Science Unit – Energy
Day 1
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will have a basic knowledge of what energy is and important
vocabulary words that go along with the concept of energy.
Materials: Energy is All Around Us video, vocabulary definitions, elmo, promethean board,
science notebooks, pencil
Procedure: 1. Students will copy vocabulary words and definitions into their science notebooks
for future reference and to familiarize themselves.
2. We will watch short “Energy is All Around Us” video, saved on hard drive.
3. Discuss why we need energy, how humans get energy, and everyday examples of energy.
Assessment: Question students about what words mean what. Ask questions to make sure they
have an understanding of why we need energy and how we get energy.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 2
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will be able to define and compare/contrast kinetic energy and
potential energy.
Materials: 7 marbles, 7 ramps, elmo, worksheet, science journal
Procedure: 1. Have students read the definitions for potential and kinetic energy.
2. Put worksheet up on elmo and work together to place each activity under the categories of
either kinetic or potential energy.
3. Find potential energy sources in the room – battery operated things, pencil sharpener
plugged in, student examples?
4. Each table gets 1 marble, ramp, display kinetic energy using marble and ramp and display
potential energy using marble and ramp. Write down observations in science journal.
Assessment: Student will need to show written observations from marble and ramp experiment
before they can leave.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 3
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of heat energy and chemical energy.
Materials: rubber bands (1 per student), empty soda bottle, vinegar, baking soda, balloon
Procedure:
Activity 1 – Chemical Energy
Put a balloon with baking soda in it over an empty soda bottle with vinegar in it. Have a student
flip the balloon up and back away. Talk about chemical energy. Other examples?
Activity 2 – Heat Energy
Rubber Bands and Heat – Students can use their skin as a heat detector to detect heat flow into
or out of a rubber band.
Materials: thick rubber bands (1 per student)
Procedure: Each student takes a rubber band and puts their 2 thumbs on each inside area. Put
the rubber band up to your forehead. Does it feel warm or cool? Pull it away from your face
and stretch out as far as you can. Hold for a few seconds and put it up to your forehead again.
Does it feel warm or cool? Let it relax and hold it up to your head. Does it feel warm or cool?
Repeat until you are sure of the results. An object feels cool or cold to you when heat flows
from your skin to the object. Conversely, an object feels warm or hot when heat flows from the
object into your skin. If the stretched rubber band feels cool, then it absorbs heat from your
skin. If it feels warm, then it gives off heat to your skin. If the band feels neither warm nor cool,
then there is no detectable heat flow. These three cases can be represented as follows:
Case 1.
Relaxed Band + Heat
Case 2.
Relaxed Band
Stretched Band
Stretched Band + Heat
Case 3.
Relaxed Band
Stretched Band (No Heat)
Which of these three cases best describes what you observed?
The heat energy of a substance is determined by how active its atoms and
molecules are. A hot object is one whose atoms and molecules are excited
and show rapid movement. A cooler object's molecules and atoms will be
less excited and show less movement.
Assessment: Have students think of examples of chemical and heat energy.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 4
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of light and mechanical energy. They will
also take a quiz to see if they have gained understanding about energy and concepts taught to
this point.
Materials: promethean board, flash drive with videos, quizzes
Procedure: 1. Review energy concepts.
2. Watch 2 energy videos. Use questioning to check for understanding. Relate to past
knowledge about light/waves.
3. Mechanical energy activity – have students stand up and jump 10 times. Do other physical
activities. Display potential and kinetic mechanical energy. Relate to heat energy and chemical
energy within our bodies.
4. Review mechanical and light energy.
5. Quiz
Assessment: Quiz will serve as a formative assessment.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 5
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of nonrenewable and renewable
resources for energy. They will compare and contrast the types.
Materials: computer, flash drive with video, promethean board, science journals, cardboard box
lid painted black, Ziploc bag filled with water
Procedure: 1. Explain that energy comes in 2 categories: nonrenewable and renewable energy.
What does this mean? Create a T-Chart with nonrenewable energy on one side and
nonrenewable on the other. Discuss fossil fuels, what they are, and how they can harm the
environment.
2. There are alternatives to hurting the environment with nonrenewable energy and that are
more abundant – renewable energy. Today, we are talking about 2 types: hydroelectric and
solar energy.
3. Solar Energy activity – take a cardboard lid painted black; fill with a bag of cool water. Let it
sit outside all class period. It took energy to make the water become warmer. Solar energy is a
renewable resource. Will we run out of sunlight?
