Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
PROFILES Teaching Material – Cover Sheet
Module title:
Heat insulation
Developed by: Monika Hall and Matthias von Arx
Institution:
School of Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics and School for Teacher
Education, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland
Homepage:
www.fhnw.ch
Abstract:
The teaching unit at hand aims at giving insights into the topic of heat insulation, based on general
knowledge on e.g. clothes and animal furs and by means of a half-open student experiment. In the
experiment, the students are to prevent an ice-block from melting by means of self- “created” heat
insulation. The experience gained from the experiment contributes to the students being able to
identify heat-insulating materials in buildings and promotes their understanding of their structure
and function.
Subject:
Nature and technology (according to curriculum 21)
Level:
secondary level I, cycle 3 (according to curriculum 21)
Reference to curriculum:
understanding, implementing and documenting technologies,
identifying, comparing and presenting basic principles of devices of
daily use (subject areas according to curriculum 21)
Student activities:
hypothesizing, experimenting, identifying connections, explaining,
constructing, measuring, working in a team
Expected duration:
teaching unit of 4 x 45 minutes
Material:
material for teachers
task sheet for students
Power-Point introduction
Power-Point conclusion
Learning goals/competences:
- The students understand the role of air for heat insulation.
- The students know some materials suitable for heat insulation.
- The students can interpret the various results of the experiment.
- The students understand the structure and function of clothes and furs or of materials used
to insulate buildings in the construction industry.
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
PROFILES Teaching Material – Material for Students
Task sheet:
Heat insulation
Task:
Who can build the best heat insulation? Or: who can “pack” the plastic container with the ice block in
a way that the ice takes longest to melt?
Learning goals/competences:
- You understand the role of air in heat insulation.
- You know some of the materials suitable for heat insulation
- You can interpret the various results of the experiment.
- You can understand the structure and function of clothes, furs and materials used in the
construction industry to insulate buildings
Material:
 1 sheet of paper, A3 (thick paper)
 measuring tape
 scissors
 glue
 prefabricated cardboard box or cardboard for building a cardboard box
 adhesive tape
 plastic container with ice (in freezer)
 recycled paper
 worksheets
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Tasks and timing:
Activity
a) Experiment: Which ice block lasts longest?



First, you have to build an inner box which corresponds to the living room. The
larger box corresponds to the outer wall of the house.
How do you want to arrange the empty space between the inner and the outer
boxes so that the ice, which is put into the inner box, melts as slowly as possible?
Build the perfect heat insulation.
You will get a container with an ice block. Weigh the container by means of the
scales and note the weight. Now, quickly put the container into the inner box and
close the inner and the outer boxes. Now leave the box for a couple of hours (or
overnight).
b) Evaluation of the experiment



Time
135'
45'
By means of the scales, you determine the weight of the ice that has melted.
You compare and discuss the values obtained by the individual groups.
You now describe the characteristics of materials suitable for heat insulation.
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Worksheet 1: Which ice block lasts longest?
Task:
Who can build the best heat insulation? Or: who can “pack” the plastic container with the ice block in
a way that the ice takes longest to melt?
Material:







1 sheet of paper, A3 (thick paper)
glue
measuring tape
prefabricated cardboard box or cardboard for building a cardboard box
adhesive tape
plastic container with ice (in freezer)
scissors
Step 1: Making the inner box ("the lounge")
First, you have to build the inner box. To do so, transfer the following illustration onto the thick A3
sheet. The lateral edges of one square are 10 cm long:
10 cm
Then, cut out the form. Fold it along the thin lines and glue it to create a cube by means of the white
flaps. NOTE: Leave the cover open! Don’t seal it up entirely!
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Step 2: The cardboard box ("the outer wall")
Get a cardboard box from your teacher or build a cardboard box according to your teacher’s
instruction.
