SCIENCE
Teacher Guide
Energy Transfer
and Transformation
Lewis Howard Latimer
Pendulum clock
Energy transfer
Stored energy
Energy
Transfer and
Transformation
Teacher Guide
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ISBN: 978-1-68380-515-1
Energy Transfer
and Transformation
Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................ 1
Building Science Knowledge ............................ 4
Using the Student Reader .............................. 6
Using the Teacher Guide ............................... 7
Materials and Equipment .............................. 12
Sample Pacing Guide ................................. 14
Part A Introduction to Energy ....................... 17
Lesson 1 Energy Causes Change ............... 18
Lesson 2 Forms of Energy ....................... 23
Part B Energy and Motion ............................ 28
Lesson 3 Moving Objects Have Energy ....... 29
Lesson 4 Investigating Energy and Speed ... 33
Lesson 5 Energy and Speed Are Related ..... 39
Part C
Energy Transfer ................................ 45
Lesson 6 Sound Transfers Energy ............. 46
Lesson 7 Energy Transfer ....................... 51
Lesson 8 Investigating Energy Transfer ...... 56
Lesson 9 Evidence of Energy Transfer ........ 60
Part D
Collisions ........................................ 64
Lesson 10 Collisions Transfer Energy .......... 65
Lesson 11 Investigating Collisions ............. 72
Part E Energy Transformation and Engineering
for Energy ....................................... 78
Lesson 12 How Can Energy Transformations
Solve Problems? ...................... 79
Lesson 13 Designing Devices to Transform
Energy .................................. 85
Unit Review ..................................................... 94
Teacher Resources
................................................. 99
Activity Page and Unit Assessment Masters ............... 101
Answer Key and Unit Assessment Evaluation Guide ......... 137
Appendices ..................................................... 143
A. Glossary .......................................... 143
B. Classroom Safety for Activities and Demonstrations ..... 145
C. Strategies for Acquiring Materials ..................... 147
D. Advance Preparation for Activities and Demonstrations .. 148
E. What to Do When Activities Don’t Give Expected Results .... 149
Energy Transfer and Transformation
Teacher Guide
Core Knowledge
Science™ 4
1INTRODUCTION
UNIT 1
Introduction
ABOUT THIS UNIT
The Big Idea
This unit focuses on the scientific concept that whenever there is a change, there is some
form of energy causing the change.
Students can see evidence of energy causing change all around them—when they flip on a light switch,
feel a car start to move, or hear a phone ring. But the scientific concept of energy as the ability to cause
a change can prove initially challenging. This abstract idea of the relationship between energy and
change becomes clearer when students understand that
• energy exists in different forms, such as sound, light, thermal energy (heat), and electrical energy;
• these forms of energy can cause a change, such as when a high-pitched sound breaks glass or when
heat melts butter;
• one form of energy can transform into another; and
• all change, in fact, is evidence of an energy transfer or transformation.
Engineers use knowledge of physical laws governing energy as they develop solutions to problems
and build things that are useful to people. This lesson series incorporates learning goals that support
principles and practices of engineering design (such as defining problems and evaluating and
optimizing possible solutions).
Note to Teachers and Curriculum Planners
This unit introduces fourth graders to real-world examples and fundamental concepts of energy, which
will be explored in greater depth in later grades. Students will learn about energy and change, forms
of energy, and the energy of motion and position. The following are preliminary considerations for
planning and instruction relative to this unit:
• While the unit explores energy in relation to the motion of objects, it does not use the term kinetic
energy. Neither does this unit use the term potential energy. However, students develop an understanding
of energy as the ability to cause change.
• Teachers should correct the misconception that only moving objects have energy. Nonmoving
objects can also have stored energy (for example, a ball held at a height, a stretched spring, or
chemical energy stored in food or a battery).
• Light and sound are explored in this unit as well as in greater depth in Grade 4 Unit 2 Investigating Waves.
2 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Note to Core Knowledge Teachers
Thanks to ongoing research in the field, our understanding of how children learn continues to evolve. In
the subject area of science, in particular, students benefit from not just reading about concepts and ideas,
but also hands-on experiences. Following the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS),
the Core Knowledge Foundation used this opportunity to update and enhance the science portion of the
2010 Core Knowledge Sequence. The result of this effort is the revised 2019 Core Knowledge Science Sequence.
While there have been some shifts in the grade levels at which certain topics are recommended, the
fundamental principles of pedagogy inherent to the Core Knowledge approach, such as the importance
of building a sequential, coherent, and cumulative knowledge base, have been retained.
To download the 2019 Core Knowledge Science Sequence, use the links found in the
Online Resources Guide.
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
This science unit, aligned to the 2019 Core Knowledge Science Sequence and informed by NGSS,
embodies Core Knowledge’s vision of best practices in science instruction and knowledge-based
schooling, such as the following:
• building students’ knowledge of core ideas in life, physical, and Earth sciences,
as well as engineering design
• developing scientific practices that give students firsthand experience in
scientific inquiry, engineering, and technology
• connecting scientific learning to concepts across various disciplines, such as
mathematics and literacy
To see how you can continue to use your current Core Knowledge materials with the 2019
CKSci curriculum, please see below an example of how this unit compares to the 2010
Core Knowledge Sequence.
Examples of content retained from the
2010 Core Knowledge Sequence
Examples of Core Knowledge content in this
CKSci Unit
Light & Sound (Grade 3)
• The speed of light: light travels at an amazingly
high speed.
• Light travels in straight lines (as can be
demonstrated by forming shadows).
• Sounds travel through solids, liquids,
and gases.
Electricity (Grade 4)
• Electric current
• Electric circuits and experiments with simple
circuits (battery, wire, light bulb, filament,
switch, fuse)
Introduction to Energy
• Energy has many forms, including motion, light,
sound, heat, and electrical energy.
Energy Transfer
• Energy can be transferred from place to place.
For example:
– Light: Transferred to Earth from the sun.
– Sound: Transferred from a faraway bell or siren
• Electrical currents can transfer energy from
place to place and be converted into sound,
light, or heat energy.
For a complete look at how CKSci relates to the 2010 Sequence, please refer to the full Correlation
Charts available for download using the Online Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Online Resources
3INTRODUCTION
What are the relevant NGSS Performance Expectations for this unit?*
This unit, Energy Transfer and Transformation, has been informed by the following
Grade 4 Performance Expectations for the NGSS topic Energy. Students who
demonstrate understanding can:
4-PS3-1
Use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object
to the energy of that object.
4-PS3-2
Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred
from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
4-PS3-3
Ask questions and predict outcomes about the changes in energy that
occur when objects collide.
4-PS3-4
Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine a device that converts
energy from one form to another.
For detailed information about the NGSS references, follow the links in the Online
Resources Guide for this unit. Use the following link to download any of the CKSci
Online Resources Guides:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Online Resources
*NEXT GENERATION SCIENCE STANDARDS (NGSS) is a registered trademark of Achieve. Neither Achieve nor the lead states and partners that
developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and their endorsement is not implied.
Sources:
NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
National Research Council. 2012. A Framework for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas. Committee on a
Conceptual Framework for New K–12 Science Education Standards. Board on Science Education, Division of Behavioral and Social Sciences and
Education. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
4 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
BUILDING SCIENCE KNOWLEDGE
What Students Should Already Know
The concept of progressions, articulated in the National Research Council’s A Framework
for K–12 Science Education: Practices, Crosscutting Concepts, and Core Ideas, is very
much aligned to the Core Knowledge principle of building new knowledge on prior
knowledge. According to the NRC, students build “progressively more sophisticated
explanations of natural phenomena” over the course of many years of schooling.
“Because learning progressions extend over multiple years, they can prompt educators
to consider how topics are presented at each grade level so that they build on prior
understanding and can support increasingly sophisticated learning.” In schools following
NGSS recommendations, teachers can build on the “prior understandings” captured in
the following summaries of NGSS Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS2.A: Forces and Motion
Grades K–2 • Objects pull or push each other when they collide or are connected. Pushes
and pulls can have different strengths and directions. Pushing or pulling on an
object can change the speed or direction of its motion and can start or stop
it. An object sliding on a surface or sitting on a slope experiences a pull due to
friction on the object due to the surface that opposes the object’s motion.
Grade 3 • Each force acts on one particular object and has both strength and a direction.
An object at rest typically has multiple forces acting on it, but they add to give
zero net force on the object. Forces that do not sum to zero can cause changes
in the object’s speed or direction of motion.
• The patterns of an object’s motion in various situations can be observed and
measured; when that past motion exhibits a regular pattern, future motion can
be predicted from it.
PS2.B: Types of Interactions
Grades K–2 • When objects touch or collide, they push on one another and can change
motion or shape.
Grade 3 • Objects in contact exert forces on each other.
• Electric and magnetic forces between a pair of objects do not require that the
objects be in contact. The sizes of the forces in each situation depend on the
properties of the objects and their distances apart and, for forces between two
magnets, on their orientation relative to each other.
5INTRODUCTION
PS3.C Relationship Between Energy and Forces
Grades K–2 • A bigger push or pull makes things go faster. Faster speeds during a collision
can cause a bigger change in shape of the colliding objects.
PS4.A Wave Properties
Grades K–2 • Sound can make matter vibrate, and vibrating matter can make sound.
What Students Need to Learn
For this unit, the Core Knowledge Science Sequence specifies the following content
and skills. Specific learning objectives are provided in each lesson throughout the unit.
NGSS References, including Performance Expectations, Disciplinary Core Ideas, and
Crosscutting Concepts, are included at the start of each lesson as appropriate.
A. Introduction to Energy LESSONS 1–2
• Energy: the ability to cause change
• Energy has many forms, including motion, light, sound, heat, and electrical energy.
• Stored energy: the potential to cause change (for example, holding a ball at a
height or the stored chemical energy within a battery)
B. Energy and Motion LESSONS 3–5
• All moving objects possess energy of motion.
• The faster an object is moving, the greater its energy.
• People use motion energy to cause changes that accomplish useful tasks
(for example, in bicycles and pendulum clocks).
C. Energy Transfer LESSONS 6–9
• Energy can be transferred from place to place.
• Examples
{
Sound: hearing a faraway bell or siren
{
Light: energy from the sun transferred to Earth
{
Heat: feeling the warmth of a campfire or space heater
{
Electrical currents can transfer energy from place to place and be converted
into sound, light, or heat energy. (For example, hydroelectric power plants
convert the energy of moving water into electrical energy and then transfer
it across long distances.)
6 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
D. Collisions LESSONS 10–11
• Moving objects transfer energy from place to place (for example, a rolled ball
knocking over a stack of blocks).
• There are changes in energy when objects collide:
{
When objects collide, energy can transfer from one object to another and
change the motion of the objects.
{
In a collision, some energy is transferred from the objects to the air as
sound or heat (for example, when a bat hits a baseball).
E. Energy Transformation and Engineering LESSONS 12–13 AND UNIT REVIEW
• One form of energy can be converted into another form of energy (for example,
chemical energy in batteries can be transformed to motion, light, or sound).
• Many useful devices convert one form of energy into another (for example,
toasters convert electrical energy to heat energy, and solar panels convert light
energy to electrical energy).
What Teachers Need to Know
Supportive information on the content standards and the science they address is
provided throughout the lessons at points of relevance:
Know the Standards: These sections, found later in this Teacher Guide, explain what to
teach and why, with reference to NGSS and Core Knowledge expectations.
Know the Science: These sections provide supporting, adult-level, background
information or explanations related to specific examples or Disciplinary Core Ideas.
USING THE STUDENT READER
The Energy Transfer and Transformation Student Reader has seven chapters and a
student Glossary providing definitions to Core Vocabulary words. Engaging text,
photographs, and diagrams encourage students to draw upon their own experiences
and the world around them to understand scientific concepts. In addition to Core
Vocabulary, the Student Readers include a feature called Word to Know, which
provides background information to help students understand key terms, and may
sometimes include additional informational boxes, such as Think About.
Explore, then read: In the CKSci program, lessons are sequenced to provide active
engagement before reading. First, students explore phenomena through hands-on
investigations or teacher demonstrations, accompanied by active questioning and
analysis; then, students study the informational text provided in the Student Readers.
The icon, shown at left, will signal Core Lesson segments that focus on Student
Reader chapters.
Student Reader
7INTRODUCTION
CKSci Student Readers extend, clarify, and confirm what students have learned
in their investigations. The text helps students develop a sense of the language
of science, while images, diagrams, charts, and graphs deepen conceptual
understanding. Use of the CKSci Student Readers supports the Science and
Engineering Practice “Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information” as
described in A Framework for K–12 Science Education.
Independent reading or group read aloud: While the text in the Student
Readers is written for independent reading, we encourage group read aloud and
engagement with the text. The Teacher Guide provides Guided Reading Supports to
prompt discussion, clarify misconceptions, and promote understanding in relation
to the Big Questions.
USING THE TEACHER GUIDE
Pacing
The Energy Transfer and Transformation unit is one of five units in the Grade 4 CKSci series. To meet NGSS
Performance Expectations we encourage teachers to complete all units during the school year. To be
sure all NGSS Performance Expectations are met, each Core Lesson should be completed, and each
requires thirty to forty-five minutes of instruction time. The time it takes to complete a lesson depends
on class size and individual circumstances.
Within the Teacher Guide, the Core Lessons are divided into numbered segments, generally five or six,
with approximate times listed per segment. The final segment is always a Check for Understanding,
providing the teacher with an opportunity for formative assessment.
At the end of this unit introduction, you will find a Sample Pacing Guide on page 14 and a blank Pacing
Guide on pages 15–16, which you may use to plan how you might pace the lessons, as well as when to
use the various other resources in this unit. We strongly recommend that you preview this entire unit
and create your pacing guide before teaching the first lesson. As a general rule, we recommend that
you spend no more than twenty days teaching the Energy Transfer and Transformation unit so that you
have time to teach the other units in the Grade 4 CKSci series.
