EDTEP 587
Methods in Science
Brent Slattengren
Unit Matrix for Heat and Temperature Unit
A 3 week unit (or 9 days with my block schedule) in 9th grade Physical
Science
Subject Area Description:
I have developed a 3 week unit on Heat and Temperature. I will be teaching it to
9th Grade Physical Science students next fall at a suburban Junior High School. 9th Grade
Physical Science is a required class for all students and the school does not separate or
track the students by ability so there will probably be a wide range of capabilities in the
students that I will teach.
Essential (situated) Questions:
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If you fill a cup with warm bathwater, will it contain more heat, less heat, or the
same amount of heat as the water remaining in the tub you just filled it from?
Will a cup of hot soup cool down faster, slower, or at an identical rate as a large
bowl of soup that begins at the same temperature?
How is temperature measured? (i.e. how do a thermometers work?)
What is the coldest possible temperature? (Hottest?)
Why are there 3 different temperature scales in use today?
Why is a Concord supersonic jet 8 inches longer in flight than when it is parked
on the ground?
Have you ever tried a slice of apple pie right out of the oven? The filling of the
pie may too hot to eat even though the crust is not. Why is this?
Why does it feel colder when you swim at a pool on a windy day than on a calm
day?
Does a melting ice cube warm its surroundings, cool its surroundings, or have no
effect on its surroundings? Why?
How does the sun’s heat travel through the vacuum of space to reach the Earth?
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How does a thermos work?
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I will use these situated essential questions to introduce and address the following
concepts with the Heat and Temperature Unit.
Major Concepts I want students to learn in my Heat and Temperature Unit:
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Understand what heat energy is and what temperature is and how they are related
to the random motion of molecules (kinetic energy).

Understand how a thermometer measures temperature.
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Understand the definition of heat and the relationship between heat and thermal
energy.
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Understand the historical significance of the 3 different temperature scales and
when to best use each scale.
1. Fahrenheit
2. Celsius
3. Kelvin - Absolute Zero

Different materials have different specific heat capacities.
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Thermal expansion in general and expansion of water (a special case)
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Changes of phase in matter: Solid – liquid – gas – plasma
1. evaporation – condensation – boiling – melting and freezing
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How the addition and subtraction of heat energy is related to changes of phase.
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Heat Transfer
1. conduction
2. convection
3. radiation
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An understanding and appreciation of Scientific Inquiry
Learning Goals and Objectives:
1. Students will be able to understand heat and temperature as they relate to kinetic
energy and molecular motion.
1.1 Students will learn that heat and temperature are not the same phenomenon
and there is a significant difference between the two.
1.2 Students will understand that heat represents the total movement of all the
molecules of a substance (also known as the thermal energy or kinetic energy
of a substance).
1.3 Students will understand that temperature is the average movement or kinetic
energy of the molecules in a substance.
2. Students will be able to assess the effects of heat on a material.
2.1 Materials expand when heated and contract when cooled.
2.2 Application of heat can cause phase change in matter from solid to liquid to
gaseous states.
3. Students will be able to explain that heat travels from warmer substances to cooler
substances through one of three types of heat transfer:
3.1 Students will know that Convection is heat transfer by the mixing of warm
molecules with cool molecules in a fluid or gas.
3.2 Students will know that Conduction is heat transfer by the atoms and
electrons colliding into each other and transferring their motion and energy.
3.3 Students will know that Radiation is heat transfer in the form of
electromagnetic waves.
4. Students will utilize the process of Scientific Inquiry to help them understand the
difference between heat and temperature.
4.1 Students will generate questions that can be answered through scientific
investigations.
4.2 Students will conduct background research to frame their inquiry question.
4.3 Students will design and plan a scientific investigation.
4.4 Students will conduct and carry out a scientific investigation.
4.5 Students will use evidence from scientific investigations to think critically
and logically to develop explanations and predictions.
4.6 Students will evaluate a scientific investigation.
5. Students will utilize scientific communication when they discuss and write about
their heat and temperature investigation.
5.1 Students will clearly record and report their observations.
5.2 Students will communicate their scientific procedures and investigations in
written or verbal form using scientific terminology.
Science Planning Matrix for Heat and Temperature Unit
Day 1 (100 minutes)
What will students do?
