Focusing on the NGSS Practices of Modeling, Explanation
and Argumentation
Objective:
To Develop and Understanding of the NGSS Practices of
Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation and Strategies for
Classroom Use.
Time:
Total Time
3 hours
Part I
Welcome
10 minutes
Part II
Engaging A Phenomena
20 minutes
Part III Constructing Models
60 minutes
Part IV Going Public & Engaging in Argumentation 50 minutes
Part V
Debriefing the Process
40 minutes
Materials:
Slides
S1
Session Title
S2
Who’s in the Room
S3
Goals of this Session
S4
What do you think you know… Practices
S5
Activate Prior Knowledge
S6
Model Development #1 – Ice Cube
S7
Model Development #1 (continued)
S8
Developing a Scientific Model
S9
Model Development #2 – Burning Candle
S10-13Materials
S14 Model Development #2 (repeat)
S15 Model Development #2 (continued)
S16 Making Sense: Group Talk
S17 Develop a Scientific Model
S18 Claim and Evidence
S19 Further Investigation
S20 Making a Group Model
S21 Make Your Model Public
S22 Providing Feedback
S23 Inquiry into the Text
S24 Sharing Ideas from the Text
S25 Revise Your Group Model
S26 Arguing for Your Model
S27 Debriefing the Process
S28 Debrief #1 – Progression of the DCI
S29 Debrief #2 – Analysis of the Practices
S30 Developing and Using Scientific Model
S31 Model Component #1
S32 Model Component #2
S33 Model Component #3
S34 Model Component #4
S35 Model Component #5
S36 Model Component #6
NGSS Practices Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation.
CA NGSS Rollout #2
S37 Classroom Strategies for Modeling and Engaging in
Argumentation
S38 Using Argumentation to Deepen Learning
S39 Fostering Argumentation in the Science Classroom
S40 How what do you know?
S41 Thank You
Handouts
H1
Model drawing template
H2
Text for Candle in a Jar
H3
PS3 Energy Progression
H4
Practice Progressions
Resources
R1
Modeling Toolkit
R2
Engaging students in scientific practices of explanation
and argumentation
Other
Chart paper
Markers
Medium size sticky notes in yellow, green, and blue
Materials for Activities
1 full set (3 activities) for a group of 3-4 people should contain
the following:
Activity 1
 1 laminated page with pictures Activity 1)
Activity 2
 1 metal cube (any metal)
 1 wooden cube
 2 cubes of ice
Activity 3
 1 deli container
 1 small ball of clay/putty
 2-3 birthday candles
 1 glass jar
 100 ml water
 1 box of matches
 few drops of food coloring for the water
(NOTE: water can be colored in advance for everybody)
Purchasing order necessary to assemble 10 full sets:
NGSS Practices Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation.
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2 sets - Metal cubes (different metals) – 6 per pack - $20
http://www.arborsci.com/set-of-density-blocks
1 set - Wooden cubes – 100 per pack - $1
http://www.hand2mind.com/item/plain-wooden-cubes-set-of100/5506
1 set - Food Coloring – 4 colors per pack - $5
http://www.amazon.com/Club-House-Colour-COLORINGMcCormick/dp/B0094R8OM6/ref=sr_1_45?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1
424026952&sr=1-45&keywords=food+coloring
1 set - 8oz Deli Food Containers (4.5” diam) – 40 per pack - $15
http://www.amazon.com/Reditainer-Storage-Containers-8-Ounce-40Pack/dp/B00M9Z4SRA/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1423871904&sr=811&keywords=plastic+container
1 set - Birthday Candles – 80 counts - $6
http://www.amazon.com/Birthday-Candles-Count-SpiralBrights/dp/B006IKOXHW/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1423872149&sr=
8-3&keywords=birthday+candles
1 set - Modeling Clay 2oz – 10 cans - $8
http://www.amazon.com/Play-Doh-29413F01-Case-ofColors/dp/B00JM5GW10/ref=sr_1_16?s=toys-andgames&ie=UTF8&qid=1423872240&sr=1-16&keywords=clay
1 sets - Glass Jars 16oz - 12 pack - $18
http://www.amazon.com/Ball-Mason-Jars-Wide-MouthFreeze/dp/B001DIZ1NO/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1423872590&sr=8
-4&keywords=glass+jars+16oz
1 set - Matches – 10 pack - $7
http://www.amazon.com/Matches-Kitchen-Camping-StarterLighter/dp/B00DVPZ6T6/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1423872690&sr=
8-11&keywords=matches
Advance
Preparation:
1. Gather supplies for three activities:
A. Laminated copy of Materials in the Sun Placemat
B. Zip-lock bag with one metal block and one wood block;
ice cubes
C. Materials for Candle in a Jar, including water. Test the
activity with the materials that are provided so to adjust
accordingly. For example, you may need to have more or
less water depending on the dish container or the jar.