The Core Lessons
• Lesson time: Each Core Lesson constitutes one classroom session of up to forty-five minutes.
Understanding that teachers may have less instructional time, we show a time range of thirty to
forty-five minutes per lesson. Teachers may choose to conduct all Core Lesson segments, totaling
forty-five minutes; may choose to conduct a subset of the lesson segments; or may choose to spend
less time per segment.
8 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
• Lesson order: The lessons are coherently sequenced to build from one lesson to the next, linking
student engagement across lessons and helping students build new learning on prior knowledge.
PART LESSON BIG QUESTION
A. Introduction
to Energy
1. Energy Causes Change Where can we observe evidence of
energy causing change?
2. Forms of Energy What are some forms of energy?
B. Energy and
Motion (4 -PS3-1)
3. Moving Objects Have
Energy
How are energy, change, and
movement of objects related?
4. Investigating Energy
andSpeed
(two class sessions)
How are energy and speed related?
5. Energy and Speed Are
Related
How are energy and speed related?
C. Energy Transfer
(4-PS3-2)
6. Sound Transfers Energy What evidence shows that sound transfers
energy from one place to another?
7. Energy Transfer What evidence shows that energy
transfers from place to place?
8. Investigating Energy
Transfer
What evidence shows that light, heat,
and electricity transfer energy from
place to place?
9. Evidence of Energy
Transfer
What evidence shows that energy is
transferred from place to place?
D. Collisions
(4-PS3-3)
10. Collisions Transfer Energy How is energy involved in collisions?
11. Investigating Collisions
(two class sessions)
What happens when objects collide?
How are collisions predictable?
E. Energy
Transformation
and Engineering
for Energy
(4-PS3-4)
12. How Can Energy
Transformations Solve
Problems?
How do energy transformations help
people?
13. Designing Devices to
Transform Energy
(four class sessions)
How can I design a device that
transforms energy to solve a problem?
Unit Review and
Assessment
Solving Problems and
Designing Solutions: Thomas
A. Edison
How did Thomas Edison use his
knowledge of energy transfer and
transformation to solve problems?
Unit Assessment What have I learned about energy?
9INTRODUCTION
Activity Pages and Unit Assessment
Black line reproducible masters for Activity Pages and a Unit Assessment, as well as an
Answer Key, are included in Teacher Resources on pages 101–142. The icon shown to the
left appears throughout the Teacher Guide wherever Activity Pages (AP) are referenced.
Students’ achievement of the NGSS Performance Expectations is marked by their completion
of tasks throughout the unit. However, a combined Unit Assessment is provided as a summative
close to the unit.
Lesson 1—Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1)
Lesson 2—Surprise! (AP 2.1)
Lesson 2—Energy Causes Change (AP 2.2)
Lesson 3—On the Move (AP 3.1)
Lesson 4—Ramp It Up! (Day 1) (AP 4.1)
Lesson 4—Drop It (Day 2) (AP 4.2)
Lesson 6—Lesson 6 Check (AP 6.1)
Lesson 7—Lesson 7 Check (AP 7.1)
Lesson 8—Investigating Energy Transfer (AP 8.1)
Lesson 9—Examples of Energy Transfer (AP 9.1)
Lesson 9—Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer (AP 9.2)
Lesson 10—Lesson 10 Check (AP 10.1)
Lesson 11—Investigating Collisions (Day 1): Predictions (AP 11.1)
Lesson 11—Investigating Collisions (Day 2): Testing and Observation (AP 11.2)
Lesson 12—Lesson 12 Check (AP 12.1)
Lesson 13—Device Design Proposal (Day 1) (AP 13.1)
Lesson 13—Device Test Results (Day 2) (AP 13.2)
Lesson 13—Device Presentation Plan (Day 3) (AP 13.3)
Lesson 13—Device Presentation Scoring Guide (Day 4) (AP 13.4)
Lesson 13—Energy Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle (AP 13.5)
Lesson 13—Energy Vocabulary Review (AP 13.6)
Unit Review—Energy’s Big Questions (AP UR.1)
Activity Pages
AP 1.1
AP 2.1
AP 2.2
AP 3.1
AP 4.1
AP 4.2
AP 6.1
AP 7.1
AP 8.1
AP 9.1
AP 9.2
AP 10.1
AP 11.1
AP 11. 2
AP 12.1
AP 13.1
AP 13.2
AP 13.3
AP 13.4
AP 13.5
AP 13.6
AP UR.1
10 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Online Resources for Science
For each CKSci unit, the Teacher Guide includes references to online resources (including
external websites and downloadable documents) to enhance classroom instruction.
Look for the icon on the left.
Use this link to download the CKSci Online Resources for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Teaching Strategies
Start with the
familiar.
Lead with an experience. Begin each lesson with a demonstration, activity, or
question about a phenomenon to engage students and focus their attention on
the topic. Start with the familiar. Every science topic introduced to students relates
in some way to their known world and everyday experiences. The purpose of
every lesson is to build a bridge between what is familiar to students and broader
knowledge about the way the world works.
Ask the Big
Question.
At the beginning of each Teacher Guide lesson, you will find a Big Question
and Core Lesson segment devoted to encouraging students to think about this
question as they are introduced to new science content. Use this opportunity
to engage students in conversation, to think about how their own real-world
experiences relate to the topic, or to participate in a demonstration that relates to
the Big Question.
Encourage
scientific
thinking.
Approach the lessons with students not as learning about science but as learning
about the world with a scientific mind. Science learning models science practice.
Throughout the lessons, encourage students to ask questions about what they
observe, do, and read. Record relevant questions in a prominent place in the
classroom. Guide students back to these questions as opportunities to answer
them emerge from readings, demonstrations, and activities.
Use
continuous
Core
Vocabulary
instruction.
As a continuous vocabulary-building strategy, have students develop a deck of
vocabulary cards, adding a card for each Core Vocabulary term as it is introduced.
Students can add illustrations and examples to the cards as their comprehension
of terms expands. During instruction, emphasize Core Vocabulary terms and
their meanings in context rather than relying on isolated drill for memorization
of definitions. Students will be given the opportunity to preview Core Vocabulary
words early in the lessons and to engage in Word Work activities toward the end
of the lessons. Encourage students to come up with definitions in their own words
and to use the words in their own sentences.
Core Vocabulary words for each lesson, as well as other key terms teachers are
encouraged to use in discussing topics with students, are provided at the start of
each lesson. You can find Core Vocabulary definitions in the Word Work lesson
segments, as well as in the Glossary on pages 143–144.
Online Resources
11INTRODUCTION
Emphasize
observation
and
experience.
Lessons employ various ways for students to learn, including watching, listening,
reading, doing, discussing, and writing. To meet the NGSS Performance
Expectations, which are multidimensional standards, students must not only
gain factual knowledge associated with Disciplinary Core Ideas, but also use the
content knowledge they acquire.
Use science
practices.
Give students opportunities to discover new content knowledge through
investigation and to use their new knowledge both in problem-solving exercises
and as evidence to support reasoning. Students learn what science and
engineering practices are by engaging in those same practices as they learn.
Core Lesson segments are designed to reinforce the idea of science as an active
practice, while helping students meet NGSS Performance Expectations. Each
lesson segment is introduced by a sentence emphasizing active engagement with
an activity.
Make frequent
connections.
Use a combination of demonstrations and reading materials, rich with examples,
to help students recognize how the science concepts they are learning apply
in their everyday lives. Prompt students to relate lesson content to their own
experiences, to relate the new and unfamiliar to the familiar, and to connect ideas
and examples across disciplines. Refer to the Crosscutting Concepts cited in the
lessons, often included in the NGSS References listed at the start of each lesson.
Monitor
student
progress.
Use verbal questioning, student work, the Check for Understanding assessments
at the end of each lesson and the Unit Assessment at the end of the unit
(see pages 129–136) to monitor progress during each lesson and to measure
understanding at the conclusion of the unit. Many lessons provide tips to help you
support students who need further explanations or clarifications.
Eective and Safe Classroom Activities
Conducting safe classroom demonstrations and activities is essential to successful
elementary science education. The following resources provide Core Knowledge’s
recommendations for developing effective science classroom activities.
These resources, included at the back of the Teacher Guide on pages 145–149,
consist of the following:
• Classroom Safety for Student Activities and Teacher Demonstrations
• Strategies for Acquiring Materials
• Advance Preparation for Classroom Activities and Demonstrations
• What to Do When Activities Don’t Give Expected Results
These resources may also be accessed within the CKSci Online Resources Guide for
this unit, available at
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Online Resources
12 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Part A: Introduction to Energy
Lesson 1
• electric pencil sharpener and unsharpened
pencil
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
(rocket launch)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(3 per student)
Lesson 2
• flashlight with removable batteries
• large plastic cup
• balloon (dark color)
• table salt (a pinch)
• mobile phone or mobile audio device with
a small speaker
• candle
• matches or a lighter
Part B: Energy and Motion
Lesson 3
• assorted marbles
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
Lesson 4
• books (to elevate ramps)
• cardboard (for ramp surfaces)
• 2 small, dense rubber balls of the same size
and weight
• 2 paper cups
• pennies or pebbles for place markers
• shoeboxes (1 per group)
• play sand (about 5 pounds)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(1 per student)
Lesson 5
• books (to elevate a ramp)
• cardboard (for a ramp surface)
• rubber ball
• a few lightweight blocks
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(1 per student)
Part C: Energy Transfer
Lesson 6
• sticky note paper (approximately 3 inches
square, 1 piece per student)
• plastic cups (1 per student)
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
The unit requires a variety of materials to support various ways of learning (including doing,
discussing,listening, watching, reading, and writing). Prepare in advance by collecting the materials
andequipment needed for all the demonstrations and hands-on investigations.
13INTRODUCTION
Lesson 7
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
• flashlight
• hot plate
• spiral-cut paper plate on a string
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
Lesson 8
• flashlight
• paintbrush (2–4 inches wide)
• chalk powder (finely crushed chalk)
• plate
• hot plate
• beaker
• ice cubes
• ice chest or ice box
• plastic bucket
• tongs
• tablet or cell phone (with low battery charge
and a visible “charging” icon)
• tablet or cell phone charging cord
• surge protector with off/on switch
Lesson 9
• internet access and the means to project
images for whole-class viewing
Part D: Collisions
Lesson 10
• 2 smaller toy cars
• 2 larger toy cars
• 2 clipboards
• 3–4 hardcover books for each ramp
• modeling clay
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
Lesson 11
• empty cans or water bottles (1 per group)
• plastic or wooden toy vehicles with wheels
• 2-foot-long ramps made of cardboard or
wood (1 per group)
• small items such as marbles, dry beans
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
Part E: Energy Transformation
and Engineering for Energy
Lesson 12
• wind-up timer (or timer app on phone)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(3 per student)
Lesson 13
A broad selection of materials from which
students may choose for a design solution,
such as:
• boxes
• aluminum foil
• clear plastic wrap
• craft paper
• springs
• rubber bands
• containers
• string
• table tennis and tennis balls
• cups
• sticks
• cardboard tubes of various sizes
• blocks
• glue
• clipboards for making ramps
• tape
• electric clock or pencil sharpener
14 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
SAMPLE PACING GUIDE
The sample Pacing Guide suggests use of the unit’s resources across a twenty-day period. However,
there are many ways that you may choose to individualize the unit for your students, based on their
interests and needs. You may elect to use the blank Pacing Guide on pages 15–16 to reflect alternate
activity choices and alternate pacing for your class. If you plan to create a customized pacing guide
for your class, we strongly recommend that you preview this entire unit and create your pacing guide
before teaching the first lesson.
For a yearlong pacing guide, please use the link found in the Online Resources
Guide for this unit. This yearlong view of pacing also includes information about
how this CKSci unit relates to the pacing of other programs, such as CKLA and CKHG
in the Core Knowledge Curriculum Series™.
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
TG–Teacher Guide; SR–Student Reader; AP–Activity Page
Week 1
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Energy Causes Change
TG Lesson 1
SR Chapter 1
AP 1.1
Forms of Energy
TG Lesson 2
AP 2.1, 2.2
Moving Objects
HaveEnergy
TG Lesson 3
SR Chapter 2
AP 3.1
Investigating Energy
andSpeed DAY 1
TG Lesson 4
AP 4.1
Investigating Energy
andSpeed DAY 2
TG Lesson 4
AP 4.2
Week 2
Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Energy and Speed
AreRelated
TG Lesson 5
SR Chapter 3
Sound Transfers Energy
TG Lesson 6
AP 6.1
Energy Transfer
TG Lesson 7
SR Chapter 4
AP 7.1
Investigating Energy
Transfer
TG Lesson 8
AP 8.1
Evidence of Energy Transfer
TG Lesson 9
AP 9.1, 9.2
Week 3
Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15
Collisions Transfer Energy
TG Lesson 10
SR Chapter 5
AP 10.1
Investigating Collisions
DAY 1
TG Lesson 11
AP 11.1
Investigating Collisions
DAY 2
TG Lesson 11
AP 11.2
How Can Energy
Transformations
SolveProblems?
TG Lesson 12
SR Chapter 6
AP 12.1
Designing Devices to
Transform Energy DAY 1
TG Lesson 13
AP 13.1
Week 4
Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20
Designing Devices to
Transform Energy DAY 2
TG Lesson 13
AP 13.2
Designing Devices to
Transform Energy DAY 3
TG Lesson 13
AP 13.3
Designing Devices to
Transform Energy DAY 4
TG Lesson 13
AP 13.4, 13.5, 13.6
Solving Problems and
Designing Solutions:
Thomas A. Edison
TG Unit Review
SR Chapter 7
AP UR.1
Unit Assessment
AP Unit Assessment
Online Resources
15INTRODUCTION
PACING GUIDE
Twenty days have been allocated to the Energy Transfer and Transformation unit to complete all Grade4
science units in the Core Knowledge Curriculum Series™. If you cannot complete the unit in twenty
consecutive days of science instruction, use the space that follows to plan lesson delivery on an
alternate schedule.
