tracking
In this first part of a two-part lesson, learners track and record the sun's azimuth using a solar panel. They graph and analyze the data to identify relationships among the time of day, the altitude and azimuth of the sun, and the...
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Household Conservation/Efficiency
Hook your class up to an online home energy usage calculator so that they can estimate the amount used per month by their families. Then give them Watt meters with which they will measure the power consumption of several small...
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Devastation of Indian Quake
Learners read an online article at CNNfyi.com to determine what happened in India after an earthquake. They determine the magnitude of this earthquake and address the issue of relief efforts from other countries.
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A Comparison of Land and Water Temperature
Young scholars examine NASA satellite observations of surface temperature and investigate the seasonal changes of land and water temperature.
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Passive Solar Design
Students study what passive solar design is for buildings and structures. In this solar design lesson students identify passive solar design techniques.
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Colors of Stars
Students observe the colors found in the flame of a burning candle and examine the basic concepts of matter and energy. Students apply this information to the color's of starts and the temperature of the stars photosphere. Students...
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Greenhouse Design
Students work individually, or with partners, to develop a design for a
greenhouse, and calculate space requirements, equipment needed and cost of operation. They construct a scale model of the greenhouse.