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. 

An average home produces twice as many emissions as an average car. Teach your class how to reduce energy consumption by replacing standard incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light bulbs. Perform an experiment to compare...

Don't lift another finger, this physical and environmental science unit has everything you need to begin teaching your class about energy. Starting with a look at the greenhouse effect, these lessons and activities take young scientists...

The energy is not really lost, it is just converted to a different form. Pupils learn about the conversion of energy in the fifth segment of an energy unit with six parts. Learners develop an understanding of the conservation of energy...

Even magicians can't make energy disappear. In a discussion-based lesson, young scientists learn about energy forms and conversions. They see how energy is neither created nor destroyed; it just changes forms. This is the 11th...

Let's heat things up! This simple experiment demonstrates for students the important role the sun plays in providing the earth with energy. Place one cup of water in direct sunlight and one in shade, then take measurements in order to...

What has more energy than a room full of pupils after a fire drill? This lesson plan! Explore the changes in energy during different chemical reactions, discover why some reactions feel cold and others feel hot, and tackle the concept of...

When an organism eats, how does food become energy? Young biologists follow glucose through the process of cellular respiration to the creation of ADP using a discussion-based activity. The resource also highlights conservation of mass...

Don't waste any more energy trying to find a great resource on energy. The third installment of a 25-part Energy Systems and Solutions unit focuses on energy use in pupils' lives. They consider how their daily routines consume energy and...

Students study thermal energy and energy transfer to sea ice processes. In this energy transfer instructional activity, students make their own ice cream and discuss energy transfer and thermal energy. Students view a radiation overhead...

If only we could harness the energy of fifth graders, our energy problems would be over! The class discusses where different forms of energy come from and how we use them. They complete a chart of the activities that they do daily...

Students become acquainted with the first law of thermodynamics, which concerns the conservation of energy as it is transformed from one form to another. They identify forms of energy, and devices or processes that transform energy from...

The fifth lesson in the six part series introduces units of energy including calories, Calories, and joules. Scholars determine the energy released when eating a snack and during activity.

Need a bright idea for an engaging lab? Watch your class light up as they explore the difference in efficiency between incandescent and LED bulbs! The resource makes use of simple materials and encourages learners to infer what's...

Young scholars explore the concepts of energy transformation and conversion. They engage in Internet and hands-on activities. Students visit the Atoms Family Website and complete a Building a Better Pyramid activity by adding...

Students investigate solar energy and color. In this solar energy instructional activity, students assess the benefits of solar energy. Students discover that solar energy is attracted to darker colors and conduct an experiment...

Young scholars design and carry out an investigation to test which materials is the best insulator: they predict which way heat energy flows in a system and analyze the flow of energy in a system from one point to another and from one...

Young scholars explore multiple types of energy. In this energy lesson, students prepare a science fair project through completing a WebQuest. Young scholars investigate radiant, thermal, and biochemical energy.

First graders study heat and light and how they come from various sources. They list sources of heat and light and identify the different energy sources as heat, light, or both heat and light.

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...

Scholars examine, cut, paste, and sort 12 images featuring different types of movement in order to show what they know about energy—potential and kinetic. 

First graders identify the sun as a source of heat and light. They identify features of houses that help keep use sheltered and comfortable throughout daily and seasonal cycles. Students are told that summer is the best season to...

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...

Pupils model the arrangement of particles in a liquid. They use the model, to demonstrate how a gas is formed from a liquid with no increase in temperature as energy is added. Pupils model the arrangement and movement of gas particles.