Energy Phenomena
Objective: Students will recognize and identity energy transfers in a basic teacher provided
phenomena
Phenomena: Teacher will ask students to observe the teacher and individually write what they see
happening. Then the teacher will walk to the light switch and turn it off, the flip the switch back on
so that the light turns on and the computer turns on and the windows sound happens and then the
promethean board lights up showing the words, “What phenomena have you observed?”
Give 2-4 minutes for students to write their responses individually.
Then the students will get into groups of 3-4 and discuss what they observed and write down their
ideas on a large piece of paper (adding phenomena) if needed, and gather a list of things the
students observed happening.
Teacher now asks students what types of energy do they know about. (internal prompt for students)
Directions: “within your small groups describe what is happening to the energy you observed in the
phenomena.”
Students will use words, drawings, sentences, and graphs to represent and explain what is occurring
to the energy during the teacher presented phenomena.
Conclusion:
Each student group presents their visual representation of the phenomena and explain it.
Exit slip:
Ask students to write down any questions they have for the teacher or peers about the phenomena
or energy questions that they had.
(Requirement: each student must have one question and give it to the teacher in order to provide a
“cliff hanger” for the next day.)
Next day: answer student questions, develop new ones, discuss law of conservation of energy.
Discuss the various ways energy was transferred.
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Danita Fancher
6th grade Inquiry Lesson