What is energy and where does it come from? These are difficult but essential concepts for children to understand. Our hands-on activities will provide students with a solid basis to understanding energy, while practising critical thinking skills and having fun.

Activities include: growing plants in shade and sun, building a telephone, and testing the best temperature of water to make hot chocolate.

Real experiments will teach students the basic of predicting, observing, and concluding. The concepts are introduced gradually, in small steps, to ensure learning success.

The experiments in this curriculum fall under seven topics: Types of Energy, Food Energy, Energy of Motion, Static and Magnet Energy, Heat, Electric Energy, and Other Kinds of Energy. An eighth section, Energy Review and Projects, provides an excellent way to integrate the material that has been learned.

In each section, you will find teacher notes designed to provide you guidance with the materials needed, classroom set up, and safety precautions. The answer key provides some insight on what results to expect when the experiments are conducted.

Introduction Includes:

• At A Glance TM - List of Skills and Learning Expectations

• Teacher Rubric

• Student Rubric

• Introduction

• Materials List

• Teacher Suggestions

• Vocabulary

• Word Search

Lesson Topics:

Types of Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities

  • What I Know worksheet

  • Grab Bag: Divide students into groups of five. Students will pull various objects from a bag and guess the kind of energy that each object gives or uses.

  • What Kind of Energy Is It? In this demonstration, you will show students various different reactions and materials that produce energy

• Answer Key

Food Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities 

  • Where Do We Get Our Energy? Worksheet

  • Food Pyramid Activity and Worksheet

  • Which Uses More Energy? For each group, assign a student to use the stopwatch, one to do the activity, and the third to record observations.

  • Food For Plants: In this experiment, students will explore if plants can grow and thrive without sunlight.

  • Food Chains Worksheet

  • Make a Food Web: In this activity, students are encouraged to find the many connections that exist within a small group of plants and animals.

• Answer Key

Energy of Motion

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities 

  • Motion Energy: In this activity, students will make a paper fan and wave it to move various objects.

  • Kinetic Energy: In this activity, students will make clay balls of three different sizes and mass and “race” them down a plastic ramp.

  • Changing Kinetic Energy: In this activity, students will learn how kinetic energy can be turned into other types of energy.

  • Friction: In this activity, students will rub their hands together to produce friction

• Answer Key

Static and Magnet Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities 

  • Static!: In this activity, students will create static by rubbing a balloon.

  • Magnet Discovery Table: In this activity, students will go to a Magnet Discovery Table and explore the attraction forces of magnets.

  • Magnet Pictures: In this activity, students will continue to explore magnetism.

• Answer Key

Heat Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities 

  • Where is Heat? The sun gives us heat.

  • What to Wear Worksheet

  • Cup of Cocoa: In this activity, students will explore different water temperatures.

  • Insulators: In this experiment, students will explore materials to see which is the better insulator.

  • Test an Insulator: In this experiment, students will explore insulators and cold temperatures.

  • Conductors: In this activity, students will explore which materials conduct heat the best.

• Answer Key

Electric Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities 

  • History of Electricity Time Line Worksheet

  • Where Does Electricity Come From? Worksheet

  • Make an Electric Circuit: In this activity, students will explore the movement of an electric current through a circuit.

  • Electricity at Home Worksheet

• Answer Key

Other Kinds of Energy

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities

  • Solar Energy Race: In this experiment, students will explore how solar energy can power objects such as motorized toys.

  • Sound Energy Worksheet

  • Make a Telephone: In this activity, students will explore how sound energy can travel over distances through vibration.

  • Chemical Energy: In this demonstration, you will show how chemical reactions cause a release of energy.

  • Lemon Clock: In this activity, students explore how chemical energy can be used to power a clock.

  • What Kind of Energy Did It Become?: This can be used as a learning exercise about energy transfer, for reinforcement, or assessment.

• Answer Key

Energy Review and Projects

• Teacher Notes

• Student Activities

  • Invention Fair: This is a multi-week project in which students synthesize what they have learned about energy to create an invention that uses, gives, or conserves energy.

  • Energy Scavenger Hunt: Before beginning this activity, gather items for the scavenger hunt that match the clues.

  • Magnet Board Game: Some students may wish to make up their own board game from scratch.

  • Energy Show: Encourage students to be creative and to think of fun ways to present the concepts of energy that they have learned.

  • Energy Crossword Worksheet

  • Electricity Collage Activity

  • Electricity Safety Poster Activity

  • Acrostic Story Worksheet

• Answer Key

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