Curated OER
Heat And Heat Transfer
Students role play molecules in a container as the container is heated to develop a definition of heat and temperature. They also observe demonstrations of conduction, convection, radiation, and phase transfer. Using these observations...
Curated OER
The Urban Heat Island Effect - Lesson 2 (Grades 8-9)
Students use the scientific process to show that when various surfaces are exposed to similar environmental conditions, surface temperatures may vary. They examine the "urban heat island" phenomenon and analyze why it increases energy...
Curated OER
Heating the Atmosphere
Students construct a thermograph for maximum and minimum temperatures for the 2-week period. They illustrate how the earth's atmosphere is heated by convection and conduction currents and evaporation of water.
Curated OER
How Do You Use Thermal Energy?
In this thermal energy worksheet, learners review radiation, convection, and conduction. This worksheet has 3 matching and 6 short answer questions.
Carnegie Mellon University
Consumer Preferences in Lighting
What is a watt? This tongue-twisting, mind-bending question and others are answered through this lesson on the different lighting options available. With the support of a PowerPoint, teach your physical science class about units of...
Curated OER
Make a Refrigerator
Third graders explore the concept of heat transfer as experienced in wearing winter clothing and analyzing the refrigerator.
Curated OER
Melt Away
Students explore objects before and after heating using their senses. In this matter and energy lesson, students experiment with a variety of objects and use their senses (except taste) to make predictions and record observations...
Curated OER
Jackie Gore
Students identify the amount of heat given off by solar energy. In this solar energy lesson, students complete an experiment using soil and sand measuring the heat from solar energy.
Curated OER
Bing! Bang! Boom!
Sixth graders investigate heat energy, conduction, convection, and radiation.
California Academy of Science
Greening Your Middle School
Middle schoolers redesign their school to make it more energy efficient, and create a model of their design. Learners get together in groups of 5, and they take on the task of making their school more energy efficient. To do this, they...
American Association for the Advancement of Science
Sensing the Invisible: The Herschel Experiment
Learners of light will construct a contraption in which light is passed through a prism and shone into a box. The temperatures at different points along the path and outside of the path of light. The intent is to imitate William...
Curated OER
Parts of a Solar Panel-Part II
Students discover how a mini-solar panel is constructed by behaving like detectives. Students examine an actual solar panel, measure the solar panel's voltage and use drawings to describe what they observe before completing questions...
Curated OER
Are U Still Nuts?
In this unit conversion activity, students solve 3 problems using conversion factors to find the given measurements in the new unit of measurement.
Curated OER
Solar Cooker Challenge
Students use the scientific method to design a slow cooker. In this experimental method lesson students measure temperatures and conversions of the solar cooker that they create.
Curated OER
What's the Matter? Where Did it Go?
Eighth graders analyze questions posted on a large poster in the room and work in groups to record their response to the question on paper, rotating to the next question after two minutes have passed. They review the characteristics of...
Curated OER
Our Earth
In this Earth's environment worksheet, students complete a crossword puzzle given 35 clues about a variety of topics related to our Earth. Topics include ecosystems, precipitation, biomes, energy transfer, soil, weathering and rocks.
Curated OER
Rate of Photosynthesis
Young scholars investigate the rate of photosynthesis using elodea leaves. In this photosynthesis lesson plan, students place elodea in a test tube filled with water. They include baking soda and place the test tube under a lamp. Young...
Curated OER
Global Warming: Life in a Greenhouse
High schoolers examine the evidence that scientists have used to support the existence of global warming and the greenhouse effect. How the concepts have been developed and evaluated form the focus of this lesson.
Curated OER
Identifying Materials by their Reflectivity
In this reflectivity worksheet, students read about the absorption and reflectivity of light by different materials. Students solve 4 problems and determine the composition of given materials based on the amount of light reflected. They...
Curated OER
Sun and Earth
Students explore the sun, its structure, how big it is and how far away it is. In this solar system instructional activity students complete a lab activity on dew point and weather.
Curated OER
Collecting the Rays
Students investigate the affect shape has on the ability of a solar panel to collect sunlight. In this collecting sunlight using a solar panel lesson, students determine which solar panel shape collects the most sunlight. ...
Curated OER
Cooler in the Shadows
Students explore how the amount of sunlight and heat change in areas that are shaded.
Curated OER
The Earth's Atmosphere and Temperature
Students describe and compare the layers of the atmosphere. They explain how to measure the temperature of the atmosphere and discover what causes the atmosphere to heat up in some places more than in others.
Space Awareness
Global Warming of the Atmosphere
Scientists know the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere today is higher than at any point in the last 800,000 years. Scholars learn about the amount of thermic radiation absorbed by air and what happens to the rest of the...