Things are about to heat up in your classroom! A kinesthetic lesson asks learners to play the part of the gases in the earth's atmosphere and interact with the sun's radiation. The focus is to learn the impact of the increasing...

Groups of two to four work collaboratively to engineer a birdhouse that will stay cool in the summer heat. Teams examine several different-colored roofs, testing the efficiency of each with a heat lamp. Then, groups sketch their ideas,...

Learners investigate thermal waters and geologic provinces. They examine provided maps of geothermal springs and thermal wells in the state of Idaho and their locations relative to Idaho's geologic provinces. Afterward, they use the maps...

Amateurs of alternative energy build a mini parabolic-trough solar energy collector and use it to heat water. Temperature is recorded over a three-minute period and the data is graphed and analyzed. Note that in order to paint aquarium...

The Mars Global Surveyor spent two years creating a mineral map of the planet Mars using thermal emission spectrometry. To help young astronomers understand this remote sensing instrument, have them simulate how data is collected and...

There are many interactions among living things and their surroundings. By completing a reading, scholars learn about the Earth, the moon, and the sun and how they relate to the solar system. They also investigate the basics of physical...

In this first part of a two-part lesson plan, 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...

Students 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...

In this energy worksheet, students complete a graphic organizer by writing in the different forms of energy and a description of each form of energy.

In this black holes worksheet, high schoolers solve three problems about black holes using given equations for determining the temperature of the gases in a black hole and the visible light from the black hole at given temperatures.

There are five separate lessons about heat in this collection of slides. Young scientists learn how to use a thermometer to measure temperature, and they experiment with insulators. You can use one of these lessons each day for a full...

Students study concepts of energy and energy transfer. They look at how these concepts apply to musical instruments. They study the law of conservation of energy. They use the concepts studied in the lesson to design a musical instrument.

In this descriptive investigation worksheet, 6th graders conduct an investigation to determine if heat energy affects the brightness of a light stick. The students will form a prediction, collect data and answer 3 conclusion questions.

Students experiment with different types of metal by dipping them in boiling water and cool water and recording temperature changes in the water. By doing this, they find the specific heat of the metals.

Fifth graders are introduced to the concept of electric currents. In groups, they develop their own game board to test different circuits to determine if they are complete. They record their observations of the energy transfer between...

Fifth graders use the scientific process to examine how when various surfaces are exposed to similar environmental conditions, surface temperatures may vary. They conduct an experiment to show the relationship between surface and...

In this energy activity, students review the law of conservation of energy and how energy is transformed from one form to another. Students complete 10 matching, 10 fill in the blank, and 7 problems to solve.

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...

Whether you want to heat things up in science class or cool things down a bit, an intriguing lab's got you covered! Science scholars explore the principles of thermodynamics using a solar oven, then change the conditions to turn their...

Organic waste is a hot topic. The second of three installments in the Bioreactor Water Heating unit challenges pupils to create bioreactors that collect energy released from compost. After watching videos on the properties of water and...

Learners observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer.  In this thermal conductivity instructional activity, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four...

Students conduct a series of investigation on latent heat of fusion. For this chemistry lesson, students explain how thermal storage systems work. They draw and interpret graphs.

Elementary schoolers discover how engineers use solar energy to heat buildings. They take a close look at some of the materials used: sand, salt, water, and shredded paper and evaluate the efficiency of each material. An incredible...

In this thermal energy learning exercise, students will explore different ways heat is transferred including conduction and convection. Students will look at how insulators work and how room temperature can affect heat transfer. This...