Week 1
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5
Week 2
Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10
Week 3
Day 11 Day 12 Day 13 Day 14 Day 15
Week 4
Day 16 Day 17 Day 18 Day 19 Day 20
16 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Week 5
Day 21 Day 22 Day 23 Day 24 Day 25
Week 6
Day 26 Day 27 Day 28 Day 29 Day 30
Week 7
Day 31 Day 32 Day 33 Day 34 Day 35
Week 8
Day 36 Day 37 Day 38 Day 39 Day 40
17PART A | INTRODUCTION TO ENERGY
Introduction to Energy
OVERVIEW
Lesson Big Question Advance Preparation
1. Energy Causes
Change
Where can we observe evidence of
energy causingchange?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 1.
2. Forms of Energy What are some forms ofenergy? Gather materials for a teacher demo.
(See Materials and Equipment page 12.)
Part A: What’s the Story?
Energy is the ability to cause a change. That seems simple enough. But as many an experienced teacher
knows, it is a difficult concept for young students to grasp.
In Lesson 1, we start simply by engaging students in looking for changes around them and then
helping them understand these changes as evidence of energy. The goal is to get students to recognize
that whenever there is a change, there is some form of energy causing the change.
In relating energy to change, keep the order in mind: energy >>> change. For example, if you clap your
hands in a silent room, a sound occurs. The energy of your muscle movement causes the change from
silence to sound.
In Lesson 2, we introduce students to various forms of energy, including sound, light, electrical energy,
chemical energy, energy of motion, and stored energy. While students intuitively understand sound
as what they hear and light as what brightens a dark room, the goal here is to associate these familiar
phenomena with energy. In referring to “forms of energy,” we are purposefully using an approximate
term—more technically accurate explanations (for example, of light as electromagnetic radiation) are
best left for later grades.
So, to repeat, energy causes change. Help your students grasp this concept, and you will lay the
groundwork for meeting the NGSS expectations addressed in later parts of this unit regarding how
energy moves from one place to another and how it transforms from one form to another.
PART A
18 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Give examples of energy causing change.
Lesson Activities
• student observation
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
• teacher demonstration
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Crosscutting Concept: Stability and Change
Stability and Change is important to this lesson
because energy is the ability to cause change.
Students begin this lesson by observing examples
of change all around them and then exploring these
and other examples as evidence that energy is around
them in the real world.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
thisunit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
change forms of energy motion stored energy
electrical energy heat position transfer
energy light sound transform
evidence
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue above. (Note: Lesson 1 is introductory in
nature. These terms and others will be taught within additional context in the subsequent lessons.)
LESSON 1
Energy Causes Change
Big Question: Where can we observe evidence of energy causing change?
19LESSON 1 | ENERGY CAUSES CHANGE
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
Where can we observe evidence of energy causing change? Go over the
directions for the Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1). Prompt students to look at
familiar objectsin and around the classroom while asking themselves, “How do
these thingschange?”
Review the examples provided on the Activity Page. In answering the question,
“How does it change?” students should follow the model of the samples and use
the word change in their answers. Let students know that there is more than one set
of correct answers for this activity.
Give students time to make and record their observations.
SUPPORT—If needed, provide an example of a question or “I wonder . . .”
statement that students might write at the bottom of Activity Page 1.1. For
example, “I wonder how a light bulb actually works,” or “Where does the
electricity come from to move the fan?”
2. Encourage student questions. 5 MIN
Lead a discussion about the examples students recorded. Prompt students to think
about the forms of energy that might be causing the changes they described. Draw
attention to examples with similarities, such as all the changes involving motion,
changes that require electricity, or changes that produce a sound.
Activity Page
AP 1.1
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 1
“Energy Causes Change”
Activity Page
Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1)
Make sufficient copies
for yourstudents prior to
conducting the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• electric pencil sharpener and unsharpened
pencil
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
(rocket launch)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(3 per student)
Student Reader
Ch. 1
Activity Page
AP 1.1
20 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
3. Read and discuss: “Energy Causes Change.” 15 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “Energy Causes Change,”
Chapter 1 in the Student Reader. The chapter reinforces the idea of energy as the
ability to cause change, illustrates different forms of energy, and presents several
examples of ways that energy can change and cause change.
Preview Core Vocabulary Terms
Before students read, write these terms on the board or chart paper. Encourage
students to pay special attention to these terms as they read:
change energy stored energy
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Pages 1–2
After reading, ask: What are other examples of energy causing change?
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students to recall examples from the Energy
Scavenger Hunt activity.
Page 3
Prompt students to clap their hands three times. Ask: What forms of energy can you
observe when you clap your hands? (motion, sound, and perhaps heat as well)
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students to reread the descriptions of motion
and sound and to think about other examples of energy causing change.
Page 4
Prompt students to think about what happens to the stored energy in batteries
when they turn on a flashlight. Ask: Why do you think we sometimes have to replace
the batteries in a flashlight? (The stored chemical energy in the battery is changed
into light and heat when the flashlight is turned on. Eventually the stored energy in
the battery is used up. But the energy from the battery hasn’t gone away—it has been
changed to light and heat.)
Pages 5–6
Ask students to look around the classroom and identify three or more objects that
have stored energy of position (for example, a book or a globe on a shelf).
Student Reader
Ch. 1
21LESSON 1 | ENERGY CAUSES CHANGE
4. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 5 MIN
Choose one or more of the following examples to stimulate further discussion.
Analyze with students 1) the changes that occur in the example, 2) what causes the
changes, and 3) where the energy that causes the changes comes from. (See below,
Know the Science 1 and 2, for support with the analysis.)
• Use an electric pencil sharpener to sharpen a pencil. Ask students what changes
they can observe in this demonstration.
» How does the pencil change? (It becomes shorter, and its tip becomes sharper.)
» How does the pencil sharpener change? (It goes from silent to making noise.)
» What makes the changes happen? (electricity from the wall or batteries)
• Show a video of a rocket launch. (See the Online Resources for a link to a
suggested video.) Ask what changes students can observe in the launch.
» How does the rocket change? (It changes from sitting still to lifting off.)
» How does the area around the rocket change? (It fills up with fire and smoke
or steam.)
» What makes the changes happen? (the engine burning rocket fuel)
Use this link to download the CKSci Online Resources Guide for this unit, where a
specific link to this resource may be found:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
• Prompt students to link details in this analysis discussion back to the scavenger
hunt and the reading selection.
» Did you write any examples on your scavenger hunt that are similar to the
changes occurring with the pencil sharpener? How are the examples similar?
» Did you write any examples on your scavenger hunt that are similar to the
changes occurring with the rocket launch? How are the examples similar?
Online Resources
Know the Science
1. What goes on inside an electric pencil sharpener? Change. Energy causes changes. Thesound
you can hear and vibrations you can feel from the moving parts are evidence of change. The different
shape of the pencil before and after is more evidence of change. The newly sharpened end of the pencil
might also feel warm, a change in temperature. Electrical energy powers the motor in the sharpener.
(If the sharpener is battery-powered, then the stored chemical energy in the batteries is transformed
to electrical energy.) The motor transforms the electrical energy to the motion energy of the turning
blades. The moving blades sharpen the pencil. During this process, some of the energy of the moving
blades is transformed into heat and noise.
2. What happens during a rocket launch? Big changes! The roaring sound you can hear and the
explosive motion you can see as the rocket lifts off are evidence of change. You can see the flames of
combustion from the engines, exhaust gases, and steam in the surrounding air as evidence of sudden,
enormous temperature change. Energy produces all these changes. When chemicals in solid orliquid
rocket fuel react, they release gases with an explosive force. Rocket engines are shaped to channel the
exhaust gases, using their pressure to produce thrust.
22 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
5. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Prepare Core Vocabulary Cards
Direct student attention to the Core Vocabulary words (displayed on the board or
chart paper earlier in the lesson). Have students write each term in the upper left
corner of an index card and underline it (one term per card).
change energy stored energy
Word Work
• change: (v. to become different) Point out that change can be a noun or a verb.
Ask volunteers to use change in a sentence, first as a noun and then as a verb.
Encourage sentences that use change in relation to energy. Write two sentences
on the board or chart paper (one using change as a noun, the other as a verb).
(Energy is the ability to cause change. Cars change from sitting still to rolling.) Have
students copy the sentences on their card and underline the wordchange.
• energy: (n. the ability to cause change) First, have students write the definition
as you dictate it: “Energy is the ability to cause change.” Then ask them to write a
sentence using the wordenergy. (Sound is a form of energy.)
• stored energy: (n. energy that has the ability to cause change at a later time)
Brainstorm with the class three or more examples of stored energy. Examples
might include energy stored in batteries or wound springs in clocks or toys.
On their cards, have students draw a picture illustrating the concept of
storedenergy.
Have students safely store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order.
They will add to the deck in later lessons.
6. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
See the Activity Page Answer Key (AP 1.1) for correct answers and sample student
responses.
• Collect the completed Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1). Scan the questions
that students posed regarding energy-related changes they observed in the
classroom.
• Choose one or two questions to present to the class for a brief closing
discussion. Use the discussion as an opportunity to reinforce main ideas
andcorrect misconceptions.
Activity Page
AP 1.1 and
Answer Key
23LESSON 2 | FORMS OF ENERGY
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objectives
✓ Identify as forms of energy: light, sound, heat,
and electrical energy.
✓ Create a visual model that shows examples
ofenergy causing change.
Lesson Activities
• teacher demonstration
• student observation
• discussion and writing
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions
ofEnergy
Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect
Cause and Effect is important to this lesson because
energy is the ability to cause change. Students will
see that energy takes many forms and that all these
forms of energy can cause change. Energy is the
cause, and change is the effect.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to these
terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary words
are introduced in the Student Reader.
cause and effect energy light
change forms of energy model
electricity heat sound
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit. The deck will include Core
Vocabulary terms designated in blue above.
LESSON 2
Forms of Energy
Big Question: What are some forms of energy?
24 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
Preview Core Vocabulary
Before distributing the Activity Page, write these terms on the board or chart paper.
Encourage students to pay special attention to these terms as they watch and
discuss the demonstration:
energy change
What are some forms of energy? Distribute student copies of the Activity Page
Surprise! (AP 2.1). Allow students time to read it, and then ask for volunteers to
describe changes depicted in the sequence of events from one frame to the next.
• A person reaches into the doorway of a darkened room to turn on a light switch.
• The dark, quiet room becomes bright and noisy with the sounds of the surprise
party.
• The candle on the cake gets shorter as it burns.
Activity Page
AP 2.1
Instructional Resources
Activity Pages
Surprise! (AP 2.1)
Energy Causes Change (AP 2.2)
Make sufficient copies
for yourstudents prior to
conducting the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• flashlight with removable batteries
• large plastic cup
• tape or rubber band
• balloon (dark color)
• table salt (a pinch)
• mobile phone or mobile audio device with a
small speaker
• candle
• matches or a lighter
Cut the open end of the balloon so that it can be
stretched over the mouth of the cup to make a
flat drumhead. If necessary, use tape or a rubber
band to secure the balloon on the cup so that it
remains taut.
Prepare the mobile phone or audio device
to be ready to play the selection for the
sound demonstration.
Activity Pages
AP 2.1
AP 2.2
25LESSON 2 | FORMS OF ENERGY
2. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 15 MIN
Provide examples of actions involving different forms of energy. Prompt students
to think in terms of cause and effect. Because energy is the ability to cause a
change, what changes (effects) occur in each example? Focus students’ attention on
describing what changes and identifying types of energy involved in the change.
The goal is to help students understand that when they observe a change, there is a
form of energy associated with it.
Example 1: What are the changes that occur when you use a flashlight?
• Start by putting the batteries in the flashlight. Let students see you doing this.
• Turn on the flashlight, and direct it at a wall or chart paper. Ask: What three
changes just happened? Guide students to associate each change with a form
of energy:
» Light energy: The light comes on and lights up the wall (or chart paper).
» Electrical energy: Electrical energy from the batteries makes the bulb light up.
» Energy of motion: Moving your thumb moved the switch on the flashlight
from the “off” position to the “on” position.
SUPPORT—Emphasize cause and effect: The light energy is the cause, and
the effect is that the wall is now lit up. Conclude by emphasizing that every
change that students observed has a form of energy associated with it.
Review the changes in the order in which they happened. (motion energy >
electrical energy > light energy)
Example 2: What changes occur when you hear a rhythmic sound and see a
material vibrating to the sound?
(Students will need to take turns approaching the sound demonstration in small
groups to be able to observe the change up close.)
• Place a pinch of salt on the drumhead surface you prepared from the cup and
balloon.
• Play the song on your audio device at a moderately loud volume.
• Place the speaker against the side of the cup so that the sound causes the
drumhead (the stretched balloon) to vibrate, which moves the salt.
• Ask students to describe what they observe. (The salt moves to the sound. The
movement of the salt is a change. Students may also observe the movement of the
drumhead.)
• Then ask students what they can conclude from the matching patterns of the
sound and the motion of the salt. (The two are directly related.) Guide students to
note specifically that sound causes the salt to move.
• Ask students to describe what they observed in terms of cause and effect. What
is the cause? (sound energy) What is the effect? (the movement of the drumhead,
which causes the salt on it to move)
26 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Know the Standards
Explaining Phenomena: In the Evidence Statements associated with NGSS Performance Expectations,
itis a recurring student performance goal that, by the end of the grade, students can articulate statements
that relate given phenomena to scientific ideas. Students can practice explaining phenomena related to
energy when you ask them to describe something they observe—a change—and relate it to its cause—
one or more forms of energy. This is also an opportunity to discuss students’ prior experiences with the
Crosscutting Concept Cause and Effect.
Example 3: What are the changes that occur when you see a burning candle?
• Light the candle, and hold it at a slight angle so that students can see the melted
wax dripping onto a piece of paper.