Step 3: Make a plan
What you have got now almost resembles a house: the inner box corresponds to the lounge; the
cardboard box corresponds to the outer wall of the house. How are you going to arrange the empty
space between the two walls so that the ice in the inner box melts as slowly as possible? Think of the
best answers to the following questions:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
Where are we going to place the inner box in cardboard box?
Do we want to fill the empty space?
What could be a good filling material?
How do we get hold of this filling material?
How much filling material do we want to use?
Describe in simple words, what a “good filling” is made up of.
Write down your answers here:
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Step 4: Build the perfect heat insulation
Find the material you have chosen and prepare it in a way to fill the empty space between the inner
and outer boxes. Place the inner box according to your plans and leave the cover open, so that you
can put the container with the ice block inside.
Show your result to the teacher. Are there any improvements you could make?
Step 5: Start of the experiment
When all groups are done, the teacher provides you with the container of ice. Weigh the container
by means of the scales and note its weight. Quickly place the container in the inner box and close the
inner and outer boxes.
Weight of container with ice:
……………………………………………………………
Starting time of experiment:
……………………………………………………………
Now, leave the box for a couple of hours (or overnight).
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Worksheet 2: Evaluation of the experiment
Step 6: End of the experiment
a) Now, open the box and take out the plastic container with the ice block.
b) Now, open the plastic container and pour out the water (NOTE: the leftover ice has to
remain in the plastic container!)
c) Close the plastic container and place it on the scales. Write down the weight below.
Weight of container with remaining ice:
…………………………………………………………….
Closing time of the experiment (when opening the box):
.……………………………………………………………
Weight of the ice that has melted:
…………………………………………………………….
Step 7: Evaluation of the experiment
Compare the values that the individual groups have obtained and work on the following questions
and tasks:
a) Who has won? Give reasons for your answer!
b) Place the boxes in a way that the “winning box” is on the one side and the “losing box” is on
the other side. Look at the boxes, the fillings and the positions of the inner boxes. Can you
find out why the winning box has won? Discuss in class.
c) Discuss in class how even the winning‘ box could be improved.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Step 8: Closing remarks
What are the characteristics of materials suitable for heat insulation? Describe in your own words.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Findings from the experiment:
Characteristics of materials suitable for heat insulation:
 Materials which keep warmth are characterized by being “airy” – “fluffy” This means that air
is trapped in a material which consists of fine structures (fur, feathers, synthetic fibers, wood
fibers, etc.).

The greater the volume of the material (or the enclosed air), the better its heat insulation.
This is particularly obvious with birds that ruffle their feathers in winter. Several layers of
clothes have the same effect.
Expert knowledge:
 Ways of heat transfer: There are three ways of heat transfer: heat conduction, convection,
and heat radiation. In the “ice cube experiment”, the heat transfer was conducted primarily
via heat conduction.
 Bad heat conductivity of air: The heat conductivity of solid bodies is better than that of
liquids, and liquids have a better conductivity than gases. Thus, enclosed air is a bad heat
conductor. The heat conductivity of aluminum is particularly good. Using a metal block as
packing material, the good heat conductivity of metals could have been shown.
 Energy consumption: A considerable part of the energy which is used by our society goes
towards heating (or cooling) houses and buildings. In order to use energy efficiently, it is
crucial for houses and buildings to have good heat insulation, which ensures that in winter,
the warmth stays inside and in summer, the heat stays outside.
 Reflective coating minimizes the energy transport through heat radiation :
The issue of heat radiation may be raised by students within this teaching unit, which is why
this aspect is mentioned here.
Reflective coating reflects the heat radiation back into the room.
Some everyday examples of reflective coating are:



A warm chicken is packed into a paper bag which is coated with aluminum foil on
the inside.
The inner surface of a thermos bottle has a reflective coating around the vacuum.
Sometimes, you will find reflecting aluminum foil behind radiators.
