Ready for action?
Resources
Web links
Tangible Resources
Post-it notes, worksheets from LU2, electric kettle, glass of hot water, fan, toy car, torch, optional: Flying Machine Kit (for each student)
Preparation
Place a cup of hot water on the table
Goals, messages & concepts
Specific goals
- Gain familiarity with the various types of energy and energy conversion through hands-on activities.
Specific messages
- There are many different types of energy, including electrical, gravitational, kinetic, chemical, radiant (light), thermal, and mechanical.
- Energy can pass from body to body and can transform from one type to another.
Main terms
- electrical energy
- gravitational energy
- kinetic energy
- chemical energy
- radiant (light) energy
- thermal energy
- mechanical energy
Practices & skills
STEM practices
- Constructing explanations and designing solutions
- Engaging in argument from evidence
- Obtaining, evaluating, and communicating information
- Asking questions and defining problems
- Planning and carrying out investigations
Soft skills
- Dealing with uncertainty
- Learning failure is a part of learning
- Teamwork and collaboration
Management skills
- Planning
- Use of resources
Course of activity
step 1
On Post-it notes, students will write down a few actions that consume energy (one action per note).
- Write on the board the types of energy according to the Forms-of-Energy curriculum.
- Students should stick their notes to the board below the type of energy relevant to the action written on the note.
- It's possible that one action can be placed under a few different types of energy; for example, water can be heated with thermal energy, radiation energy, chemical energy, or electrical energy. In order to create variety and avoid repetition, only place actions on the board that have not already been placed.
step 2
Demonstrate energy conversion using heat. Having placed a glass of hot water on the table before the lesson, invite the students to touch the table where the glass had been sitting. Students will feel the heat that has passed to the table.
step 3
Continue the worksheet from the previous lesson, filling in the blank column.
step 4
(Optional) Using the kit, build a flying machine (see resources). Point out the process of energy conversion: twisting the rubber band takes the chemical energy from our muscles and converts it to mechanical energy, which is then converted to gravitational energy as the machine flies upwards.
step 5
Next, students will watch a video of a Rube Goldberg machine (see resources) for inspiration. Students will build a Rube Goldberg machine with at least five energy transitions at home, and make a video that includes an explanation of the energy transitions.