• Ask students to describe what they observe. (The wax melts and drips, and then it
solidifies again on the paper.) What is the cause? (heat energy) What is the effect?
(melting first and then becoming a solid as it cools)
3. Encourage student questions. 10 MIN
Read this passage to your students, and then open a class discussion.
A popular singer steps up to a microphone at a baseball game and sings
the U.S. national anthem, “The Star-Spangled Banner.” As she sings, her
voice blasts over the loudspeaker and fills the stadium. She reaches the last
part—do you remember the words?
And the rockets’ red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there;
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
(from “The Star-Spangled Banner,” lyrics by Francis Scott Key)
When the singer finishes singing, fireworks shoot into the air and explode
in the sky above the stadium.
Remind students that any change is the result of some form of energy. In the scene
just described, what changes? What forms of energy are associated with each
change?
Possible answers may include:
• Energy of (muscular) motion changes the vocal cords, making them vibrate.
• Energy of motion (vibrating vocal cords) changes the air in the singer’s mouth,
creating sound energy.
• Sound energy changes the microphone so it makes electrical energy.
• Electrical energy changes the loudspeakers, making them vibrate.
• Energy of motion (vibrating loudspeakers) changes the air, making sound
energy.
27LESSON 2 | FORMS OF ENERGY
• Energy of chemicals bursting in fireworks causes bright light and loud noises.
• Energy of light causes changes in a person’s eye, allowing them to see.
• Energy of sound causes changes in a person’s ear, allowing them to hear.
• Energy of motion (wind) causes a change in the flag, making it wave.
4. Reinforce Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Return to Core Vocabulary Cards
Direct student attention back to the Core Vocabulary words (displayed on the board
or chart paper earlier in the lesson). Have students access the cards they made for
these terms:
energy change
Instruct students to write an additional example on each card based on what they
have observed in this lesson.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Explain that a diagram showing a sequence of events is a kind of model. Modeling
is a way to improve our understanding of a process or phenomenon that we can’t
directly observe. For example, we can’t see sound and heat, but we can see changes
that these forms of energy cause.
Distribute student copies of Energy Causes Change (AP 2.2). Instruct students to
choose one of the forms of energy discussed in today’s lesson. On the Activity
Page, ask students to illustrate their selected form of energy before and after
achange.
SUPPORT—Ask students to refer back to Surprise! (AP 2.1) as a model.
When students finish their work, explain that they have just created a model.
Adiagram showing a sequence of events is a kind of model. Scientists use models
to help them understand phenomena, such as the changes caused by energy.
Scientists use models to develop further questions and explanations about
phenomena and to communicate their ideas to others. Have a few students display
and describe their models to the class.
Collect students’ drawings to evaluate and provide feedback, to be returned in
thenext class session. See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and
sample student responses.
Prompt students to ask any new questions they may have. Discuss and answer
questions as a class. Correct any misconceptions as needed.
Activity Page
AP 2.2 and
Answer Key
28 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Energy and Motion
OVERVIEW
Lesson Big Question Advance Preparation
3. Moving Objects Have Energy How are energy,
change, and
movement of objects
related?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 2.
Gather materials for a teacher demo and
student investigations.
(See Materials and Equipment, page 12.)
4. Investigating Energy and Speed
(2 days)
How are energy and
speed related?
Gather materials for student investigations.
Read the instructional steps on the
Activity Pages in advance to prepare to
facilitate the student investigation.
5. Energy and Speed Are Related How are energy and
speed related?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 3.
Gather materials for student investigations.
(See Materials and Equipment, page 12.)
Part B: What’s the Story?
Students learned in Part A: “Introduction to Energy” (Lessons 1 and 2) that energy causes changes. Sound
energy can break a glass. Heat energy can cause ice cream to melt. The chemical energy in a battery can
cause a flashlight to change from off to on, putting out a beam of light. Students also learned about
different forms of energy, all of which can cause change. Light energy, sound energy, heat energy (also
called thermal energy), and chemical energy are just some of the forms of energy.
In Part B: “Energy and Motion” (Lessons 3–5), students will take a closer look at one form of energy, the
energy associated with an object in motion, called the energy of motion (or motion energy).
In Lesson 3, students start by exploring how objects in motion can cause changes. They see that a
basketball can cause a net to move—the moving basketball causes a change. A pebble dropped in water
will cause a splash—the moving pebble causes a change. The changes caused by objects in motion are
evidence that these moving objects have energy (since energy is the ability to cause a change).
In Lesson 4, students conduct a two-day investigation to explore how a moving object can cause a
change. If something changes, some form of energy must be involved.
In Lesson 5, which concludes Part B: “Energy and Motion,” students learn something new about the
energy of motion—an object that is moving fast has more energy than that same object moving slowly.
They investigate this through hands-on experience and find out that the amount of change caused
by an object’s motion depends on whether that object is moving relatively fast or slow and that the
energy of a moving object is related to its speed.
PART B
29LESSON 3 | MOVING OBJECTS HAVE ENERGY
LESSON 3
Moving Objects Have Energy
Big Question: How are energy, change, and movement of objects related?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Create a visual model that demonstrates an
example of motion energy causing change.
Lesson Activities
• teacher demonstration
• student observation
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.B: Conservation of
Energy and Energy Transfer
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.C: Relationship
Between Energy and Forces
NGSS Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
Energy and Matter is applied across this lesson
and those that follow it. Students will begin to
explore the concept of motion, its energy, and the
ability of moving objects to cause change. Lessons
3–5 set the stage for students to understand that
all moving matter has energy.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
cause and effect energy energy of motion
distance energy change motion
30 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How are energy, change, and movement of objects related? Prepare an area
where you can roll marbles into one another as students watch. Roll one marble into
one or more other marbles. Vary the ways in which the object in motion, the rolled
marble, causes changes in the other marbles. Ask students to describe the changes
in each demonstration:
• Ask students to note what is the object in motion.
• In each interaction, ask students what is the cause and what is the effect.
• Stress that the moving object has the energy of motion and that, time and time
again, this object caused changes when it hit one or more marbles.
2. Encourage discussion. 5 MIN
At the end of this lesson, students will produce a diagram as a visual model of
motion causing change. Distribute On the Move (AP 3.1), and preview the directions
with students. Ask them not to begin their diagrams yet. Have students keep the
activity in mind as they discuss the demonstration you just performed.
• Discuss how the marbles changed position. Ask students to describe, in as
much detail as they can, in which direction and how far the marbles that were
hit moved. (They moved in various ways but always in response to the marble
hitting them.)
Activity Page
AP 3.1
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 2
“Moving Objects Have Energy”
Activity Page
On the Move (AP 3.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• assorted marbles
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(1 per student)
Student Reader
Ch. 2
Activity Page
AP 3.1
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
31LESSON 3 | MOVING OBJECTS HAVE ENERGY
3. Read and discuss: “Moving Objects Have Energy.” 15 MIN
Preview Core Vocabulary Terms
Before students read, write these terms on the board or chart paper. Encourage
students to pay special attention to these terms as they read about real-world
examples:
motion energy of motion
Read together, or have students read independently, “Moving Objects Have
Energy,” Chapter 2 in the Student Reader. This chapter defines the word energy and
provides examples of how an object’s changing position is evidence of its motion.
The reading provides examples of how energy relates to motion and indicates how
motion energy is useful in performing work.
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Pages 7–8
Ask: What are other examples of motion? (a clock changing time, eyes blinking, cars
going down the street) List students’ examples on the board or chart paper. Which
are examples of objects causing their own motion, and which are examples of
objects set in motion because something else acts on them? How can you describe
the motion of the players and the ball?
SUPPORT—Help students to use the terms speed and direction to describe
motion. For example, “A basketball can be pushed upward toward the hoop and
move quickly if a player pushes it really hard.” Or, “A ball moves down and then
up again as the player dribbles it slowly or fast.”
Page 9
Revisit students’ examples of motion that you wrote on the board or chart paper
during the discussion of page 7. Ask students to identify which of their examples
of motion cause a change. Emphasize that, because these changes are evidence of
energy, the moving objects must have energy themselves.
Pages 10–12
Ask students to connect the three examples from the reading by identifying what
they have in common. (The hammer and nail, pendulum clock, and wind turbines all
involve an object in motion. In all three cases, moving things cause a useful change.)
4. Support the investigation. 10 MIN
Have students return to On the Move (AP 3.1). Remind students that a model
is a representation of something that can help people better understand how
something works. In the case of energy, a visual model is a good way to show the
cause-and-effect relationship between the energy of a moving object and a change
it can cause. In this diagram, students will draw an example of motion energy
causing a change. Encourage students to choose an example that differs from those
they have observed in class and in the reading.
Student Reader
Ch. 2
Activity Page
AP 3.1
32 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
SUPPORT—Draw and describe a simple cause-and-effect relationship for
students. For example, you might show a stick figure having dropped an egg,
which is broken at the figure’s feet. Then prompt students for any questions about
the example. Preview for students, but do not complete the lesson’s objective for
them, that visual/drawn models can help to explain and reinforce that moving
objects have energy and that the energy of motion can cause change.
5. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Prepare Core Vocabulary Cards
Direct student attention to the Core Vocabulary words (displayed on the board or
chart paper earlier in the lesson). Ask students to write each term in the upper left
corner of an index card and underline it (one term per card):
motion energy of motion
Word Work
• motion: (n. the process of an object changing position) Point out that motion is
a process. Ask volunteers to use motion in a sentence. Encourage sentences that
use motion in relation to the concepts of energy and change. (A moving dart has
energy of motion and can cause a change when it hits a balloon.) Have students
write on their card a definition of motion in their own words.
• energy of motion: (n. the energy an object possesses while it is moving) Ask
students to recall the definition of energy (Lesson 1).
SUPPORT—If needed, students can refer to the energy card in their
Core Vocabulary deck for precise words. Then ask students to write a
sentence using the term energy of motion that also identifies a change the
energy can cause. (The energy of motion of a meteoroid will cause a crater to
form on impact with our moon.)
Have students safely store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order.
They will add to the deck in later lessons.
6. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Collect and evaluate the visual models that students have drawn on Activity
Page3.1. See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and sample student
responses. Look for evidence of the following:
• an example of motion, an object changing position
• a change caused by the energy of an object in motion when it hits something
SUPPORT—For students who have not effectively modeled motion energy
causing a change, revisit the Activity Page, and ask them how they might
modify the visual to show a cause-and-effect relationship.
Activity Page
AP 3.1 and
Answer Key
33LESSON 4 | INVESTIGATING ENERGY AND SPEED
LESSON 4
Investigating Energy and Speed
Big Question: How are energy and speed related?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Conduct an investigation to show how
thespeed of a moving object is related to
itsenergy.
Lesson Activities (2 days)
• teacher demonstration
• student investigation
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
Science and Engineering Practices: Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing Explanations and Designing
Solutions are important to this lesson because
students will be identifying and using evidence as
part of their two-day investigation. Students will
study the relationship between energy and speed
and in doing so will prepare to meet or exceed
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-1 as part of
Lesson 5. Throughout the investigation, students
will be looking for evidence that supports an
explanation that an object has more energy when
it is moving at higher speed.
For detailed information about the NGSS
References, follow the links in the Online
Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary words
are introduced in the Student Reader.
motion position
speed variable
34 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON TWO DAYS, 45 MIN EACH
1. Day 1: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How are energy and speed related? Have students clap their hands together
softly ten times. Then have them clap their hands hard ten times while asking
themselves, “What is different when I clap my hands softly or hard?”
Ask students how they know energy was involved in clapping. (Energy causes a
change. The energy of motion (hands) caused a change from no sound to sound.) Then
ask students how they could tell if soft clapping or hard clapping involved more
energy. (Since the sound was louder with hard clapping, therewas a greater change. So
there must be more energy involved in hard clapping than in soft clapping.)
2. Encourage student questions. 10 MIN
Have students consider questions about energy and speed. Prompt them to think
about which has more energy of motion, a ball rolling fast or the same ball rolling
slowly. Ask students to come up with three different investigations that could show if
the speed of two identical objects affects the energy of motion of those twoobjects.
Preview Core Vocabulary Terms
Before students perform their investigations, write the term speed on the board or
chart paper. Encourage students to pay special attention to this term as they discuss
and investigate on Days 1 and 2.
Instructional Resources
Activity Pages
Ramp It Up (Hands-on
Investigation, Day 1) (AP 4.1)
Drop It (Hands-on
Investigation, Day 2) (AP 4.2)
Make sufficient copies
for your students prior to
conducting the lesson. Read
the instructional steps on the
Activity Pages in advance
to prepare to facilitate the
student investigation.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• books (to elevate ramps)
• cardboard (for ramp surfaces)
• 2 small, dense rubber balls of the same size
and weight
• 2 paper cups
• pennies or pebbles for place markers
• shoeboxes (1 per group)
• play sand (about 5 pounds)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(1 per student)
Activity Pages
AP 4.1
AP 4.2
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
35LESSON 4 | INVESTIGATING ENERGY AND SPEED
3. Preview the investigation. 10 MIN
Distribute the Ramp It Up (AP 4.1). Review the Activity Page with students. Tell
students they will use a rubber ball to investigate how the speed of a ball is related
to the amount of energy of a ball’s motion. (See Know the Standards and Know
the Science 1.) Students will investigate this concept by doing the following:
• conducting a demonstration
• recording observations
• making changes to the demonstration
• conducting the modified demonstration
• collecting and organizing evidence from multiple trials
• writing explanations
Model the ramp setup for students, and assign groups of students to adequate floor
space on which to conduct their trials.
The height, and therefore the slope, of the ramp is the variable determined by students. The cup’s
position will change, too, as the dependent variable.
Activity Page
AP 4.1
Know the Standards
In this lesson, students understand that speed corresponds to the energy of a moving object—
specifically, more speed equals more energy if the mass of the ball remains the same. Students do not
need to perform quantitative measures of changes in the speed of an object, so their investigations will
be limited to observations of compared and contrasted incidents rather than measurements. Students
will use their contrasting observations (qualitative indicators) as evidence that speed and energy are
related to meet the Performance Expectation.