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
PROFILES Teaching Material – Material for Teachers
Instructions for the task
Heat insulation
The teaching unit at hand aims at giving insights into the topic of heat insulation, based on general
knowledge on e.g. clothes and animal furs and by means of a half-open student experiment. In the
experiment, the students are to prevent an ice-block from melting by means of self- “created” heat
insulation. The experience gained from the experiment contributes to the students being able to
identify heat-insulating materials in buildings and promotes their understanding of their structure
and function.
 in class:
Social form:
 in groups of 3 or 4:
PowerPoint-presentations as introduction and
conclusion
discussion of the experiment
realization and evaluation of the experiment
Formation of
groups:
Individualization:
In each group, there should be one student who is self-confident about working
with the materials
Various hints and questions (see worksheets) support the students in their work.
Extension:
Basically, the students can use any material for the filling in case it is available. It
is crucial that the students make a conscious and well-thought-out choice of
materials (e.g. paper balls are less suitable than strips of paper from a shredder).
Material:
ASAP
Organize the materials which the students will need for realizing the
experiment. The materials are easily obtained. All in all, you will need the
following materials per group:
 one waterproof, lockable plastic container as an ice container, e.g. a
sealable yoghurt cup, 500 g or a small Tupperware box (same-size
containers for all groups). The containers have to fit inside a cube of 10 x
10 x 10 cm (corresponds to the inner box).
 1 sheet of paper, A3 (thick paper or thin cardboard) to build inner box
(10 x 10 x10 cm).
 measuring tape (per team member), 1-2 scissors, glue
 one cardboard box (for outer box). Ideal dimensions: 30 x 30 x 30 cm. It
is important that all groups work with the same type of box (otherwise,
the comparability of the experiments cannot be guaranteed). Adhesive
tape if box is built by students themselves.
 Any type of recycling paper as a basis for the production of insulating
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
material (the more paper, the better).
NOTE: The dimensions given for the cardboard box are meant as a
recommended size. The amount of ice given (see below) refers to a cardboard
box of this recommended size. If the boxes which you use have different
dimensions, you have to calculate the amount of ice respectively (more ice for
smaller box).
Apart from paper, other insulating materials can be used, of course.
Interesting alternatives are wood shavings (from carpenter’s
workshop), filling chips made of Styrofoam (filling material for parcels),
wool or clothes, down from a cushion etc. Depending on availability
and ideas, the students may well work with any such material. The
experiment also works with paper only (in the form of paper balls or
paper strips or paper clippings from a shredder).
Additionally, for the entire class you will need:
 a freezer for producing ice cubes (note that depending on the duration
of the experiment and the number of students, you may need several
trays for producing ice cubes)
 scales: e.g. kitchen, laboratory or letter scales (minimum indication
range 0 - 500g)
 a clock
2-3 days prior to the teaching unit
Produce the ice which the students will need for the experiment. To do so, fill
water into the respective ice boxes or ice cube trays and let it freeze.
NOTE: As ice has a greater volume than water, only 3/4 of the ice container
should be filled with water, otherwise the container will explode when the
water freezes.
duration of
experiment
amount of ice (for room temperature of approx. 21 °C)
2 - 3 hours
4 ice cubes per team
3 - 4 hours
5 ice cubes per team OR
fill 60 g water into container and freeze
14 - 15 hours
fill 270g water into container and freeze
approx. 21 hours
fill 400g water into container and freeze
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
The amount of ice given is a recommendation. You may have to adapt it to your
situation (duration of experiment, size of cardboard box).
Timing:
Time
15'
Activity
a) Introduction
For introducing the topic, go through the PowerPoint
presentation (Einfuehrung.pptx) with the whole class. The goal
of the introduction is to activate students’ already acquired
knowledge by means of pictures and to motivate them to
reflect on the topic. The questions mentioned in the
presentation may support this process. Have students
formulate assumptions/hypotheses. If possible, they should
give reasons for their hypotheses or discuss them in class.
These reflections are the starting point for the competition-like
experiment and help the groups to identify and produce the
“best” filling material.