4. Hydroelectric Power video – “How Hydroelectricity works” and question while watching.
5. Review concepts.
Assessment: Before they can go to PE, students must write down 1 reason why the use of
renewable energy is better than the use of nonrenewable energy.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 6
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will further understanding about nonrenewable and renewable
energy resources. They will compare and contrast geothermal, windmill, and biomass energy.
Materials: 3 videos – Geothermal Power, Wind Energy: Magic School Bus, Fuel from Timber,
science journal, pencil
Procedure: 1. Review nonrenewable and renewable resources and the 2 alternatives discussed
on Tuesday. Add 3 more to the renewable side of T-chart: geothermal, windmill, biomass.
2. Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram. Write the 3 types above each circle. Watch 3 videos then work
together to complete diagram.
3. Review all types of renewable/nonrenewable resources and their differences/similarities.
Assessment: To be able to leave for PE, students will need to tell me 1 type of nonrenewable
energy and 1 type of renewable energy.
Reflection:
Science Unit – Energy
Day 7
ALCOS Objectives: 4.) Describe forms of energy, including chemical, heat, light, and mechanical.
• Identifying types of potential and kinetic energy
Examples:
- potential-water behind a dam, battery;
- kinetic-water moving across turbine blades
• Describing alternatives to the use of fossil fuels
Examples: solar energy, geothermal energy, windmill, hydroelectric power, biomass
• Identifying the transfer of energy by conduction, convection, and radiation
Examples:
- conduction-hot plate heating a pan,
- convection-space heater heating air,
- radiation-sun heating Earth's surface
Class Objectives: Students will be able to define and compare/contrast convection, conduction,
and radiation (the types of heat transfer).
Materials: promethean board, butter, water, plastic knife, metal knife, paper spiral, candle,
science journals
Procedure: 1. Review heat energy. Discuss how heat transfers – how does an egg get warm on a
stove? Transfer of energy. There are 3 different types.
2. Have students read definitions of conduction, convection, and radiation.
3. Demonstrate the following activities: (note – all done as demonstrations, not individual
activities)
Activity 5 – Conduction
Conduction is when heat energy travels from one object to another by direct contact between the molecules. Heat is
transferred from one molecule to another without the movement of matter itself.
Students find out what is a better conductor – plastic or metal.
Materials: butter, cup, warm water, plastic knife, metal knife
1. Place each knife into a small section of butter. Dip the other ends of the knives into
warm water and allow them to stand. Observe results. Why does this happen? Which is
a better conductor of heat?
Activity 6 – Convection
Convection is the transfer of heat by movement of currents within fluids, such as a liquid or gas, causing the fluid
matter to move. When heat is transferred by convection, slow-moving molecules in the fluid began to move faster, and
they also move farther apart. As a result, the heated fluid becomes less dense and floats to the top.
Pass out handout #2, along with scissors, a piece of string, and tape.
1. Instruct and demonstrate how to cut the hand-out circle into a spiral.
2. Everyone should make spirals out of their hand-outs.
3. Model and have everyone attach the string to the center of the spiral with tape.
4. Light candles. Review safety precautions and do not touch flame, tip over candle, or let
paper spirals touch flame.
5. Demonstrate and have everyone hold their spirals over candles. (Note: you may use
another heat source such as a space heater or heat lamp.)
6. Hold the spiral still. After a few moments, see what happens. The spiral should begin
to spin. Observe its direction of movement.
7. What is happening? We are experiencing "convection" or the organized motion or
movement of large groups of molecules based on their relative densities or temperatures.
Activity 7 – Radiation
Radiation is the transfer of heat energy by electromagnetic waves and (unlike conduction and convection) does not
require a medium in which the energy is transmitted. Students often incorrectly think that radiation radiates only
downward because heat radiated from the Sun appears to radiate down. Heat energy actually radiates out in all
directions from the energy source, such as radiated heat from a fire moving up to cook a marshmallow held above it.
Any object that has more heat energy than another radiates heat to the cooler object. This is the reason a room heats up
quickly when it is filled with hot student bodies. Since heat and light travel by electromagnetic waves and do not
require a medium, heat and light travel through space to Earth, while sound cannot.
1. Have students step outside. Pick one student wearing a white shirt and another student wearing
a dark color. Let them stand outside in the same spot getting equal amount of sun. Which shirt
gets warmer? This is an example of radiation. There is no medium. The heat goes directly to
you without having a middle man.
4. Have students make a chart comparing the 3 types of heat transfer.
Assessment: Student will need to show their chart comparing the 3 types of heat transfer in
order to leave for PE.
Reflection: