Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester Public Schools
Supported by: National Science Foundation
Energy: 4.C.3
Transfer of energy
________________________________________________________________________
Grade Level
4
Sessions
Seasonality
Instructional Mode(s)
Team Size
WPS Benchmarks
50 minutes
N/A
Whole class
2
04.SC.PS.02
04.SC.PS.03
04.SC.TE.01
04.SC.TE.06
3-5.PS.4
3-5.TE.1.1
3-5.TE.2.3
Energy, Transfer of Energy
MA Frameworks
Key Words
Summary
The students will use what they have learned about energy to design a system to
transfer energy from one type to another. The students should be able to describe the
transfer of energy after this lesson.
Learning Objectives
2002 Worcester Public Schools (WPS) Benchmarks for Grade 4
04.SC.PS.02 Identify the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and
magnetic). Recognize that energy is the ability to cause motion or create change.
04.SC.PS.03 Give examples of how energy can be transferred from one form to
another.
04.SC.TE.01 Identify materials used to accomplish a design ask based on specific
property (e.g., weight, strength, hardness, and flexibility).
04.SC.TE.06 Identify relevant design features (e.g., size, shape, weight) for building a
prototype of a solution to a given problem.
Additional Learning Objectives
1. 3-5.PS.4 Identify the basic forms of energy (light, sound, heat, electrical, and
magnetic). Recognize that energy is the ability to cause motion or create change.
1 of 6
Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester Public Schools
Supported by: National Science Foundation
2. 3-5.PS.5 Give examples of how energy can be transferred from one form to
another.
3. 3-5.TE.1.1 Identify materials used to accomplish a design task based on specific
property.
4. 3-5.TE.2.3 Identify relevant design features (e.g., size, shape, weight) for building
a prototype of a solution to a given problem.
Required Background Knowledge
The students should have a basic understanding of what the basic forms of energy are
(sound, heat, light, magnetic, electrical, mechanical).
Essential Questions
1. How is energy transferred?
2. Can energy be transferred from heat to mechanical energy, or mechanical
energy to heat, or sound energy to mechanical energy?
Introduction / Motivation
Begin the lesson by doing some demonstrations of the different forms of energy.
Examples:
•
Throwing a ball against the blackboard (mechanical energy is transformed into
sound energy and mechanical energy).
•
Magnets attracting or repelling objects (the magnetic energy is being translated
into mechanical energy).
•
A solar powered calculator converts light energy to electrical energy.
Procedure
The instructor will:
1. Ask the students for additional examples where energy is transferred from one
form to another.
2. Ask the students why it is important for us to be able to transfer energy from one
form to another.
2 of 6
Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester Public Schools
Supported by: National Science Foundation
3. Give the students the Engineering Worksheet. If the students have trouble
coming up with original ways to transfer energy from one form to another give
them additional examples:
•
Speakers convert electrical energy to sound energy.
•
Windmills convert mechanical energy to electrical energy.
•
Flashlights convert electrical energy to light energy.
•
Electric heaters convert electrical energy to heat energy.
Materials List
Materials per class
N/A
Amount
Location
N/A
Materials per group
N/A
N/A
Amount
Location
N/A
N/A
Vocabulary with Definitions (in alphabetical order)
1. Electrical Energy – Energy created by the flow of electric charge (electricity).
2. Energy - The capacity for work. There are many different forms of energy such
as heat energy, mechanical energy, electrical energy, magnetic energy, and
sound energy.
3. Heat - Movement of atoms (particles).
4. Light - Comes from the sun.
5. Magnetic Energy - Having the properties of a magnet. Capable of being
magnetized or attracted by a magnet.
6. Mechanical Energy - Energy of motion (i.e. wind, cars moving, riding a bike).
7. Sound - An invisible wave through the air produced by strings vibrating (music,
voices).
Assessment / Evaluation of Students
The instructor may assess the students based on the Engineering Worksheet.
3 of 6
Partnerships Implementing Engineering Education
Worcester Polytechnic Institute – Worcester Public Schools
Supported by: National Science Foundation
Lesson Extensions
If the students are having a hard time grasping the concept of how energy is transferred
form one form to another pass out rubber bands and paperclips for two demonstrations.
Demonstration 1:
Take the rubber band and stretch it out only a few inches. Let the rubber band
relax to it’s original length. Repeat this rapidly for about half a minute. Feel the
center part of the rubber band. It should feel warm. This is an example of the
transformation of mechanical energy to heat energy.
Demonstration 2:
Take the paperclip and uncoil it. Take the straight wire and bend it to a right
angle. Straighten the wire out and bend it to a right angle again. Repeat this until
the paperclip breaks. The edges of the paperclips should be warm.
Attachments
1. Engineering Worksheet
Troubleshooting Tips
None
Safety Issues
None
Additional Resources
None
Key Words
Energy, Transfer of Energy
4 of 6
Name: ____________________________
Date: ________________
Engineering Worksheet
Your task is to design a device to transform as many kinds of energy
into electrical energy as possible.
Use the Engineering Design Process to solve the problem.
Step 1: Identify the Need or Problem
Fill in what the need or problem on the lines below.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Step 2: Research the Need or Problem
Think about the different kinds of energy you see everyday and write about
which ones you would like to convert to electrical energy.
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
Step 3: Develop Possible Solution(s)
Brainstorm at least three possible solutions. Draw and label them on the
back of this paper or on another piece of paper.
Step 4: Select the Best Possible Solution(s)
Circle the design you think is best. Why did you choose that design?
_______________________________________________________
Name: ____________________________
Date: ________________
Engineering Worksheet (page 2)
Step 5: Construct a Prototype
Draw and label what each part of your design would be made of if you were
building it to be sold in stores. Also make a list of all the tools you would need
to build it.
Step 6: Test and Evaluate the Solution(s)
How would you test your device to make sure it works? Write your ideas in the
blanks below.
_______________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Step 7: Communicate the Solution(s)
These worksheets and the drawings of your designs will communicate you
solution to your classmates and to your teacher.
Step 8: Redesign
What if your device was going to be used at the bottom of the sea. How
would you redesign it? Draw a picture on the back of this sheet of paper or
on another piece of paper. Be sure to label it.