Material
PowerPointpresentation
(Einfuehrung.pptx)
Background information
The pictures should encourage reflections on the following
issues:
 Materials which keep warm are characterized by being
“airy” – “fluffy” This means that air is trapped in a
material which consists of fine structures (fur, feathers,
synthetic fibers, wood fibers, etc.).

The greater the volume of the material (or the enclosed
air), the better its heat insulation. This is particularly
obvious with birds that ruffle their feathers in winter.
Several layers of clothes have the same effect.
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
120'
b) Experiment: Which ice block lasts longest?
Hand out copies of the task to all groups (groups of 3 or 4
students). The task is formulated as a half-open task. This
means that certain steps of the experiment are closely specified
while other aspects are left open. The students are meant to
think and decide on (and give reasons for!) their approach by
themselves. You as their teacher support the groups as a coach.
worksheet with
task (see material
for students)
material from list
above
Due to this half-open approach, the experiments are
comparable, which eventually leads to interesting conclusions
and a considerable learning effect. At the same time, there is
room for individual implementation. Different approaches lead
to different insulation efficiency and from this, new findings or
confirmations of the original hypotheses arise.
The time needed for the experiment depends on how
independently the students are to create or look for their filling
material.
NOTE: In the section “accompanying units”, you will find some
pictures of a possible implementation of the experiment.
IMPORTANT
It is important that you as a teacher also start an experiment
parallel to the students, the so-called reference experiment.
For this, you place an inner box (with plastic container and ice
block) next to the students’ experiments. This experiment will
show the effect of heat insulation on the students’ boxes as the
ice will melt fastest in the reference experiment (without
insulation).
material for
reference
experiment
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
45'
c) Evaluation of the experiment
The experiment should now be concluded. Discuss with the
class which steps must now be taken in order to determine the
winner.
worksheet 2
(see material for
students)
material from list
above
Possible questions:
a) How can we find out which group built the best heat
insulation?
b) How can we determine that as precisely as possible?
c) Why does time play a role? What consequences result
from this?
Solution:
The easiest way is to have all groups – at the same time –
remove the plastic container with the rest of the ice, pour out
the water, close the container again and determine the
remaining weight on the scales. The weight loss since the start
of the experiment corresponds to the amount of ice that has
melted. The group with the smallest amount of ice melted wins.
d) Conclusion of the teaching unit
Conclude the teaching unit with the PowerPoint presentation
Abschluss.pptx. The pictures show the students what the
insulating materials used in construction look like. The students
should now be capable of understanding the basic underlying
principle (ideally corresponds to the answer in step 8). The
images taken with an infrared camera clearly illustrate the
before-after effects which can be achieved when modernizing
buildings. Apart from the insulation of walls and roofs, the
windows also play a crucial role.
PowerPointpresentation
Abschluss.pptx
From home or a hardware store, you might bring along some
insulating materials used for buildings to serve as an illustrative
model in class.
Maybe you can even visit a building site after the teaching unit
(upon approval of the construction manager!).
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Accompanying material:
Some pictures from the experiment in our test run
Possible plastic containers for ice cubes:
Inner box (made of thin paper) with
plastic container:
It is better to use rather thick paper or thin
cardboard
Outer box (self-made) with paper strips:
Basically, the students can use any
material for the filling in case it is available.
It is crucial that the students make a
conscious and well-thought-out choice of
materials (e.g. paper balls are less suitable
than strips of paper from a shredder).
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Inner box in outer box:
Ideally, the inner box is positioned approx. in
the middle. Still, let students decide on the
position of their own box and have them give
reasons for their decision.
Fill up with paper strips:
How densely should the box be stuffed with the
material? An interesting question!
Cover it up, then it’s finished:
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe
Professional Reflection-Oriented Focus on Inquiry-based Learning and Education through Science
Project funded within the EC FP7 Programme: 5.2.2.1 – SiS-2010-2.2.1
Grant Agreement No.:266589
Supporting and coordinating actions on innovative methods in science education: teacher
training on inquiry based teaching methods on a large scale in Europe