University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: Atmospheric Processes: Convection
This site provides a pair of activities to demonstrate convection currents in air and water. Encourages students to view air as a fluid.
Museum of Science
Museum of Science and Industry: Activities: Fly a Hot Air Balloon
Step-by-step instructions, with photos, of how to construct a hot-air balloon from tissue paper, to demonstrate that heated air expands, creating a convection current. This activity requires the use of a hot air gun and is labor-intensive.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Mn Step: What Makes Thunderstorms? See Convection
Using water, food coloring, and an ice cube, students observe the movement of convection currents in a container, and illustrate what they see happening. This activity develops their understanding of how thunderstorms form.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Let's Get Breezy!
Students apply an understanding of the concept of heat transfer through convection, conduction, and radiation as they use wireless temperature probes to investigate the heating capacity of different materials under heat lamps.
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)
Smile: Plate Tectonics (Intermediate)
Many activities in this lesson plan to help students understand the Theory of Plate Tectonics. Plans can be used in intermediate or middle school levels.
Climate Literacy
Clean: What Happens to Ice in Water?
Students investigate the properties of water in the ice and liquid phase as it relates to convection in the ocean and density driven circulation, and ultimately the climate.
University Corporation for Atmospheric Research
Ucar: Bubbles on Bottles
Students observe that a change in the temperature of air can impact the size of a bubble placed on a bottle that is cooled and/or heated.
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Heat on the Move
This activity is meant to be one of many common experiences that help learners understand that convection is a major driving force on our planet.
TeachEngineering
Teach Engineering: Solar Water: Heat It Up!
Students explore energy efficiency, focusing on renewable energy, by designing and building flat-plate solar water heaters. They apply their understanding of the three forms of heat transfer (conduction, convection and radiation), as...