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2.
3.
Things to print out: H1 (Template to draw a model) H2
(Text for Candle in a Jar); H3 (PS3 Energy
Progression); H4 (Practice Progressions)
Review H1 (Text for Candle in a Jar),
4.
Strongly recommend to read the resources R1
(Modeling Toolkit) and R2 (Engaging Students)
5.
Consider having one presenter play the role of the
“teacher” during the activities when participants are in the
learner role and one presenter debrief the activity when
participants are in teacher mode.
6.
Make sure you understand the basics core ideas
underlying the three phenomena: transfer of energy is the
DCI linking them.
Trainer Note: this session is designed to be delivered to all participants: K-12
educators and administrators. Room arrangements should be made so that K-5
educators and administrators are in one room and 6-12 administrators are in
another room. In case of rooms with K-12 mixed, have K-5 teachers seat at the
same table and have them share first during discussion. Presenters should adjust
the level of guidance and support differently for the two groups: K-5 educators may
need more explicit help in following the science content, while 6-12 educators may
not need as much support.
Procedure:
Part I
Welcome and Introduction
(10 minutes)
1. Display S1 (Session Title). Welcome participants to the session.
2. Display S2 (Who’s in the Room) and ask participants to introduce themselves
to the group: are they teachers? TOSA? Science specialists? Etc.
3. Display S3 (Session Goals) and review the session goals as described on the
slide. Remind the participants that the focus of the session is to experience
learning as an adult learner using the NGSS practices, not the science content.
But the use of the NGSS practices allow engaging with the content to figure out
what is happening in the phenomena. All the activities presented during the
session may not be readily transferable into the classroom as presented, but
they could be considered entry points for further investigations aligned to
specific grade levels. Most likely this session will not allow participants to fully
understand the disciplinary core ideas behind the phenomena. The presenters
will make sure to explicitly connect the DCI across the different activity.
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4. Display S4 (What do you think you know… Practices) and ask participants
to first write on their own and then discuss with their group their current
understanding about the NGSS practices of Developing and Using Models,
Engaging in Argument from Evidence and Constructing Explanations.
Ask groups to share ideas at their table. Reconvene the participants and sample
responses from various tables.
Trainer Note: Walk around the room to build a sense of what the participants’ ideas
are and to suggest possible sharing.
Part II Engaging in Rich and Engaging Phenomena
(20 minutes)
5. Display S5 (Activate Prior Knowledge). Distribute Picture placemat (one per
group of 3-4 people). Ask participants to think about the effect that sunlight will
have on the materials displayed in the placemat. What have they observed
related to the phenomena? What do you wonder about it? Tell participants to
record their thoughts on paper. When everyone has had time to record their
thoughts, ask participants to discuss their ideas with their group.
Reconvene the group and chart the answers from the questions in the slide and
additional questions from the group.
Conclude the conversation by summarizing the major points: 1) different
materials have different properties when exposed to sunlight. These properties
are observable by the fact that they do feel warm, hot or cold. 2) Sunlight is a
form of energy that is being transferred to the materials. 3) If it did not come
out from the participants, point out that AIR is also one of the materials in the
picture. Air also has specific properties when exposed to sunlight.