Topic: Heat (Thermal Energy)
Warm-up questions for small groups and
then large group (eliciting student
response):
 If you fill a cup with warm
bathwater, will it contain more
heat, less heat, or the same amount
of heat as the water remaining in
the tub you just filled it with?
 Will a cup of hot soup cool down
faster, slower, or at an identical
rate as a large bowl of soup that
begins at the same temperature?
Students will also have a 5 minute freewrite where they will explain what they
think heat is and why they think that (what
evidence do they have to support their
ideas). Then they will break into small
groups to discuss what they wrote. Each
discussion group will share with the rest of
the class what they think heat is and why.
Students will then participate in AlkaSeltzer lab activity. Following the AlkaSeltzer activity we will have a large group
discussion on what students observed
during the activity
What are the student learning objectives for Students will understand that all matter is
this class period?
composed of continuously jiggling atoms
or molecules.
Students will understand that heat
represents the total movement of all these
molecules of a substance (which is also
known as the heat energy, thermal energy,
or kinetic energy of a substance).
Students will practice their observation
skills.
Why is this idea introduced at this point in This lesson is the first of a series of lessons
time?
on Heat and Temperature. A basic
understanding of the concept of heat is
helpful and probably even necessary to
comprehending the rest of the concepts in
this unit.
Why was this instructional strategy
chosen?
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student understanding or
learning?
What special resources are needed for this
lesson?
Day 2 (100 minutes)
What will students do?
Topic:
With the free-write I want to assess
student’s current knowledge while also
getting them started thinking about heat
and temperature. The Alka-Seltzer tablet
lab activity illustrates to the naked eye that
the molecules of water and particles of
dissolving tablets move faster in heated
water than in cold water. It engages the
students in a hands-on activity while
providing a very visual example of how
heat is actually the motion of molecules.
Pre-instruction assessment (students turn in
their written 5 minute free-write paper) to
gauge background knowledge of the
students.
Formal assessment for Lab activity:
Explain how the experiment is set up in
your lab journal. Draw diagrams if
necessary. Record your observations of the
Alka-Seltzer tablet activity (Include the
temperature and mass of the water. And
the time it took for the tablet to dissolve).
Questions to be answered in lab journal:
1. Explain what happened when the
Alka-Seltzer tablets were put in
each glass.
2. Was there a difference in how fast
the tablets dissolved in the water?
3. What do you think made the tablets
dissolve at different rates?
4. Do the molecules in cold water or
warn water seem to move faster?
5. What evidence did you observe to
support that?
Also informal assessments are used for
student understanding during the group
discussions at the beginning of the class
and during lab activity.
Alka-Seltzer tablets, thermometers, glass
containers. Electric hot plate to heat water.
Temperature
Warm-up questions for small groups and
then large group (eliciting student
response):

Learning objectives for this class?
Why introduce idea at this time?
Why this instructional strategy?
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
How is temperature measured? (i.e.
how do a thermometers work?)
 What is the coldest possible
temperature? (Hottest?)
 Why are there 3 different
temperature scales in use today?
Discuss these questions in small groups
then discuss them together in large group.
Listen to direct instruction (lecture) on
temperature and related topics.
Hot – Warm – Cold lab activity.
Students will understand that temperature
is the average movement or kinetic energy
of the molecules in a substance.
Students will understand how a
thermometer works (because of thermal
expansion).
Students will appreciate the historical
significance of the 3 different temperature
scales and understand when to best use
each scale.
Students will be able to convert
temperatures from one scale to another.
After heat, temperature is the next most
basic and important concept in the unit. It
is very helpful to have an understanding of
temperature when learning about other
(following) concepts in this unit.
I use the warm up questions to help elicit
student interest and response. I get some
insight as to how much background
knowledge the students have in this
particular area. It also serves to focus the
student’s attention on the main points I
want them to get from today’s class.
I use direct instruction (lecture) to
introduce the concept of temperature, to
cover a number of related topics that are
not as vitally important as temperature, and
to give a historical perspective to these
concepts.
On the Hot – Warm – Cold lab activity, I
want to reinforce some of the concepts I
covered during the direct instruction.
Informal assessment of student
understanding and learning during group
Any special resources needed?
discussions and lab activity.