Know the Science
1. What is one factor that indicated the energy of the ball? Speed is an indicator of energy. This
lesson focuses on speed as an indicator of energy. The faster a given object is moving, the more energy
it possesses. Avoid introducing the misconception, though, that all objects moving at the same speed
have the same amount of energy. They do not; a more massive object has greater energy than a less
massive object moving at the same speed. However, students can make the desired, and accurate,
connection about the direct relationship between speed and energy by varying the speed of a single
object so that mass as a variable does not enter the discussion at this point.
36 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
4. Facilitate the investigation. 20 MIN
Divide students into two large groups. Provide each group with the following
materials:
• 1 book
• 1 piece of cardboard
• 1 rubber ball
• 1 paper cup
As students work on their Day 1 demonstrations, circulate around the room to
ensure groups are only using the materials provided. (See Know the Science 2.)
As students make their observations, ask them to think about things such as the
speed of the ball and how far it pushes the cup away from the ramp.
SUPPORT—Clarify that speed and distance are not measured in precise units in
this activity. Students will use phrases such as “farther than” and “away from” to
describe the movement of the cup in relative terms between the trials.
Give students time to complete the investigation and record observations on their
worksheets.
1. Day 2: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How are energy and speed related? Distribute Drop It (AP 4.2), and go over it
with students. Explain that they will continue their investigation by modifying
the demonstrations they performed and making additional observations. In this
variation, students will drop the same ball twice from different heights.
Activity Page
AP 4.2
Know the Science
2. What are variables? Factors that can be changed during an experiment. When scientists conduct
investigations, they control and change independent variables to see how the results change. For
example, when conducting a test to see how speed affects the motion energy an object has, a scientist
will change the speed of the object. In this case, the speed is the independent variable. Sometimes
scientists may change the weight or mass of the object. Changing independent variables can help
scientists better understand how an object’s state or properties contribute to its motion energy. In this
investigation, students should change the height of the ramp and the height from which the ball is
dropped as a means to produce greater speed. But the object set into motion, the ball, should remain
the same in each trial.
37LESSON 4 | INVESTIGATING ENERGY AND SPEED
2. Support the investigation. 10 MIN
Have students convene into their same groups from the previous day. Provide each
group with the following materials:
• 1 rubber ball
• 1 box of sand
Within the groups, each student will use the box of sand and ball to complete
their own demonstrations. Students will take turns dropping the ball from various
heights into the box of sand and recording their detailed observations. Then, they
will compare their observations with those of their peers and draw conclusions.
Students control the variable of the height from which the balls are dropped and therefore the
speed at which the balls are travelling at impact. The size of the crater is the dependent variable.
As students work on their Day 2 demonstrations, circulate around the room to ensure
students are appropriately taking turns with the materials within their groups.
SUPPORT—As students make their observations, ask them to think about how
the height from which the ball is dropped affects its speed and how the ball’s
speed relates to its energy.
3. Summarize and discuss. 10 MIN
Once students have had time to conduct their investigations and complete their
Activity Page, bring the class back together, and hold a whole-class discussion to
summarize what students discovered. Students should be able to explain their
observations and support them with evidence.
Ask if the ball had energy of motion during both drops. (yes)
» How do you know it had energy of motion? (It caused a change when it hit the
sand from either height.)
» Which time was the ball moving faster when it hit the sand? (when it was held
higher)
» Which time did the ball have more energy of motion when it hit the sand?
(when it was held higher)
» What evidence is there to indicate that the ball with more speed had more
motion energy? (The sand moved more when the ball with more speed landed.)
Elicit from students that speed and energy are related.
Ask if students have any questions about the demonstrations, and address any
misunderstandings.
38 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
4. Teach Core Vocabulary. 10 MIN
Prepare Core Vocabulary Card
Direct student attention to the Core Vocabulary word speed (displayed on the
board or chart paper from the previous day). Have students write the term in the
upper left corner of an index card and underline it.
Word Work
speed: (n. a measurement of the distance an object travels over an amount of time)
Ask students to recall the definition of speed: a measurement of the distance an
object travels in an amount of time. Have students write a sentence using the word
speed. (In a race, a runner beats a turtle because the runner's speed is faster.) When they
have finished, ask volunteers to share their sentences with the class. Have students
draw an example of what speed looks like.
SUPPORT—Draw students’ attention to the clarification that speed doesn’t
always mean “fast.” Provide additional examples that demonstrate how
scientists and engineers use the term speed to measure exactly how fast or
slowly an object is moving. For example, a car can be moving slowly at a speed
of five miles per hour (mph) or quickly at a speed of fifty-five mph.
Have students safely store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order.
They will add to the deck in later lessons.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
As students finish the Core Vocabulary task, collect their completed hands-on
Activity Pages: Ramp It Up (AP 4.1) and Drop It (AP 4.2). Scan the evidence that
students collected through their observations, and review the answers to the
questions.
• Day 1: Students should describe that there was a difference in the speed of
the ball depending on the variable: if the height of the ramp was higher (more
speed) or lower (less speed) than in the first demonstration. To meet the
Performance Expectation, students should describe that when the ball had a
greater speed it had more energy and make the connection, using evidence,
that a faster-moving ball caused a greater change (moved the cup farther).
• Day 2: Students should record that the greater the height from which the
ball was dropped, the more the ball disrupted the surface of the sand. Their
conclusions should relate the height of the ball’s release to greater speed during
the ball’s descent and subsequently to greater energy of motion.
See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and sample student responses.
Activity Pages
AP 4.1
AP 4.2
Answer Key
39LESSON 5 | ENERGY AND SPEED ARE RELATED
LESSON 5
Energy and Speed Are Related
Big Question: How are energy and speed related?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Use evidence to explain the relationship
between the energy of a moving object and
itsspeed.
Lesson Activities
• student observation and discussion
• reading
• teacher demonstration
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-1: Use evidence
to construct an explanation relating the speed of
an object to the energy of that object.
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of
Energy
Science and Engineering Practice: Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing Explanations and Designing
Solutions in Grades 3–5 builds on Grades
K–2 experiences and progresses to the use of
evidence (e.g., measurements, observations, and
patterns). Student explanations should specify
variables that describe and predict phenomena.
During engineering tasks, students should design
multiple solutions to design problems.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
thisunit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
40 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How are energy and speed related? Remind students that in the previous lesson,
they conducted an investigation to explore how energy is related to speed. To
begin this lesson, ask students to describe the differences between the following
experiences. Specifically, have them describe how speed affects the amount of
motion energy in each example:
• a ball thrown slowly and the same one thrown faster (A ball moving slowly has
less motion energy than a ball moving fast.)
• a tennis ball bounced hard against the ground and the same one bounced
more slowly/gently (The ball bounced hard has more motion energy than the one
bounced gently.)
• a slow, gentle breeze and a strong, fast wind (A slow, gentle breeze has less motion
energy than a strong, fast wind.)
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 3
“Energy and Speed Are Related”
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following:
• books (to elevate a ramp)
• cardboard (for a ramp surface)
• rubber ball
• a few lightweight blocks
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(1 per student)
Student Reader
Ch. 3
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
energy of motion evidence speed
Core Vocabulary Deck:
As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue above.
41LESSON 5 | ENERGY AND SPEED ARE RELATED
Now ask students how they can tell, in each case, that the object with more speed
has more energy than the same object moving at a slower speed.
2. Encourage student questions. 5 MIN
Invite students to pose questions about energy and speed. Record selected questions
on the board or chart paper to revisit after the reading.
SUPPORT—Model a student question. (Why is going fast in a car or on a bike more
dangerous than going slowly?)
3. Read and discuss: “Energy and Speed Are Related.” 20 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “Energy and Speed Are
Related,” Chapter 3 in the Student Reader. This chapter reinforces what students
have observed in their investigations during the previous lesson, that the faster an
object moves, the more energy it has—provided it is the same object. The examples
in the selection also model for students how evidence of greater or lesser motion
energy can be inferred by the changes caused (energy causes change).
Preview Core Vocabulary Terms
Before reading, write the following terms on the board or chart paper. Have
students identify the words as they read. Stop and discuss the meaning of each
term in context.
energy of motion
speed
Guided Reading Support
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Page 13
After reading, ask: What is speed? (the distance something moves in an amount of
time) How can you describe the speed of objects? (fast, slow)
Student Reader
Ch. 3
42 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Pages 14–16 Prepare students with a few givens, ideas that can be considered fact, from which to
construct their comparisons and build understanding. (See Know the Standards,
Know the Science 1 below.)
Page 14: Given—objects that are thrown (or bounced) harder have greater speed.
You may not be able to directly/effectively observe and compare speed, but you
can compare the changes the object causes when it moves at different speeds.
Page 15: Given—objects that roll down steeper ramps have greater speed
thanthose that roll down less steep ramps. You may not be able to directly/
effectively observe and compare speed, but you can more directly/effectively
observe changes the object causes when it moves at different speeds from
different slopes.
Page 16: Given—objects such as rubber balls that bounce higher have greater
energy of motion. You may not be able to measure the speed of a ball before or
after its bounce, but you can readily observe how high it bounces, an indication
of the change the object causes when it is moving at different speeds toward its
impact with the ground.
SUPPORT—Ask: What other examples do you know that can show the
relationship between energy and speed? (A strong rainstorm drops more rain
in a short time than a gentle rain. Riding a bicycle up a long, steep hill takes more
time than riding downhill.) What kinds of changes do your examples cause?
(A strong, fast rain makes more water overflow than a gentle rain. Pedaling a
bicycle uphill takes more energy and time than coasting downhill.)
Know the Standards
How will students compare the speed of objects? The assessment boundary for 4-PS3-1 clarifies that
students at this level are not required to quantitatively measure speed or energy. They need only explain
the direct relationship between speed and energy, noting that when one is greater, by definition then so
is the other. To do this, though, students need observable characteristics to compare when differences in
the speed of objects they observe are not really visibly discernable.
Know the Science
1. Energy relates to both speed and mass. The energy of motion of any object is related to both
its speed and mass. NGSS, and this lesson, do not include the role of mass at the 3–5 grade level. A
baseball moving at 100 mph and a train moving at 100 mph do not have the same energy of motion.
The speed is the same, but the train has greater mass and, correspondingly, greater energy. So be sure
when discussing speed and motion energy that you make comparisons only between the same object
moving at different speeds. In every example you deal with, vary only the speed, but keep the object
you are talking about the same.
43LESSON 5 | ENERGY AND SPEED ARE RELATED
Know the Science
2. Why did the obstacle move the distance it did each time? Speed. The faster an object is moving,
the more energy it has. As a result, it will be able to transfer more energy to any obstacle it contacts.
The higher the ramp is raised, the faster the ball will roll and the farther it will move the blocks. Because
it is rolling faster, it has more energy of motion. When an obstacle is placed in its path, it will collide
with that object and transfer energy into it. The faster it’s rolling, the more energy it contains to transfer,
resulting in the obstacle moving farther than if the ball were moving more slowly. Though students will
investigate collisions more closely later in the unit, the outcomes of these collisions are what students
can observe as evidence.
4. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 5 MIN
In a quick demonstration, repeat rolling the ball down the ramp as students did in
their investigation during the prior lesson. This time place a small stack of blocks in
the path of the ball. Guide students to observe the difference in the changes to the
blocks when the ball rolls at different speeds. Change the slope of the ramp, and
repeat the demonstration, prompting students to describe the differences they can
observe. Help students to understand that, by comparing the changes, they can
compare the motion energy of the ball in different trials.
• Ask students if they see a pattern in the results of your demonstration and their
prior investigation. (When the height of the ramp is raised, the speed of the ball at
the bottom of the ramp is greater.) See Know the Science 2 below.
• Ask guiding questions to help students link the details in this demonstration
back to their own investigations and the reading selection (Chapter 3).
For example, ask the following:
» How were the results of today’s demonstration similar to the results of your
investigation in the last lesson? (The investigations and demonstration showed
that movements from greater heights have greater motion energy.)
» How were the results different? (Different materials and different motion
energies were used, so some objects were moved more or less than others.)
» What happened to the motion energy of the ball when it hit the blocks? (The
ball slowed down.)
» Why did the ball slow down when the blocks started to move? (Bumping into
the blocks decreased the ball’s motion energy.)
44 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
5. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Return to Core Vocabulary Cards
• Have students locate their card for the term energy of motion.
• Ask students to write a one-sentence explanation, using evidence, describing
why we know that an object in motion has energy. (It can cause a change.)
SUPPORT—Remind students that the many examples they have read,
watched, and discussed can serve as evidence, or proof, that their
explanations are correct.
• When they have finished, have students share their explanations and evidence
with the class.
• Ask students to draw an example of what they have written in their sentences.
• Have students safely store their vocabulary cards in alphabetical order. They will
add more Core Vocabulary to the deck in later lessons.
• Reinforce, through discussion and additional context for vocabulary, that the
greater an object’s speed, the more energy that object has. Refer to the ball and
blocks examples as evidence. Ask: How does motion energy relate to speed?
(The greater the speed, the greater energy of motion the object will have, provided it
is the same object ineach case.)
6. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Review student questions recorded at the beginning of the lesson, and discuss any
that remain unanswered.
If time allows, prompt students to look back at their responses to Activity Page4.2
from Lesson 4. Have students consider any additions or revisions to their last
response, their description of the relationship between energy and speed, based on
new learning from today’s lesson.
45PART C | ENERGY TRANSFER
Energy Transfer
OVERVIEW
Lesson Big Question Advance Preparation
6. Sound Transfers
Energy
What evidence shows that sound
transfers energy from one place to
another?
Gather materials for 2–3 groups to conduct
the investigation.
(See Materials and Equipment, page12.)
7. Energy Transfer What evidence shows that energy
transfers from place to place?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 4.
8. Investigating
Energy Transfer
What evidence shows that light,
heat, and electricity transfer energy
from place to place?