Remind the participants that all the activities presented in this session involve
transfer and absorption of energy from one source to the other and make
observations about the effects that this transfer of energy has on the materials
in the system. The session focuses on understanding this concept using
modeling, argumentation, and explanation.
In this first activity the main source of energy is the sun, which transfer energy
to different materials (water, rocks, metal, wood, air, etc.). The different
materials absorb energy in different ways depending on their properties.
Trainer Note: Record all ideas and questions that participants generate on chart
paper. Continue to add questions to the chart throughout the presentation. These
will be discussed at the end of this part of the session.
Ideas that could come out from this discussion:
Earth materials are warmed by the sun
The sun warms the materials in different ways;
Different Earth materials hold heat for different amount of time
Light is a form of energy;
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Light energy from the sun is transferred through radiation.
6. Display S6 (Model Development #1).
a. Distribute the zip-lock bag with the pair of blocks and a sheet of paper
towel. Tell participants to place the blocks on the paper towel and that
they will have 2-3 minutes to make observations about the blocks.
b. Distribute 2 ice cubes to each group. Explain to participants that they
will place 1 ice cube on each block simultaneously. First, they have to
make a prediction about what it is going to happen, then do the
activity, and record their observations regarding this phenomenon.
7.
Display S7 (Model Development #1, con’t)
a. Distribute template for drawing (H1). Explain participants that the
handout is a scaffold for students to develop their capacity to make
useful models. When students are not familiar with NGSS modeling,
they may not know what to draw and in which order. As the students
get better at this practice, the scaffold should be removed.
b. Tell participants to make a drawing as directed on the slide and write a
question about their observations.
c. Have participants share their drawings with the group.
d. Ask participants to list the materials they are observing (metal, wood,
and ice). Solicit ideas from participants regarding what is the source of
energy in this phenomenon (both metal and wood). Ask what is
transferring energy to what, and what is the evidence of that. The key
point here is that different materials transfer and absorb heat energy
at different rates.
e. Ask participants to share the ideas generated from the table
discussion. Chart ideas on paper. Point out that within the same table
there may be different explanations regarding why this phenomenon
happens.
Trainer Note. K-5 and 6-12 differentiation. The level of expertise of the
participants in the room needs to be considered. If you have secondary
teachers in the room, they are likely to bring up specific scientific principles and
vocabulary associated with the phenomena (convection, radiation,
thermodynamics) whereas the elementary group may express similar ideas
without the scientific terms or principles.
The focus here is to notice that different materials transfer energy in different
ways and this energy transfer can be observed through touch and through a
change of phase (the ice cube melts). Also, both the metal cube and the wood
cube are sources of energy that can be transferred. The idea that materials are
made of particles may not have come out yet from the group discussion.
8. Display S8 (Developing Models) and review scientific models as directed on
the slide. Tell participants that making observations about a phenomenon,
asking questions, and developing a drawing that represent what is being
observed and including ideas that might explain the phenomenon are key steps
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in developing a scientific model. Explain that good models include both the
visible and invisible components of a phenomenon and help to explain
phenomena through visuals and words. All models are revisable. Make clear
that developing a model allows students’ thinking to become visible. Also the
model provides an opportunity to see that the same observations may be
interpreted in different ways and thus it is an opportunity to engage in
argument.
Trainer Note: this slide is for the entire group to set a few norms regarding the
drawing of models. Further debriefing of the practice of developing models will be
made at the end of the third activity.
Part III Constructing a Model
(60 minutes)
9. Display S9 (Model Development #2 - Burning Candle Investigation)
Tell participants that they are now transitioning to the third and last
investigation. Also this investigation involves transfer of energy from a source to
different materials. Tell participants that they will answer the following question:
“what happens when you place a jar over a burning candle in 100 ml of water?”.