Formal assessment of student’s Lab journal
after Hot – Warm – Cold lab activity.
Three medium-sized containers per lab
group. Electric hot plate to heat water.
Thermometers.
Day 3 (50 minutes) Topic: Thermal expansion and heat capacity of materials
What will students do?
Warm-up questions for small groups and
then large group (eliciting student
response):
 Why is a Concord supersonic jet 8
inches longer in flight than when it
is parked on the ground?
 Have you ever tried a slice of apple
pie right out of the oven? The
filling of the pie may too hot to eat
even though the crust is not. Why
is this?
Discus these questions in their small
groups and then in large group discussion.
Listen to direct instruction (lecture) on
thermal expansion and specific heat
capacity.
Watch demonstration of thermal expansion.
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will understand that materials
expand when heated and contract when
cooled (and that liquid water into ice is a
special case).
Students will know that different materials
have different specific heat capacities.
Why introduce idea at this time?
Thermal expansion builds off the ideas
introduced in the Heat and Temperature
lessons.
Why this instructional strategy?
I use the warm up questions to help elicit
student interest and response. I get some
insight as to how much background
knowledge the students have in this
particular area. It also serves to focus the
student’s attention on the main points I
want them to get from today’s class.
I do not believe that thermal expansion and
specific heat capacity as critical concepts as
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
heat, temperature, and heat transfer. They
are covered fine through direct instruction.
Also they do not need their own lab
activity since they are largely incorporated
in other lab activities.
Informal assessment during group
discussions and direct instruction.
Thermal expansion demonstration material
Day 4 (100 min) Topic: Phase changes and heat energy: solid – liquid – gas - plasma
What will students do?
Warm-up questions for small groups and
then large group (eliciting student
response):
 Why does it feel colder when you
swim at a pool on a windy day than
on a calm day?
 Does a melting ice cube warm its
surroundings, cool its surroundings,
or have no effect on its
surroundings? Why?
Listen to direct instruction (lecture) on
thermal expansion and specific heat
capacity.
Phase Change Lab activity
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will understand that application of
heat energy can cause phase change in
matter from solid to liquid to gaseous to
plasma states. (And conversely extraction
of heat energy causes the reverse
sequence.)
Students will understand that it requires
energy to change phase even if the
temperature does not change.
Why introduce this idea at this time?
Phase change and heat transfer incorporate
concepts and build upon concepts from
earlier in the heat and temp unit and thus
fall naturally at the end of the unit.
Why this instructional strategy?
I use the warm up questions to help elicit
student interest and response. I get some
insight as to how much background
knowledge the students have in this
particular area. It also serves to focus the
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
Day 5 (100 minutes)
What will students do?
student’s attention on the main points I
want them to get from today’s class.
Direct instruction allows me to present a
group of abstract ideas in a compact and
coherent form.
The phase change lab activity helps the
students make sense of the concepts
presented in direct instruction.
Assessment of the Lab Journals and
informal assessment during the class
discussions and lab activity
Ice, water, Bunsen burners, thermometers,
glass containers
Topic: Heat Transfer: conduction - convection - radiation
Warm-up questions for small groups and
then large group (eliciting student
response):
 How does the sun’s heat travel
through the vacuum of space to
reach the Earth?
 How does a thermos work?
Listen to direct instruction (lecture) on
Heat transfer
Heat transfer lab activity (with hot cocoa)
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will understand that heat is
transferred in three ways: conduction,
convection, and radiation.
Why introduce idea at this time?
Phase change and heat transfer incorporate
concepts and build upon concepts from
earlier in the heat and temp unit and thus
fall naturally at the end of the unit.
Why this instructional strategy?
I use the warm up questions to help elicit
student interest and response. I get some
insight as to how much background
knowledge the students have in this
particular area. It also serves to focus the
student’s attention on the main points I
want them to get from today’s class.
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
Hot cocoa packets, electric hot plates,
containers mad of different materials.
Day 6 (50 minutes) Topic: Intro to Scientific Inquiry: Generating questions
What will students do?
Students will conduct a week to a week and
a half long Scientific Inquiry on a question
they come up with in one of three topics
from this unit: 1) Heat versus Temperature,
2) Heat Energy and Phase change, or 3)
Heat Transport.
