Engage: Energy Equations

Engage: Students identify heat, light, and sound energy in different equations.

Activity:

Instruct students to use the animation to create energy equations.

Lead a discussion about each equation using sentence stems such as:

  • If I can hear something, it has ________ energy.
  • Something that gives off light has ________ energy.
  • Something that gets warmer or cooler has ________ energy.
  • If I (cut or saw) the (wood), it makes (sound energy).
  • When a (lit match) is (placed on wood), it creates (fire), which has (heat) energy.
  • I can use (my hands) on a (piano or drum) to create (sound energy).

Record the discussion on chart paper.

Facilitation Questions:

What other light, heat, and/or sound energy equations can you make? Create three other energy equations: one for light energy, sound energy, and heat energy.

How do you know that something has light energy? Sound energy? Heat energy?

Explore: Exploring Increasing and Decreasing Energy

Explore: Students investigate the effects of increasing and decreasing heat, light, and sound energy on objects.

Activity 1: Sound Energy

Follow the Teacher Instructions to facilitate Activity 1. If you do not have access to the materials, play the video of Activity 1 and instruct students to record their observations in their science notebooks.

 

Facilitation Questions:

What happened when you lightly tapped the table with your fingertips?

What happened when you tapped the edge of the table with your hands and increased intensity?

What happened when you stopped tapping the table?

How does the motion of the toothpicks compare to the amount of sound?

Activity 2: Light Energy

Follow the Teacher Instructions to facilitate Activity 2. If you do not have access to the materials, play the video of Activity 2 and instruct students to record their observations.

Facilitation Questions:

Which light source is brighter? The tap light? The glow stick? The pen light? The flashlight?

Which light creates the best shadow?

Which light helps you see the most details?

Which light source is the brightest? Which light source is the dimmest?

Activity 3: Heat and Sound Energy

Instruct students to use the animation below to investigate heat energy and sound energy.

Explain: Energy Effects

Explain: Students explain heat, light, and sound energy.

Activity:

Read and discuss Energy Effects: My Experiences with Heat, Light, and Sound.

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Facilitation Questions:

What caused the water in the birdbath to freeze? Melt?

What caused the temperature to increase in the house?

Why did the light need to be on to sort the socks?

Why was it easier to match the socks when the light increased?

Why did the sound of the fire truck seem to change?

What caused the picture on the wall to vibrate?

What are the effects of increasing amounts of heat energy? Decreasing amounts of heat energy?

What are the effects of increasing light energy? Decreasing light energy?

What are the effects of increasing sound energy? Decreasing sound energy?

How have you been affected by increased or decreased heat
energy? Light energy? Sound energy?

Elaborate: Energy Increase or Decrease?

Elaborate: Students identify the effects of increasing and decreasing heat, light, and sound energy.

Activity:

Instruct students to use the animation to complete the "What Happened Here" sequences.

Facilitation Questions:

What form of energy does it take to make toast? Does the energy increase or decrease?

What form of energy is experienced when listening to the radio? Does the energy increase or decrease in this sequence?

What form of energy helps dry our clothes? Our hair? Does the energy increase or decrease?

What form of energy can be observed when a candle is lit? Does the energy increase or decrease?

What form of energy caused the snowman to melt? Did the energy increase or decrease?

What form of energy is exhibited by an alarm clock?

When night turns to day, what form of energy can be observed?

What form of energy does it take to pop popcorn? Does the energy increase or decrease?

What form of energy helps you see when it is dark? Does the energy increase or decrease?

When soup is too hot to eat or drink, do you need to increase or decrease the heat energy in the soup?

If you want to make ice, do you need to increase or decrease heat energy?

What form of energy is used to warn people that a train is coming?

Assignment:

Instruct students to find examples of increasing and decreasing amounts of heat, light, or sound energy and their effects on their everyday life.

Instruct students to prepare a presentation of their examples to share with the class. Student presentations may include, but are not to be limited to, a poster with illustrations, a video, or photographs with labels detailing the increase or decrease of heat, light, or sound energy.

Evaluate: Give Us the Story

Evaluate: Students describe the effects of increasing and decreasing heat, light, and sound energy.

Directions:

  • Pass one picture from RM 4: Give Us the Story to each group of students.
  • Instruct students to observe the picture and identify the evidence of increased or decreased heat, light, and/or sound energy.
  • Instruct students to use their observations and supporting evidence to write a story or news report detailing what happened.
  • Allow adequate time for student groups to complete the evaluation.
  • Allow each group to share their story or news report.

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Facilitation Questions:

What do you think happened before this picture was taken?

What evidence of heat, light, or sound energy do you observe?

Answer Key:

Possible descriptions for each picture may include:

Picture 1
Popped popcorn—increased heat energy
Popped popcorn and turned television on—increased sound energy
Turned television on—increased light energy

Picure 2
Ordered pizza—increased sound energy
Pizza was made—increased heat energy
Sun went down—decreased light energy
Turned porch lights on—increased light energy
Door bell ringing—increased sound energy

Picture 3
Snowy weather—decreased heat energy
People talking—increased sound energy

Picture 4
Fire alarm rings—increased sound energy
Students walking in line—decreased sound energy
Walking outside—increased light energy from the Sun

Differentiation Strategies:

G/T: Ask students to create their own scenarios.

ELL and Struggling Students: Support students by offering sentence starters like the following:

  • Our picture shows _________. We saw evidence of _____ energy because ________.
  • We can see that (increased/decreased) _________ energy played a part in _____. We know this because ___________.
  • We know that it takes _________ energy to ______.
  • This just in: ________ energy has ________ again.

 

Join the Course

The activities in this resource are also featured in the full-length professional development course, Science Academies for Grades K-4. This course is designed to demonstrate the application of the 5E instructional model in a K-4 classroom. Throughout the course, connections will be made to the College and Career Readiness Standards (CCRS), the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS), and Response to Intervention (RtI) in order to strengthen participants’ knowledge of these frameworks within the discipline of science. This course is managed by Region 4 (101-950): Texas Education Service Center. CPE credit is 18.

To join the Science Academies for Grades K-4 course, click on the button below.

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