10. Go through S10-13 (candle materials) to provide enough background
information for participants to understand the set up of the investigation and to
think about a reasonable prediction. Demonstrate how to place the jar on top of
the dish.
11.Display S14 (repeat of S9) to return the focus to the prediction (to activate
prior knowledge). Ask a few participants to share their ideas.
12.Display S15 (Model Development #2 directions) and tell participants that
they will now conduct a new investigation. Follow directions on the slide.
Participants should individually write a question and a preliminary answer
(explanation) before they share with their table. If participants ask about the
before-during-after format, remind them to use the same format in the template
they used with the cubes.
Ask participants to share their questions and ideas with their table group first.
Share a few ideas with the whole group. Ask participants if they had
disagreements and how the discussion improved their ideas.
Chart investigation questions. They could be: why is the water rising (sucked
up) into the glass? What is pushing the water into the glass?
Trainer Note: No template is provided for this part because the template is a
scaffold that is being removed at this point of the process.
13.Display S16 (Making Sense: Group Talk) and ask participants to consider
how they communicated with each other during the activity. Students in their
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classroom may need support in communicating their thinking and could use
these stems when discussing their ideas with their peers. As it will be debriefed
later, having a proper system in place for students discourse allow more talking
and sharing of ideas.
14.Display S17 (Develop a Scientific Model) and tell participants to revise
their drawings to include the observable and unobservable features of the
phenomenon. For example: include something that indicates the presence of
air (both outside and inside the jar).
Trainer Note: the intent of a scientific model is to explain the answer to the
question related to the observed phenomenon. The model must contain both the
visible and the invisible features of the explanation.
The main difference between a drawing/diagram and a scientific model is that a
model explains the answer to your question and a model makes the invisible visible.
14.Display S18 (Claim and Evidence) and tell participants that they are now
ready to write down an individual claim. They can use the sentence frames if
needed. This will be their first attempt in developing an explanation.
Trainer Note: possible claims presented by participants:
I think the water is rising because there is less pressure inside the jar.
The air in the jar absorbs energy and water does not
I think the water is rising in the jar because the air pressure inside is less than the
air pressure outside the jar.
The air pressures inside and outside the jar are different. My evidence is that I
observed the water is rising.
The oxygen inside the jar has been used up, my evidence is that the candle went
out. The oxygen became carbon dioxide.
The Claim should be about the air. Evidence is about the water
15.Ask participants how confident they are in their claims. Display S19
(Further investigation) and ask participants to consider what additional
evidence they would like to collect. Tell participants that they will have an
additional 10 min to conduct further investigations. Examples of investigations
could include adding a second candle inside the jar; using more/less water.
Make participants notice that we are now using the NGSS practice of “Planning
and carrying out investigations”.
16.Explain to participants that they will now construct a group model that will be
shared publicly. Display S20 (Making a Group Model) and ask participants to
create a group consensus model as directed on the slide. The point here is that
the group should not choose the prettiest drawing, but they should collaborate
in developing a new model build out of the comparisons and combinations of all
ideas.
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Trainer Note: For the K-5 group you can have participants work in pairs from the
start of this last activity. This could also be discussed as classroom strategy for
K-5 versus secondary.
Part IV Going Public and Engaging in Argumentation
(50 minutes)
17.Tell participants that they are now ready to share their models. Display S21
(Making Your Model Public). Tell participants that they will now exchange
their model on chart paper with another group to provide feedback. Explain to
participants that they will provide feedback to the group using sticky notes as
directed on the slide.
Ask participants to get their model back from the other group and discuss the
feedback they received. Based on the feedback, what might they change?
Display S22 (Providing Feedback) with direction for post-it.
18.Display S23 (Inquiry into the Text) and tell participants that they will now
have an opportunity to gather additional information about all the phenomena
they experienced so far from some provided text. Inform the participants that
the text will not provide them with a direct explanation for the activities, but
does contains the explanation of several ideas related to this activity. Pass out
small sticky notes and highlighters and explain the note-taking strategy
described on the slide. Distribute H2 (Text on Candle in Jar). Make
participants note that this step refers to the NGSS practice of collecting and
evaluating information.
