Activity
Other

Physics Labs/heat of Vaporization (Hv) of Water

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A complete set of directions, notes and suggestions for a demonstration involving the determination of the heat of vaporization of water. Suitable for a student project or lab investigation.
Activity
Other

Physics Labs/specific Heat (C) of Metal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A complete set of directions, notes, and suggestions for a lab involving the determination of the specific heat values for various metals. Suitable for a student project or lab investigation.
Unit Plan
Carnegie Mellon University

Chem Collective: Meals Ready to Eat

For Students 9th - 10th
While camping on the Appalachian Trail, a storm dampens all the fire wood and you must design a chemical reaction to heat your meal. In this activity, students design an experiment in the virtual lab to determine the heat of reaction for...
Activity
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Cooking With the Sun Creating a Solar Oven

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
For this activity, students will be given a set of materials: cardboard, a set of insulating materials (i.e. foam, newspaper, etc.), aluminum foil, and Plexiglas. Students will then become engineers in building a solar oven from the...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: Huddle and Cuddle: How Puppies Keep Warm

For Students 9th - 10th
In this mammalian biology science fair project, students will determine how much huddling reduces heat loss in warm-blooded animals. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Project Ideas: How Horses Keep Warm in the Wind

For Students Pre-K - 1st
In this mammalian biology science fair project, students will learn about methods of heat transfer and determine the best direction in which horses should stand in a cold wind to maintain their core temperature. The Science Buddies...
Handout
National High Magnetic Field Laboratory

Magnet Academy: James Joule

For Students 9th - 10th
James Prescott Joule experimented with engines, electricity and heat throughout his life. Joule's findings resulted in his development of the mechanical theory of heat and Joule's law, which quantitatively describes the rate at which...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Why Is the Earth Still Hot Inside?

For Teachers 11th - 12th
In this lesson, students conduct heat transfer experiments to investigate why the Earth is still hot at its core, even after billions of years since its formation. They will learn that the rate of heat transfer is dependent on an...
Activity
Science is Fun

Science Is Fun: The Fireproof Balloon

For Students 4th - 8th
In this experiment, two balloons are each placed over a lighted match, but the one that has had water placed inside it does not burst. Includes an explanation of why that is so.
Interactive
Museum of Science

The Atoms Family

For Students 3rd - 8th
Let this classic family of monsters guide you as you learn about energy. Interactive exercises, experiments, and demonstrations help to build knowledge and raise questions.
Activity
Museum of Science

Museum of Science and Industry: Online Science: Get the Porridge Just Right

For Students 3rd - 8th
Step-by-step illustrated instructions for an experiment investigating the loss of heat in three bowls of porridge.
Activity
Exploratorium

Exploratorium: Science Snacks: Give and Take

For Students 9th - 10th
An activity for students to explore how dark-colored materials absorb and emit more energy vs. light-colored material.
Activity
Bill Nye

Bill Nye: Burn Rubber

For Students 9th - 10th
This tutorial from Bill Nye explains how to perform a simple experiment with a rubber band. The experiment demonstrates how friction can dissipate energy as heat.
Activity
Science Fun for Everyone

Science Fun: Polar Bear Blubber

For Students 3rd - 5th
How can polar bears live in such cold climates? In this experiment, you will make your own blubber to understand how polar bears stay warm.
Lesson Plan
TeachEngineering

Teach Engineering: Newton's Law of Cooling

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Learners come to see the exponential trend demonstrated through the changing temperatures measured while heating and cooling a beaker of water. This task is accomplished by first appealing to students' real-life heating and cooling...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: A Matter of Degrees: Tilt of Earth's Axis Affects the Seasons

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this science fair project, use a globe and a heat lamp to investigate how the angle of the Sun affects global warming. This project includes the objective, background questions, a list of all the materials you'll need, and the...
Lesson Plan
Michigan Reach Out

Solar S'mores

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students can make s'mores without using a bonfire. This experiment is great to use with the links "Materials that Absorb Solar Energy" and "A Solar Heat Experiment."
Activity
SRI International

Performance Assessment Links in Science: Ice Melting

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
A lesson plan for guiding students through a simple research experiment focused on transfer of energy is described for teacher administration and student explanation. Also includes a detailed rubric for evaluating student work.
Professional Doc
Other

L in C Online: Three Little Pigs

For Teachers 9th - 10th
An energy transfer project for junior high school students is presented and described. Takes the form of a teacher lesson plan. Students may be able to extract some ideas for a project or experiment.
Activity
Educaplus (Jesús Peñas Cano)

Educaplus: Calorimetria [In Spanish]

For Students 9th - 10th
Practice with the calorimeter and calculate the specific heat of different substances.
Activity
Bill Nye

Bill Nye: Burn Rubber

For Students 1st - 5th
Try this at-home science experiment to learn what happens when you repeatedly stretch a rubber band.
Activity
Bill Nye

Bill Nye: Sock It to Me

For Students 1st - 5th
Try this at-home science experiment to learn how warm water (sweat) makes us feel cooler.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Flame Test

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In this physical science experiment, students investigate the release of energy by observing the color of light produced when salts are heated in the flame of a burner. Students will identify the metal ion of the substance by the color...
Lesson Plan
Scholastic

Scholastic Instructor: Sun Sational Science

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Discover more about the sun when you visit this educational resource. The content of this site includes solar fun facts, experiments, and activities.