Today’s class will focus on going over
guidelines for conducting your own
Scientific Inquiries and coming up with
possible Inquiry questions.
After going over Inquiry guidelines, get
into small groups (2 or 3 students) and
brainstorm possible inquiry questions
related to this unit on heat and temp.
Get back into large group and write down
the ideas the student had for questions.
Pass out “Guide for designing Inquiry
questions” (i.e. Can your question be
answered by collecting data? Etc.)
Have a large group discussion of questions
in light of criteria presented in Guide for
designing Inquiry questions.
Bring home reading packet: Homework is
to do some background research on your
Inquiry questions.
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will generate questions that can be
answered through scientific investigations.
Students will conduct background research
to frame their inquiry question.
Why introduce idea at this time?
The students have been exposed to multiple
lab activities in the area of heat and
temperature, so they have an idea of the
types of lab materials that are available and
helpful to answer Inquiry questions. I have
also tried to model several types of Inquiry
questions that may occur in heat and
Why this instructional strategy?
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
temperature concepts with the warm-up
questions I have asked at the beginning of
each class. But this finally, is the student’s
chance to ask their own questions (and to
find answers to their own questions).
To have students take some control of their
own learning and to have a chance to
investigate their own questions. It also
really helps students to understand that
science is more than just knowing facts.
Students need to develop their abilities to
describe a question or problem in detail,
determine what information is necessary to
analyze that problem, and choose
appropriate procedures to solve that
problem.
Assessment from student questions during
discussions, types and quality of Inquiry
questions students come up with.
Scientific Inquiry guide. Guide for
designing Inquiry questions. Reading
packet containing information on concepts
in heat and temperature unit so students can
do background research on their questions.
Day 7 (100 min) Topic: Scientific Inquiry – Refine questions, Design Investigations
What will students do?
Students will work on refining their Inquiry
questions. Once they have received teacher
approval on their question they will go
back and research their question again (if
necessary) and then begin designing their
Investigation or experiment.
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will learn about the cyclic nature
of generating scientifically testable
questions.
Students will design and plan a scientific
investigation.
Why introduce idea at this time?
Designing an investigation to test your
question is the next step in Sci. Inquiry.
Why this instructional strategy?
To have students take some control of their
own learning and to have a chance to
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
investigate their own questions. It also
really helps students to understand that
science is more than just knowing facts.
Students need to develop their abilities to
describe a question or problem in detail,
determine what information is necessary to
analyze that problem, and choose
appropriate procedures to solve that
problem.
Informal assessment during
Extra Heat – Temperature reading packets
in case students forgot to bring their
packets to class.
Day 8 (100 minutes) Topic: Scientific Inquiry –Conduct investigations
What will students do?
Review their investigation procedure.
Students will check in with the teacher
before beginning to conduct their
investigations. Students will make a
prediction about the outcome of their
investigation.
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will conduct and carry out a
scientific investigation.
Why introduce idea at this time?
Students are now ready to begin their
investigations
Why this instructional strategy?
This is the best part of scientific inquiry.
The students get to find the answer to their
questions. They make a prediction about
the outcome and see if they were correct.
What are the assessments used and what is Informal assessment of lab procedures and
the evidence of student learning?
testing process.
Formal assessment will come when Inquiry
lab poster is completed.
Any special resources needed?
Make available all the lab materials used in
previous lab activities.
Day 9 (50 minutes)
What will students do?
Topic: Scientific Inquiry: Make Inquiry Posters
Students will look at sample Inquiry
posters to model their own poster after if
they wish. They will review the grading
criteria on the Inquiry posters. Then they
will begin making their posters.
Learning objectives for this class?
Students will use evidence from scientific
investigations to think critically and
logically to develop explanations and
predictions.
Students will evaluate a scientific
investigation.
Students will clearly record and report their
observations.
Students will communicate their scientific
procedures and investigations in written
form using scientific terminology.
Why introduce idea at this time?
Why this instructional strategy?
What are the assessments used and what is
the evidence of student learning?
Any special resources needed?
It is important to have some sort of
summary of the student’s scientific inquiry
at the end of their investigation.
Posters are a good way to summarize a
scientific inquiry and are used at scientific
research conferences by scientists from
around the world.
Assessment of Inquiry Posters
Lab display boards or Poster paper,
markers, rulers etc.