Trainer Note: For the K-5 group you may need to support them paragraph-byparagraph to extract useful information. You can turn this into a modeling piece
for close reading.
19. Display S24 (Sharing Ideas from the Text) and explain participants the
protocol with which they will share the ideas they have gathered from the text.
20.Display S25 (Revise your Group Model) and explain that they will now
have an opportunity to modify their group model using the feedback they
received, their discussion and information from the reading. Tell participants
that they will revise their explanation based on the modifications made to their
model.
21.Explain that participants will share their revised model and explanation with
the group that provided feedback previously. Display S26 (Arguing for your
Model) and tell participants that they need to address how you responded to
their initial feedback and modified the model and explanation using the sentence
frames provided. Remind participants that the focus of this session is to use the
NGSS practices, not find the explanation for the activity.
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Part V
Debriefing the DCI and SEP Progressions
30 Minutes
22. Display S27 (Debriefing the Process) and ask participants to describe
how the image in the slide represents the process they engaged in (candle in the
jar phenomenon). If necessary, facilitate the discussion using the following. –
We began with a phenomenon and made observations about the phenomenon.
We then asked questions we set up to answer by developing a model. The model
was our first attempt to explain that phenomenon. The model was refined as we
gathered more information from our previous experiences, through
investigations, discussions and reading information. We developed this model to
help us explain the “candle in the jar” phenomenon. Throughout the entire
process, we used the practice of argumentation. Participants argued for their
models, for the use and interpretation of evidence from the investigation, for the
interpretation and use of information from the text and for the strength of their
explanations. Scientists use the practice of argumentation constantly to
evaluate and critique new scientific ideas.
23. Explain to participants that we will now look deeper at the practices
experienced and how they relate to the dimension of the NGSS.
24.Display S28 (Progression of the Discipline Core Idea) and distribute H3
(PS3 DCI K-12 Progressions). Explain to participants that they will now
analyze the DCI experienced in the session. Ask participants to read through
the DCI Progression and discuss how the concept of thermal energy transfer is
developed K-12. Ask a few groups to share some of their ideas. (NOTE: if short
on time, eliminate this part.)
25. Display S29 (Analysis of the Practices) and distribute H4 (Practices
Model, Argumentation, Explanation, Progressions).
a.
Ask groups to divide their group into 3 teams and have each team
select one of the practices (Model, Argumentation, or Explanation) to work
on.
b.
Tell participants to look at progressions and indicate when and how
during the investigation they experienced components of the practices
described in the progression handout. Use sticky notes to record this on the
handout.
The participants use sticky notes to write down what they did and what the
presenter did to support their learning of the science practices. Notes could
include: sentence frame, pictures to introduce materials, engaged with
participants in small groups, asked questions, explained specific strategies to
perform a task
c. Whip around the room and have a few groups share their a-has.
Trainer Note: For the next part of the debriefing, please remember to refer to
the resources R1 The Modeling Toolkit.
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26.Display S30 (Developing and Using Models) and explain to participants
that good models usually contain these components.
27. Display S31 (Component #1) and explain that good models represent
phenomena in the real world rather than things. In this slide, the “model” is a
cut-and-paste representation of the Sun-Earth-Moon system. This
representation is very limited and presents many incorrect features (not to
scale, no indication of rotational axis, no orbital planes, etc.) but most
importantly, this paper representation cannot be revised and will not help
students to answer the question indicated on the left.
28.Display S32 (Component #2) and explain that good models are contextrich and include specific details regarding time, place and conditions.
29.Display S33 (Component #3) and tell participants that models should
include pictorial and written components.
30.Display S34 (Component #4) and explain that models include the
observable and unobservable components of the phenomena.
31.Display S35 (Component #5) and explain that good models are revisable
over time based on new evidence and information. Models should have the
ability to make predictions and these predictions improve each time we revise
the model.
32.Display S36 (Component #6) and explain that scientific models are made
public so the scientific community can critique them. The practice of Arguing
from Evidence is visible through the public aspect of the models, in order to
construct a better explanation
33. Ask participants if there are any questions about these components. Tell
participants to think about the strategies they experienced to help them develop
their own models. Display S37 (Classroom Strategies for Modeling and
Engaging in Argumentation) and review these strategies with the group.
Trainer note: These strategies are explained the R1 The Modeling Toolkit
34.(NOTE: slide S38 has been eliminated by the presentation because
participants may be too confused) Ask participants to think about where they
had to “argue” the validity of their ideas during the session. Display S38 (Using
argumentation to deepen learning) and explain the different ways that
engaging in argumentation can led to deeper understanding.
Trainer note: If necessary, additional examples can be captured from the R2
resource or personal teaching experiences.
35. Tell participants that they were not formally asked to write a formal
argument, rather they were engaged multiple times in arguing orally. Ask
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participants to think about the strategies that they experienced during the
session to support their ability to engage in argumentation from evidence.
Display S39 (Fostering Argumentation in the Classroom) and briefly review
the strategies on the slide.
36. Display S40 (Now what do you know about…). Tell participants to
review their notes from the beginning of the session and add one or two things
they now know about these practices.
37.Display S41 (Thank You) and thank participants for all their hard work
during the session.
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H2 – Text for Candle in a Jar
How does matter change when heated or cooled?
Adapted from Conceptual Physical Science, P. G. Hewitt, J. Suchocki, and L. A.
Hewitt, Pearson Publishing (2004)
Think about the following phenomena: it is easier to open
a glass jar with a metal lid after heating the metal lid with
hot water than with just cold water. And, look at figure 1
and explain why the balloon does not explode even after
several minutes of contact with the candle’s flame. A
balloon full of air will almost immediately explode when
placed near the flame of a candle. Given these
phenomena, what role does water play in helping the
opening of the glass jar or preventing the rupture of the
balloon?
All matter—solid, liquid, and gas—is composed of tiny
particles (atoms and molecules) that continually wiggle
and jiggle, twist and turn, vibrate, or move back and forth.
Figure 1: A balloon filled
with water is placed on top
of a burning candle.
When this random motion is slow, the particles form solids. When the motion is faster
and they slide over one another, we have a liquid. When atoms and molecules move so
fast that they are disconnected from each other and fly loose, we have a gas. Whether a
substance is a solid, liquid or a gas depends on the motion of its particles.
The total energy in a substance is the total energy of all its atoms and molecules.
Thermal energy consists of both the potential energy due to the forces between
molecules and the kinetic energy of the particles due to movements of molecules within
the substance and movements of atoms within molecules. The average kinetic energy
of these individual particles causes an effect we can sense—warmth. Whenever
something becomes warmer, the kinetic energy of its atoms or molecules has
increased. When matter gets warmer, the atoms or molecules in the matter move faster.
It’s easy to increase the kinetic energy in matter. You can warm a penny by striking it
with a hammer—the blow causes the molecules in the penny to jostle faster. If you put a
flame to a liquid, the liquid also becomes warmer. Rapidly compress air in a tire pump
and the air becomes warmer.
What about the balloon? The air in the air-filled balloon absorbed thermal energy from
the flame and started moving faster. The increased movement of the molecules of air
expanded the balloon and plastic of the balloon quickly melted. The water in the waterfilled balloon has a larger capacity than air to absorb a great deal of heat with little
change in temperature. Thus, the temperature at the surface of the water-filled balloon
does not increase sufficiently to rupture the balloon.
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H2 – Text for Candle in a Jar
What is Temperature? How is temperature related to heat and energy?
The quantity that tells how hot or cold something is compared with a standard is
temperature. We express temperature by a number that corresponds to a degree mark
on some chosen scale.