Gather materials for group investigations
to occur in 3 stations.
(See Materials and Equipment, page 13.)
9. Evidence of
Energy Transfer
What evidence shows that energy
is transferred from place to place?
Scan student work on Activity Page 8.1
from Lesson 8. Prepare to support students
as they write summaries and make claims
about their observations.
Part C: What’s the Story?
Energy causes change when it moves from place to place or from object to object. Although students
know this intuitively, it is often hard for them to understand the concept of energy transfer. To make the
concept more concrete, this series of lessons leads students through observations, investigations, and
discussions that explore the transfer of energy by sound, light, heat, and electricity.
Lesson 6 incorporates an activity through which students can observe sound energy causing a change
over a distance. They also explore other examples of how sound energy is transferred from place to
place and then apply the concept to recognize more examples in their everyday lives.
Lesson 7 extends the concept of energy transfer to light, heat, and electricity through examples in a
reading selection. Students explore and discuss evidence that different forms of energy can move from
place to place.
In Lesson 8, students investigate three stations involving light, heat, and electrical energy transfer. This
lesson provides hands-on experience with different types of energy transfer. Activity Pages for each
station prompt students to make observations about each type of transfer and to discuss the changes
that take place when energy moves from place to place.
In Lesson 9, students will summarize their observations and generate more examples of energy
transfer. By making and supporting claims after their experiences in Lessons 6–8, they will satisfy the
NGSS Performance Expectation 4-PS3-2 by providing evidence that energy can be transferred from
place to place by sound, light, heat, and electricity.
PART C
46 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
LESSON 6
Sound Transfers Energy
Big Question: What evidence shows that sound transfers energy from one place to another?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Explain that sound energy is transferred from
place to place.
Lesson Activities
• student activity and discussion
• vocabulary instruction
• optional video demonstrations
NGSS References
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-2: Make
observations to provide evidence that energy can
be transferred from place to place by sound, light,
heat, and electric currents.
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Science and Engineering Practices: Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions
Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
This Crosscutting Concept is important to this
lesson because sound and the evidence of changes
it causes are clear examples that energy can be
transferred from one place to another.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
energy transfer sound transfer
47LESSON 6 | SOUND TRANSFERS ENERGY
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
What evidence shows that sound transfers energy from one place to another?
Write the big question on the board or chart paper.
• Circle the word energy, and ask students to recall the meaning. (the ability to
cause a change)
• Circle the word sound, and remind students that sound is one form of energy
they were introduced to when they read Chapter 1. Have students identify
forms of sound, such as music, humming, talking, and the effects of objects
clanking together.
• Circle the word transfer, and ask students what they believe that word means
based on what they can tell from the sentence; “from one place to another”
provides the context clue. Use this term to explain that sound can travel through
a distance, and segue into the clarification that distance means space between
two things.
• Circle the word evidence, and ask students to explain in their own words what
they think evidence is. (details that provide clues or proof in support or refutation
of an idea) Let students know that they will do an activity to help them notice
evidence and answer the Big Question.
2. Encourage discussion. 5 MIN
Discuss the prefix trans- with students. Explain that the prefix means across, beyond,
or through. When using this prefix, it changes the meaning of a root word to express
movement from place to place. As a whole class, brainstorm three to five words that
have the prefix trans-. (transfer, transmit, transportation)
Instructional Resources
Activity Page
Lesson 6 Check (AP 6.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following:
• sticky note paper (approximately 3 inches
square, 1 piece per student)
• plastic cups (1 per student)
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
Activity Page
AP 6.1
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
48 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Underline the circled words sound and transfer in the Big Question on the board or
chart paper. Point out that students will complete Core Vocabulary cards for the terms
sound and energy transfer by the end of today’s lesson.
Preview Core Vocabulary
Before the demonstration, write these terms on the board or chart paper. Encourage
students to pay special attention to these terms as they watch and discuss the
demonstration:
energy transfer sound
3. Facilitate the investigation. 10 MIN
Before supplying materials, demonstrate the setup that each student will implement.
Emphasize that it is important for students to pay close attention to the procedure
so they will be able to see the evidence.
• Fold the sticky note into an L-shape so that the adhesive strip sticks to the
surface of the desktop. The remainder of the sheet stands perpendicular to the
desktop so the desktop and the upright sheet form a right angle.
• Demonstrate holding the cup with the open end a few inches from the upright
note. Point out that the cup should not touch the paper.
Stress that students’ bodies should not bump the desks in any way and that they
must be quiet and move as little as possible during the investigation. Big body
movements will produce small breezes in the room that may cause the note papers
to flutter, which will interfere with students’ ability to observe the cause-and-effect
relationship specifically between sound from the cup and motion of the paper.
Distribute materials. Coach students through tapping the bottom of the cup with a
pencil, with the open end of the cup aimed at, but not touching, the sticky note.
SUPPORT—As needed, help students as they identify the changes they observe
during the demonstration. Consider other examples of cause-and-effect
relationships that students may already know that can help them to explain
their understanding of what is happening and why.
49LESSON 6 | SOUND TRANSFERS ENERGY
Know the Science
What goes on with the cup drum? Vibrations. Sound travels out from a vibrating source in all
directions. The shape of the cup and its proximity to the paper will focus the disruption of air by the
vibration so that that air disruption (a sound wave) visibly pushes on the paper.
Students will learn more specifically about sound as mechanical (compression) waves and vibration in
another unit. For now, the emphasis is on one form of energy, sound, transferring from place to place
and evidence of that phenomenon.
Use guiding questions to help students interpret their observations as evidence.
(See Know the Science for support with the analysis.)
» Identify a cause and an effect in the demonstration you just performed.
(A tap on the bottom of the cup caused the paper to move slightly.)
» How is this an example of energy causing a change? (The sound waves from
tapping the cup pushed air from the cup to the sticky note.)
» What evidence was there that sound transferred energy from place to place?
(The sticky note was not touched, but it moved.)
4. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Prepare Core Vocabulary Cards
Have students begin preparing cards for their Core Vocabulary decks for the
terms you emphasized on the board or chart paper. Instruct students to write
each term in the upper left corner of a card and underline it (one term per card),
reserving space on the card for notes.
energy transfer sound
Word Work
• energy transfer: (n. movement of energy from one object to another or one
place to another)
• sound: (n. a form of energy that comes from a vibrating object)
Examples of sound energy involve sound waves through air, water, wood, metal,
and other mediums. Tell students to work in groups to describe two ways that
sound is a form of energy transfer. (When a guitar string is plucked, the potential
energy changes to sound waves, which vibrate to make the sound of a note. When a ship
sounds an underwater alarm, the sound wave vibrations cause ripples in the water.)
Clarify that sound, the energy example students are exploring today, is just one
type of energy transfer. They should reserve space on the card to add additional
examples in future lessons.
50 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
5. Demonstrate more examples and guide discussion. 10 MIN
Remind students that they have seen a demonstration in an earlier lesson similar
to the one they performed in this lesson. Invite students to recall the introductory
demonstration of vibrating salt on a drum made from a cup covered with a balloon.
(You may choose to repeat that demonstration here for reinforcement.)
Use this link to download the CKSci Online Resources Guide for this unit, where
specific links to video clips that provide examples of energy transfer via sound
may be found:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Show students clips of more examples of sound causing change across a distance
(energy transfer). Keep in mind that the underlying explanations for the following
phenomena are beyond grade level, but they provide students with glimpses of
additional examples of energy transfer via sound:
• vocal sounds through a tube causing visible motion of a laser light
• specific frequencies of sound from a speaker disrupting a stream of water from
ahose
• “singing” test tubes
• breaking a glass with sound
• acoustic propulsion
If you have time and access to the equipment and materials, you may choose to
perform one or more of these demonstrations live in your classroom.
6. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Review student questions, and identify any that remain unanswered.
Distribute and ask students to complete Lesson 6 Check (AP 6.1). Collect the
assessment, and check students’ answers before the next lesson to identify
concepts with which students are still struggling. Incorporate adjustments as
you open Lesson 7. See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and
sample student responses.
Online Resources
Activity Page
AP 6.1 and
Answer Key
51LESSON 7 | ENERGY TRANSFER
LESSON 7
Energy Transfer
Big Question: What evidence shows that energy transfers from place to place?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Describe evidence that light, heat, and
electricity transfer energy from place to place.
Lesson Activities
• reading
• discussion
• teacher demonstration
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-2: Make
observations to provide evidence that energy can
be transferred from place to place by sound, light,
heat, and electric currents.
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Science and Engineering Practice: Planning and
Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
inGrades 3–5 builds on Grades K–2 experiences
and progresses to include investigations that
control variables and provide evidence to support
explanations or design solutions.
For detailed information about the NGSS
References, follow the links in the Online Resources
Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
cause and effect energy transfer forms of energy
change evidence
52 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
What evidence shows that energy transfers from place to place? Remind
students that in the previous lesson they observed the transfer of sound energy
from a vibrating source, through the air, causing a piece of paper to move. The
motion of the paper is a kind of change, which is evidence of the effect of energy.
• Explain that in this lesson, students will be looking at the ways in which energy
transfers (moves) from one place to another in the form of light, heat, and electricity.
They will identify evidence of energy transfer by observing that a change occurs.
• Encourage students to ask questions and to answer others’ questions. Try to get
students to start using evidence statements and making claims when discussing
the topic of energy transfer so they can become familiar with how to support
their discussions with facts or observations. For example, if a student makes a
claim that sound energy can cause motion, ask the student, “How do you know
that sound energy resulted in motion? What evidence do you have?” (I blew a
horn toward a window, and the window rattled.)
• When discussing energy transfer, you may need to help students differentiate
energy transformation from energy transfer. The lesson focuses on energy
transfer, not transformation. (See Know the Standards 1.)
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 4
“Energy Transfer”
Activity Page
Lesson 7 Check (AP 7.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
• flashlight
• hot plate
• spiral-cut paper plate on a string
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
(electricity generation)
Student Reader
Ch. 4
Activity Page
AP 7.1
Know the Standards
1. What is the difference between energy transfer and energy transformation? The NGSS
standards emphasize the distinction between transfer and transformation. Transfer of energy is energy
moving from place to place or from object to object. Transformation of energy is when energy changes
from one form to another.
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
53LESSON 7 | ENERGY TRANSFER
2. Read and discuss: “Energy Transfer.” 15 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “Energy Transfer,” Chapter 4
in the Student Reader. The selection describes ways that energy is transferred from
one object to another or moves from place to place. It offers examples and evidence
that heat, light, and electricity are all forms of energy and that each transfers energy
from place to place.
Preview Core Vocabulary
Before reading, write the Core Vocabulary word energy transfer on the board or
chart paper. Have students look for the term as they read.
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Page 17
• What is energy transfer? (movement of energy from one object to another)
What is evidence of energy transfer? (a push that makes something move)
Ask students to recall the word evidence (first introduced in Lesson 5). Explain to
students that evidence is not a science-specific word. It is a word that is used in all areas
and in our everyday conversations. However, it is a word that frequently comes up in
science. Then, prompt students to consider these guiding questions, one at a time:
• What do you think evidence means?
• What are some examples of evidence?
• Why do you think evidence is important in science?
• How do you think scientists use evidence?
Pages 18–21
• What does it mean for objects to be “in contact” or to “make contact?”
(to touch or collide)
• What evidence shows that energy has transferred? (Examples of energy transfer can
be seen when a ball moves from a kick, a light comes on from a flashlight, a sound is
heard from an explosion, and a cup gets hot when hot soup is poured into it.)
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students to identify the evidence of change
in each Student Reader example.
• What changes when energy transfers? (The object that is touched moves or
changes position.)
Student Reader
Ch. 4
54 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Know the Science
Why does the plate spin? Energy transfers over a distance. In the previous lesson, students saw a
demonstration in which sound moved a piece of paper that was not touching the sound source. Energy
can move from place to place when two objects are not touching. In this case, heat causes air to heat
up and move, and the motion energy of the air causes the plate to spin.
Know the Standards
2. A full explanation of heat transfer, specifically conduction, through the air is not a target for Grade
4 students. If you are interested in learning more about how/why the plate spins in this demonstration,
please see the links in the Online Resources Guide for this unit.
Pages 22–24 • What different forms of energy are in the hydroelectric power plant?
(the flow of water, a downhill movement, a push on the turbine blades,
a transfer of energy to the generator, and electrical energy to the power plant)
• What evidence shows that energy was transferred in this example?
(Electricity goes through power lines to provide light and power from place to place.)
3. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 10 MIN
Choose one of the following, or a similar example, to stimulate further discussion.
(Iftime permits, use all three.) Analyze the evidence that energy transfer is involved in
the changes that occur.
Option 1: Turn the lights off in the classroom, and shine a flashlight onto the wall.
Then turn the flashlight off. Turn it on and off a couple more times to demonstrate
how light energy transfers from the bulb, the light source, to the wall and then to
students’ eyes.
» Is light a way in which energy is transferred? (yes) How do you know?
(The light goes from the flashlight to the wall and to our eyes.)
» How do you know energy is involved? (Something has to give power to the
flashlight—the batteries.)
Option 2: Use a hot plate and a spiral cutout of a paper plate hanging on a string.
Demonstrate that the source of heat transfers energy to the air, which causes the air
to move and then causes the plate to spin.
» Why does the plate spin? (See below, Know the Science, for support.)
» How do you know energy is involved? (See below, Know the Standards 2.)
55LESSON 7 | ENERGY TRANSFER
Option 3: Show a video of how electricity is generated. (See the Online Resources for
a link to a suggested video, at www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources.)
Ask how electricity transfersenergy.
» What observations can you make as evidence that electricity transfers
energy? (Electricity allows lights, appliances, and machines to work when
they are turned on.)
» How do you know energy is involved? (When something moves or makes a
machine come on, there is always a source of that energy.)
• Use additional guiding questions to help students link details in this analysis
discussion back to the reading selection.
» Did you read about any of these examples in the chapter?
» What are some other examples of energy transfer that happen every day?
(Electricity or a battery makes a computer come on. A person’s physical energy
makes a bicycle move.)
• Challenge students to brainstorm ways they could use their knowledge that
energy moves from place to place to create new devices or machines.
4. Revisit Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Return to Core Vocabulary Cards
• Have students sort through their vocabulary decks and find all the cards
with words related to Chapter 4 of the Student Reader and this lesson’s
demonstrations. Students should select the cards for these terms:
energy motion energy transfer
change energy of motion
They may identify others, as well.
• Record the list of the words on the board or chart paper, and have volunteers
explain how each term relates to the lesson. Prompt students to add notes to each
card that is discussed, extending their previous definitions with more examples.
5. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Review student questions, and identify any that remain unanswered.
Have students complete Lesson 7 Check (AP 7.1). Collect the assessment, and before
progressing to Lesson 8, check students’ answers to identify students who need
more support and concepts that need clarification. See the Activity Page Answer
Key for correct answers and sample student responses. Incorporate adjustments as
you open the next lesson.
Online Resources
Activity Page
AP 7.1 and
Answer Key
56 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
LESSON 8
Investigating Energy Transfer
Big Question: What evidence shows that light, heat, and electricity transfer energy
from place toplace?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Conduct an investigation to provide evidence
that energy is transferred from place to place.
Lesson Activities
• teacher demonstration
• student investigation
• student observation
• writing
NGSS References
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-2: Make
observations to provide evidence that energy can
be transferred from place to place by sound, light,
heat, and electric currents.
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Science and Engineering Practice: Planning and
Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations to
answer questionsor test solutions to problems
in Grades 3–5 builds on Grades K–2 experiences
and progresses to include investigations that
control variables and provide evidence to support
explanations or designsolutions.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links inthe Online Resources Guide for
thisunit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students will
use or explain the words themselves. No new Core Vocabulary terms are introduced during this lesson.
electricity heat light
57LESSON 8 | INVESTIGATING ENERGY TRANSFER
Learning Centers
Set up each learning station as detailed below. (See below, Know the Science,
forsupport.)
Note: Teacher supervision of all stations, especially Station 2 and Station 3,
isrequired for student safety.
Station 1 Students will use chalk dust to observe a beam of light from a flashlight, providing
evidence of light transferring from a source (a flashlight) to another place/object
(the wall). In a dark corner of the classroom, in front of a wall, prepare chalk powder
by placing it onto a plate. Set a large paintbrush, 2–4 inches wide, and flashlight
beside the plate.
Station 2 Students will melt ice cubes over heat, observing evidence that heat transfers
energy from a heat source to another place/object (ice, which melts into liquid
water). Set up the hot plate so it is on a low heat, heating a beaker to which students
will add ice. Have the ice cubes available in the ice chest/ice box. Place the tongs on
the table for students to use.
Station 3 Students will connect and disconnect a charging cord and turn a surge protector
on and off to note that an electronic device plugged into a wall outlet begins to
indicate a charging battery. Place tablet, cell phone, or other rechargeable device
on a table. Plug the device’s charging cord into a surge protector, with the surge
protector plugged into the wall.
Instructional Resources
Activity Page
Investigating Energy Transfer
(AP 8.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• flashlight
• paintbrush
(2–4 inches wide)
• chalk powder (finely
crushed chalk)
• plate
• hot plate
• beaker
• ice cubes
• ice chest or ice box
• plastic bucket
• tongs
• tablet or cell phone
(with low battery
charge and a visible
“charging” icon)
• tablet or cell phone
charging cord
• surge protector with
off/on switch
Activity Page
AP 8.1
Know the Science
How are energy transfers and changes to matter related? At Station 1, chemical energy in the
batteries in the flashlight is changed into electricity. This electrical energy is then transferred to the
filament in the bulb, where it changes into light energy. At Station 2, the heat energy from the hot
plate transfers to the beaker. The ice cube makes contact with the beaker, and the heat energy starts to
transfer to the ice cube, causing it to change from a solid to a liquid. At Station 3, electrical energy from
the outlet is transferred to the charger, through the charging cord, and into the electronic device.
58 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
What evidence shows that light, heat, and electricity transfer energy
from place to place? Show students the location of each learning station in
the classroom. Go over the instructions for each of the three centers for student
investigations.
• Emphasize proper safety protocols for students near the hot plate and electrical
outlets. Students will not handle the hot plate at Station 2 nor plug the power
cord into the electrical socket at Station 3.
• Explain the goal at each station—to look for evidence of an energy transfer.
Preview how each station ties back to the Big Question and the concept of
energy transferring from place to place.
2. Preview the investigation. 5 MIN
Distribute Investigating Energy Transfer (AP 8.1) to students. Describe how they
should use and fill out the observation record for each station. Explain that the
pages are divided according to station and that, at each station, they should1)
record their observations and 2) answer the questions about what they have
observed at the station.
• Read through the steps with students.
• Referring to the Activity Pages, show students where they should record their
observations for each station. Discuss types of observations that students
should make, including changes, causes and effects, and patterns.
• Draw attention to the questions that students should answer following the
recording tables.
Notes About Safety
Instruct students not to remove the beaker from the hot plate themselves. The
teacher or other adult aide should supervise this station and handle the beaker and
hot plate for students.
Instruct students not to touch the surge protector or wall socket. They should only
handle the electronic device and the end of the charging cord that plugs into the device.
Establish a Scientific Mindset
Discuss with students the importance of group roles in the different stations.
Make sure that each student has a chance to participate in each station, as well as
a chance to be the recorder or observer. Students can assign roles on their teams,
or you can assign rotating roles for each as they arrive at each of the three stations.
Explain that sometimes students might want to repeat an investigation to answer a
question. Tell them that this is okay, as long as there is time to do so.
Activity Page
AP 8.1
59LESSON 8 | INVESTIGATING ENERGY TRANSFER
3. Facilitate the investigation. 25 MIN
• Place students into three groups, and have each group start at a different
station. Tell students that they will have about five minutes to work at each
station. When they hear your cue, it is time to clean up their station and rotate to
the next one.
• Emphasize to students that they are applying the information they learned in
the previous lessons on various forms of energy transfer through these hands-
on investigations.
• Remind students of lab safety practices.
• Prompt students to relate the hands-on activities to their own experiences. For
example, you might ask:
» How many of you charge a computer, a phone, or another electrical appliance
when you are at home?
» How many of you have ever touched a cup or plate that was hot and it made
you pull your hand away?
SUPPORT—If needed, ask the following questions to help students identify
evidence that energy is transferred:
Station 1—What changed when the flashlight was turned on?
(The light came on.)
Station 2—How did the ice cube change? (It melted.) What event could have
caused that change? (heating it up)
Station 3—What changes did you see when the surge protector was turned
on? (When it was off, the stored energy did not transfer. When it was turned on,
the electrical energy flowed to the objects plugged in.)
4. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Once students have completed all of the investigations, have them return to their
desks and complete any remaining parts of the Activity Page.
Circulate around the room, and review the types of answers students are writing.
Provide assistance by helping students remember or recall what they did at the
various stations, but without giving them correct answers. For example:
» At the station with the hot plate, were you seeing how heat transfers to colder
objects or how cold transfers to warmer objects?
» When you were working with the surge protector, what did you notice was
happening to the electricity?
SUPPORT—If needed, ask students to return to the Student Reader,
Chapter 4, to support their answers with additional examples and appropriate
use of Core Vocabulary.
Activity Page
AP 8.1 and
Answer Key
60 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
LESSON 9
Evidence of Energy Transfer
Big Question: What evidence shows that energy is transferred from place to place?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Organize evidence to support a claim about
energy transfer.
Lesson Activities
• student observation and discussion
• writing
NGSS References
Performance Expectation 4-PS3-2: Make
observations to provide evidence that energy can
be transferred from place to place by sound, light,
heat, and electric currents.
Disciplinary Core Idea PS3.A: Definitions of Energy
Science and Engineering Practice: Planning and
Carrying Out Investigations
Planning and Carrying Out Investigations in
Grades 3–5 builds on Grades K–2 experiences
and progresses to include investigations that
control variables and provide evidence to support
explanations or design solutions.
For detailed information about the NGSS
References, follow the links inthe Online
Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
change energy transfer observation
claim evidence reasoning
electricity heat sound
energy light
61LESSON 9 | EVIDENCE OF ENERGY TRANSFER
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
What evidence shows that energy is transferred from place to place? Open
with a whole-class discussion about the investigations from the previous lesson. Ask
students to discuss the evidence they gathered at each station that demonstrated
energy transfer from place to place. Encourage students to ask questions and
answer others’ questions.
SUPPORT—Prompt students to identify where the energy originated at each
station. How was the energy transferred? What changes did the energy cause?
Continue to support students as they identify evidence of changes seen at each
station and determine how these observations can be used to support their
claims about light, heat, and electricity.
• Write the words claim, evidence, and reasoning on the board or chart paper. Tell
students that a claim is a statement that answers a question or proposes a solution
to a problem. Ask two to three students to provide examples of claims. (Explain that
you can make a claim about why something happens, such as why a light bulb is
no longer working when it worked fine yesterday.) Claims in science are supported
by evidence, which scientists and engineers also call data. Prompt students to recall
examples of evidence and data they have learned about so far. (Remind them that
when an object changes, this is evidence that energy is causing that change.)
Tell students that scientists and engineers use a process called reasoning to connect
their claims and evidence. For example, a person using their scientific mindset may
use the reasoning that the light bulb no longer works today because he or she
observed that the small filament inside the bulb was broken. Prompt students to
keep this reasoning process in mind across this lesson, as they will practice making
claims, identifying supporting evidence, and crafting reasoning statements on Claims,
Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer (AP 9.2) at the end of the lesson.
Instructional Resources
Activity Pages
Examples of Energy Transfer
(AP 9.1)
Claims, Evidence, and
Reasoning About Energy
Transfer (AP 9.2)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• internet access and the means to project
images for whole-class viewing
Activity Pages
AP 9.1
AP 9.2
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
62 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
• Ask students to review “Energy Transfer,” Chapter 4, in the Student Reader.
Review compelling examples of energy transfer, including electrical, heat, and
light energy from the previous lessons in this unit. For example:
A hydroelectric power plant offers an example of various forms of energy
transferring from object to object or place to place.
Hot tea offers an example of heat energy transfer moving from the tea to the
cup and spoon.
Shining a light on a wall through chalk dust shows light energy transferring
from place to place.
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students to identify the evidence of
change in each Student Reader example.
2. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 5 MIN
Provide additional examples of sound, light, heat, and electricity energy transfer.
Use this link to download the CKSci Online Resources Guide for this unit, where
specific links to the images may be found:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Use one (or, if time permits, both) of the following:
Option 1: Display an image of a toaster to support discussion about transfer of
electricity and heat.
Option 2: Display an image or video of distant fireworks to support discussion
about transfer of light and sound energy.
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students using the guiding questions to help
students think about the examples being discussed:
» What are the forms of energy in these examples? (electrical, heat, sound, chemical)
» What are the sources of energy in these examples? (electricity, fire)
» How are these examples similar to what you observed during the previous
lesson’s investigations? (Every transfer of energy has a source and an outcome.)
» What evidence do these examples provide that energy moves from place to
place? (A toaster works because it uses electricity. Fireworks make big sounds
when they are ignited.)
3. Encourage discussion. 10 MIN
Ask students to complete the table found on Examples of Energy Transfer (AP 9.1).
Model for students how to complete the table, asking volunteers to recall their
learning from Lesson 7 and their investigations of sound. Encourage them to think
of examples that have not already been discussed in class or in the Student Reader.
SUPPORT—If students cannot think of examples of energy transfer that they
see every day,have them come up with an example of how they would model
energy transfer to afriend.
Student Reader
Ch. 4
Online Resources
Activity Page
AP 9.1
63LESSON 9 | EVIDENCE OF ENERGY TRANSFER
4. Use continuous Core Vocabulary instruction. 10 MIN
As students complete Activity Page 9.1, remind them to use the Core Vocabulary
terms learned throughout this unit:
energy transfer heat light
electricity sound
This is also a good time to review other key terms, including the following:
claim evidence
5. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 5 MIN
Model for students how to make a scientific claim about energy. Identify the parts
that a claim must have, including an “I know . . .” statement and evidence that
supports the claim. Explain to students that many claims have the word because
in them. For example:
“I know heat energy moved from the soup to the bowl because the bowl started out
at room temperature but later felt hot when I touched it.”
Distribute Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer (AP 9.2).
Explain that this type of writing assignment helps show what a student knows
about energy transfer.
• Part 1—students review the important terms claims, evidence, and reasoning.
• Part 2—students develop their own claims about energy transfer using
evidence and reasoning in response to prompts.
SUPPORT—If needed, remind students that reasoning is the use of reason
to make and support an argument. An example that students should be
familiar with is cause-and-effect reasoning. A statement such as
“The pavement gets hot (effect) when light from the sun strikes the
pavement (cause)” adheres to this model. Additionally, remind students to
review their answers on Activity Page 9.1 to help them complete Part 2 of 9.2.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Circulate around the room, and see how students are progressing through the
scaffolded Activity Page Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer
(AP 9.2). As students get closer to writing their individual claims, check their work to
see that they are following the prompt of “I know . . . because. . . .” Emphasize and
clarify with students the type of evidence they are using.
Invite students to read their claims out loud to the rest of the class. If time permits,
discuss the claims as a group, paying particular attention to the evidence used to
support their claims.
Collect students’ Activity Pages, and provide feedback to each student before the
next class session.
Activity Page
AP 9.2
Activity Pages
AP 9.1
AP 9.2
Answer Key
64 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Collisions
OVERVIEW
Lesson Big Question Advance Preparation
10. Collisions
Transfer Energy
How is energy involved in
collisions?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 5.