Nearly all matter expands when its temperature increases and contracts when its
temperature decreases. A common thermometer measures temperature by showing the
expansion and contraction of a liquid—usually mercury or colored alcohol—in a glass
tube using a scale. Temperature is generally measured on one of three different scales:
Celsius, Fahrenheit, or Kelvin.
Temperature is related to the random motions of the molecules in a substance. In the
simplest case, temperature is proportional to the average kinetic energy of molecules in
matter. In gases, this motion is along a straight path (translational). In solids and liquids,
where molecules are more constrained and have potential energy, temperature is more
complicated. But it is still true that temperature is closely related to the average kinetic
energy of translational motion of molecules.
The higher the temperature of a substance, the
faster is the motion of its molecules. So the
warmth you feel when you touch a hot surface is
the kinetic energy transferred by molecules on
the surface of the material you are touching to
molecules in your fingers.
Note that temperature is not a measure of the
total kinetic energy of all the molecules in a
substance. There is twice as much kinetic
energy in 2 liters of boiling water as in 1 liter. But
the temperatures of both amounts of water are
the same because the average kinetic energy of
molecules in each is the same.
Figure two shows a bucket full of warm water
and a cup full of very hot water. Which container
has more total kinetic energy?
Figure 2: Which container has more
total kinetic energy? There is more
molecular kinetic energy in a bucket
full of warm water than in a small cup
full of higher-temperature water.
How is thermal energy transferred between systems? How does thermal energy
transfer affect the properties of substances?
When you touch a hot stove, energy enters your hand from the stove because the stove
is warmer than your hand. But if you touch ice, energy moves from your hand into the
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colder ice. The direction of this spontaneous energy transfer is always from a warmer to
a cooler substance (Second Law of Thermodynamics).
The energy transfer from one object to another because of a temperature difference
between them is called heat. Whenever heat flows into or out of a system, the gain or
loss of thermal energy equals the amount of heat transferred (First Law of
Thermodynamics). The amount of heat transferred can be determined by measuring the
temperature change of the substances in contact with each other. Can you think about
the change in motion of the molecules of the substance that takes in or gives off heat?
How does its kinetic energy change?
When the temperature of a substance is increased, its molecules jiggle faster and
normally tend to move farther apart. This results in a thermal expansion of the
substance. Most forms of matter—solids, liquids, and gases—expand when they are
heated and contract when they are cooled. For comparable pressures and comparable
changes in temperature, gases generally expand or contract much more than liquids,
and liquids expand or contract more than solids.
How does these properties of matter help explain the behavior of a thermometer?
Now, think back at the metal lid of the glass jar. It becomes easier to remove it because
the hot water makes the metal lid expand more quickly than the glass does.
Different substances have different capacities for absorbing and storing thermal energy
and it depends on their chemical composition.
For example, almost everyone has noticed that some
foods remain hot much longer than others. Boiled
onions and moist squash on a hot dish, for example,
are often too hot to eat while mashed potatoes may be
just right. The topping of a slice of pizza may be too hot
to eat, even though the crust is not. The crust cools
(gives off heat to the air) quicker that the cheese
because it has a lower heat capacity.
If we heat a pot of water on a stove, we may find that it requires 15 minutes to raise it
from room temperature to its boiling temperature. But if we were to put an equal mass of
iron on the same flame, we would find that it would rise through the same temperature
range in only about 2 minutes. Water has a much higher capacity for storing energy
than most common materials. A relatively small amount of water absorbs a great deal of
heat for a correspondingly small temperature rise. Because of this, water is a very
useful cooling agent, and is used in cooling systems in automobiles and other engines.
Water also takes longer to cool. Water’s capacity to store heat with respect to land also
affects the climate in many places on Earth. For example, both Europe and the west
coast of the United States both benefit from this property of water.
NGSS Practices Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation.
CA NGSS Rollout #2
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H3 – PS3 Energy - DCI Progression
DCI
PS3.A
Definitions of
energy
K-2
N/A
3-5
 The faster a given object is
moving, the more energy it
possesses.
 Energy can be moved from
place to place by moving
objects or through sound,
light, or electrical currents.
6-8
 Motion energy is properly
called kinetic energy; it is
proportional to the mass of
the moving object and
grows with the square of
its speed
 A system of objects may
also contain stored
(potential) energy,
depending on their relative
positions.
 Temperature is a measure
of the average kinetic
energy of particles of
matter. The relationship
between the temperature
and the total energy of a
system depends on the
types, states, and
amounts of matter
present.
9-12
 Energy is a quantitative property of a system
that depends on the motion and interactions of
matter and radiation within that system. That
there is a single quantity called energy is due to
the fact that a system’s total energy is
conserved, even as, within the system, energy
is continually transferred from one object to
another and between its various possible forms
 At the macroscopic scale, energy manifests
itself in multiple ways, such as in motion, sound,
light, and thermal energy.
 These relationships are better understood at the
microscopic scale, at which all of the different
manifestations of energy associated with the
configuration (relative position of the particles).
In some cases the relative position energy can
be thought of as stored in fields (which mediate
interactions between particles). This last
concept includes radiation, a phenomenon in
which energy stored in fields moves across
space
Continue on reverse page…
NGSS Practices Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation.
CA NGSS Rollout #2
1
PS3.B
Conservation
of energy and
energy
transfer
 Sunlight warms
Earth’s surface
[Clarification
Statement: Examples
of Earth’s surface
could include sand,
soil, rocks, and
water.]
PS3.C
Relationship
between
energy and
forces
Bigger pushes and
pulls cause bigger
changes in an
object’s motion or
shape.
PS3.D
Energy in
chemical
processes
and everyday
life
Sunlight affects the
materials on the
Earth’s surface in
different ways. These
differences can be
observed.
 Energy is present whenever
there are moving objects,
sound, light, or heat. When
objects collide, energy can
be transferred from one
object to another, thereby
changing their motion. In
such collisions, some
energy is typically also
transferred to the
surrounding air; as a result,
the air gets heated and
sound is produced.
 Light also transfers energy
from place to place.
 Energy can also be
transferred from place to
place by electrical currents,
which can then be used
locally to produce motion,
sound, heat, or light. The
currents may have been
produced to begin with by
transforming the energy of
motion into electrical
energy.
When objects collide, contact
forces transfer energy so as to
change the objects’ motions.
 When the kinetic energy of
an object changes, there
is inevitably some other
change in energy at the
same time
 The amount of energy
transfer needed to change
the temperature of a
matter sample by a given
amount depends on the
nature of the matter, the
size of the sample, and
the environment
 Energy is spontaneously
transferred out of hotter
regions or objects and into
colder ones.
 Conservation of energy means that the total
change of energy in any system is always equal
to the total energy transferred into or out of the
system
 Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it
can be transported from one place to another
and transferred between systems.
 Mathematical expressions, which quantify how
the stored energy in a system depends on its
configuration (e.g., relative positions of charged
particles, compression of a spring) and how
kinetic energy depends on mass and speed,
allow the concept of conservation of energy to
be used to predict and describe system
behavior.
 The availability of energy limits what can occur
in any system.
 Uncontrolled systems always evolve toward
more stable states – that is, toward more
uniform energy distribution (e.g., water flows
downhill, objects hotter than their surrounding
environment cool down).
When two objects interact,
each exerts a force on the
other, and these forces can
transfer energy between
them.
A field contains energy that depends on the
arrangement of the objects in the field.
Energy can be “produced,”
“used,” or “released” by
converting stored energy.
Plants capture energy from
sunlight, which can later be
used as fuel or food.
Sunlight is captured by plants
and used in a reaction to
produce sugar molecules,
which can be reversed by
burning those molecules to
release energy.
Photosynthesis is the primary biological means of
capturing radiation from the sun. Energy cannot be
destroyed; it can be converted to less useful forms.
NGSS Practices Modeling, Explanation and Argumentation.
CA NGSS Rollout #2
2