11. Investigating
Collisions
(2 days)
What happens when objects
collide? How are collisions
predictable?
Gather materials for student investigations
on Day 1 and Day 2.
(See Materials and Equipment, page 13.)
Read the instructional steps on the Activity
Pages in advance to prepare to facilitate
the student investigation.
Part D: What’s the Story?
Energy is the ability to cause a change. Energy can be transferred from one object to another.
These concepts are difficult for some students to grasp, but this section allows students to extend
their learning from Part C: “Energy Transfer” (Lessons 6–9) by observing and exploring collisions.
Students work with concrete evidence of energy transferring between objects and changing from
one form to another.
In Lesson 10, we start by engaging students with a teacher demonstration on collisions. Discussion
helps them understand that the changes that result from collisions are evidence that one or more of the
objects in motion had energy. The goal is to get students to recognize that motion energy, brought into
a collision, will transfer from one object to another (or often change to sound, heat, or light).
In relating energy to change, keep the order in mind: motion energy >>> collision >>> change.
For example, if a rubber ball crashes into a stack of blocks, the blocks will come tumbling down. The
motion energy of the rubber ball >>> collision >>> some energy gets transferred to the blocks,
which change by moving.
In Lesson 11, students investigate what happens when objects collide and gather more evidence.
This two-day lesson invites students to plan and conduct investigations, make predictions about what
changes will occur during a collision, and then test those predictions across multiple trials. Although
students will have seen demonstrations of this in Lesson 10, now they have an opportunity to define
and change some independent variables to see the cause-and-effect relationship involved in collisions.
The goal here is for students to see that several factors, such as speed or weight, affect energy
transfer and changes during collisions.
Lesson 11 also sets the stage for Part E: “Energy Transformations and Engineering for Energy” (Lessons
12–13). As the investigation progresses, students begin to ask questions about the changes in sound
and heat that also occur when objects collide.
PART D
65LESSON 10 | COLLISIONS TRANSFER ENERGY
LESSON 10
Collisions Transfer Energy
Big Question: How is energy involved in collisions?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Describe energy changes that can occur when
objects collide.
Lesson Activities
• teacher demonstration
• student investigation
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.A:
Definitions of Energy
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces
Science and Engineering Practice: Asking
Questions and Defining Problems
Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
Pay attention to Asking Questions and Defining
Problems. To satisfy PE 4-PS3-3, students must
have the opportunity to ask questions as a basis for
making predictions based on observable patterns.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
thisunit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to
these terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
collide contact motion sound
collision
energy transfer position speed
66 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How is energy involved in collisions? Demonstrate and discuss several collisions
between two toy cars. The goal of this demonstration is to show the effects of a
collision between two toy cars. So, energy of motion is involved in collisions, but
as this lesson will show, other forms of energy are involved as well. Encourage
questions and guide discussion as you work through the demonstration.
Low Ramp: First, set up low ramps facing each other (for example, creating the
inclines using stacks of books with the clipboards slanted from the top of the books
down to a desk).
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 5
“Collisions Transfer Energy”
Activity Page
Lesson 10 Check (AP 10.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• 2 smaller toy cars
• 2 larger toy cars
• 2 clipboards
• 3–4 hardcover books for each ramp
• modeling clay
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(2 per student)
Student Reader
Ch. 5
Activity Page
AP 10.1
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a
deck of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work.
The deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
• Explain that you are going to place the toy cars at the top of each ramp and let
them roll down. Ask students what they think will happen when the toy cars
crash into each other.
67LESSON 10 | COLLISIONS TRANSFER ENERGY
• Perform the demonstration. Ask students questions about what they observe,
such as the following:
» What happens to the cars? (They crash into one another.)
» How does the collision change the motion of each car? (They stop moving
forward.)
» What other forms of energy does the collision transform the motion energy
of the cars to? (sound)
Medium Ramp: Next, prepare to show the toy cars rolling faster, down steeper
ramps (for example, using stacks of several books to create higher inclines). Have
students practice guessing (forming predictions) about what they expect to happen
in this demonstration.
» Will the speed of the cars change? How? (They will go faster on a higher ramp.)
» Will the cars move the same way after the collision? (They may bounce back
more distance than before.)
» Will the second collision sound the same as the first? (It will make a louder
crashing sound.)
High Ramp: Repeat the demonstration with higher ramps.
• Ask students to explain whether their predictions were accurate. (See Know the
Standards 1 below.)
• Call attention to observations that correctly relate the steeper ramps to greater
speed of the cars and thus to the greater energy of motion of the cars and the
stronger impact of the collision. Address any misconceptions about common
uses of the term energy. (See Know the Standards 2 below.)
• Address any student questions listed on the board or chart paper that remain
unanswered after the discussion.
Know the Standards
1. Why are we making predictions? To better understand cause and effect. There is a cause-
and-effect relationship between an object’s energy of motion and the ability to cause change. Remind
students that energy can be transferred from place to place, or object to object, and that it can be
transferred by sound, light, heat, and electricity (4-PS3-2). To support scientific mindset. Remind
students that if a scientist makes a prediction that turns out to be incorrect, that does not mean the
scientist has failed. The whole point of making predictions is to test them and observe the results to
determine how fully we understand, with degrees of certainty, how things work. In science, the point of
predicting is not to “guess the right answer” but to test to see what the reality is.
2. How is energy involved in all of this? Stored energy becomes energy of motion that becomes
other forms of energy. The Evidence Statements for 4-PS3-3 are typically the result of a collision in
relative terms, that is to say that sound and heat are produced, but in small, hard-to-measure quantities.
As the cars collide, some of the energy is transformed into sound energy, the noise the cars make in the
collision that can be easily heard. Some of the energy is converted into heat energy, though in these
trials, it is a very small amount of heat energy that would be difficult to measure. Some of the energy
will still be energy of motion as the cars bounce away from each other after the collision.
68 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
2. Read and discuss: “Collisions Transfer Energy.” 20 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “Collisions Transfer Energy,”
Chapter 5 in the Student Reader. The selection shows that energy is all around us and
that objects are colliding all around us, both in planned and unplanned ways. (See
Know the Science 1.)
Preview Core Vocabulary Terms
Before students read, write these terms on the board or chart paper. Encourage
students to pay special attention to these terms as they read:
collide collision sound
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Pages 25–26
After reading, have students act out some examples given on the page. They can
clap their hands, stomp their feet on the floor, and tap pencils on their desks.
Discuss after each one how it is an example of a collision.
Ask: What happens in every type of collision? (Something changes.)
Ask: What kinds of changes happen when you clap your hands, stomp your feet, or
tap a pencil? (hearing a sound, feeling a vibration)
SUPPORT—Ask students to identify other objects that collide and make contact
with each other in the real world. Prompt and support students to use the terms
contact and collision in their responses.
Page 27
Prompt students to discuss that some objects change shape during a collision, while
other objects do not change shape. Ask: Which object is harder or stronger: the clay
or the brick wall?
SUPPORT—You can provide more examples beyond the ones in the reading,
such as a baseball colliding into a glass window (and shattering the window).
Student Reader
Ch. 5
Know the Science
1. What happens to energy during collisions? Energy moves from one object to another during a
collision. The energy of motion of one object may be transferred to another during a collision. Some
energy of motion is transferred from the objects to the air as sound or heat during a collision (example:
when you hear the crack of a bat connecting to a ball).
69LESSON 10 | COLLISIONS TRANSFER ENERGY
Page 28 Tell students that a bass drum is big and is typically carried or placed in a stand.
Special frames with straps hold the drum in place when used for marching. This
keeps the drum from moving very much when struck with a mallet, but the drum
vibrates. (See Know the Science 2.) Emphasize that a surface vibrating in place
transfers the vibration to the air aroundit.
SUPPORT—Address any misconceptions about empty space, such as that found
in outer space. Some students may think that space is made up of air. Air in our
atmosphere contains matter, but empty, outer space does not contain matter.
Matter is needed for there to be sound.
Page 29
Speed does not always mean the same thing as fast. Make sure students understand
that speed can refer to things that move slowly or quickly. Words such as fast and
slow may have to be used carefully in class.
Page 30
Ask students to offer more examples, from their own experience, of variations in
collisions they have observed that are attributable to differences in both the speed
and weight of objects. (See Know the Science 3.)
3. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 5 MIN
What evidence proves energy has been transferred or transformed in a collision?
Demonstrate and discuss several collisions that provide evidence of energy transfer
or transformation as a result of the contact. Have students practice guessing (forming
predictions) about what they expect to happen in this demonstration. Encourage
questions and guide discussion as you work through the demonstration.
Collisions Transfer Energy: First, set up a low ramp with a block of modeling clay
at the bottom. Explain that you are going to place the smaller toy car at the top of
the ramp and let it roll down. Ask students what they think will happen when the
toy car crashes into the modeling clay. Perform the demonstration. Ask students
questions about what they observe, such as the following:
» What happens to the car? (It stops by running into the clay.)
» What happens to the modeling clay? (It gets pushed in a little.)
» Is there evidence of a change happening? (yes) If so, what is the evidence?
(The car stops, and the clay has a dent where the car hit.)
Know the Science
2. How do bass drums work? Bass drums do not move very much as a result of strike collisions.
Energy from the collision is transferred to the surrounding air as sound. If the drum could move more
when it was hit, more energy from the strike would convert to motion energy and less would transfer to
the air and convert to sound.
3. Why did the objects produce different outcomes? Weight and the energy of motion. The
weight (mass) of an object affects its energy of motion. If two similarly sized objects are moving at the
same speed, the one with the greater weight will have more energy of motion.
70 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Set the ramp higher, and place a block of modeling clay at the bottom. Ask students
to use what they have learned in the Student Reader and from their observations
of the previous trial to make a prediction about what will happen to the clay. Ask
students questions about what they observe, such as the following:
» What happens to the modeling clay in this trial? (The clay has a larger dent.)
» Did this collision transfer more or less energy than the first trial? (more energy)
» What evidence supports your answer? (The car moved faster and hit the clay with
more force.)
» How did your prediction compare to the trial result? (They were the same.)
» What pattern might you see if we kept using taller and taller ramps?
(The energy, or force and speed of motion, will increase.)
More Cars Colliding: Next, set up identical ramps facing each other as in the
first demonstration in this lesson. Show students the smaller and larger cars. Tell
students you will be colliding different-sized cars into each other. Have students
practice guessing (forming predictions) about what they expect to happen when
the different combinations of toy cars collide. Ask students questions about what
they predict, such as the following:
» Will the sound be different between each collision? (Some of the collisions will sound
very similar, but the larger cars will tend to make louder sounds than the smaller cars.)
» What will be the difference in sound between each collision? (A medium-sized
car and large car will make a bigger sound than a small car and a smaller car.)
Have students move so they cannot see the collision but can hear the collision.
Tell students you will be doing three collisions and that they should compare the
sounds they hear during each collision. First, perform the collision with the two
smaller toy cars. Then, perform the collision with the two larger toy cars. Finally,
perform the collision with one smaller and one larger toy car. Ask students to use
what they have learned in the Student Reader and from their observations to
answer questions such as the following:
» Which cars were used in each collision? (The bigger car was used in the greater
collision. The smaller car was used in the softer, gentler collision.)
» What evidence supports your answer? (The larger or heavier cars make louder
collisions, and the smaller or lighter cars make quieter collisions.)
» When you watched each of the two cars collide with the clay, how did their
impacts differ? (The cars bounce away differently after the impact. One car
bounced away farther than the other.)
» If the two objects are about the same size and they were moving at about
the same speed, why would they transfer different amounts of energy? Get
students to focus on the differences in weight between the two objects.
(One car must be heavier than the other car.)
71LESSON 10 | COLLISIONS TRANSFER ENERGY
4. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Prepare Core Vocabulary Cards
Direct student attention to the Core Vocabulary words collide, collision, and sound
written on the board or chart paper earlier in the lesson. Have students locate the
Core Vocabulary card that they have already prepared for sound, and have them
write each of the remaining two terms in the upper left corner of an index card and
underline it (one term per card).
Word Work
• collision: (n. an instance of colliding) Ask students to share what they
understand collision to mean. Have students write this definition on their cards:
“an instance of colliding.” Have students write a sentence on their cards using
the word collision. Encourage students to add a simple drawing of a collision.
• collide: (v. to come together with impact) Point out that, when two objects
make contact in a collision, they collide. Have students add the word collide to
the card and use it in a sentence. Identify synonyms for collide (crash, hit, bump,
strike, smash). Identify forms of the verb collide (collision, colliding, collided).
• sound: (n. a form of energy that comes from a vibrating object) Ask students
to share what they understand sound to mean. Have students compare this
definition to what they have written their cards: “a form of energy that comes
from a vibrating object.” Have students write on their cards a sentence using
the word sound.
Ask students to share their definitions and sentences for collision, collide, and sound.
Have students safely store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order.
They will add to the deck in later lessons.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Have students complete Lesson 10 Check (AP 10.1). Collect the assessment, check
students’ answers to identify concepts that need further clarification, and provide
the support needed. See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and
sample studentresponses.
Activity Page
AP 10.1 and
Answer Key
72 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
LESSON 11
Investigating Collisions
Big Questions: What happens when objects collide? How are collisions predictable?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Predict what will happen in a collision and
conduct an investigation to test those
predictions.
Lesson Activities (2 days)
• discussion, writing
• student investigation
• teacher demonstration
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.A:
Definitions of Energy
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
PS3.C: Relationship Between Energy and Forces
Crosscutting Concept: Cause and Effect
Cause-and-Effect relationships will be explored
during this lesson as students discuss collisions.
Students will investigate and explore the transfer
of energy due to collisions, as well as observe
and make early predictions about the changes
(transformations) in energy that occur when objects
collide. This lesson introduces transformations of
energy through investigation only. Explicit instruction
about energy transformations is reserved for the
four-day engineering design process in Lesson 13.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to these
terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction: The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered a
part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary
words are introduced in the Student Reader.
collision prediction variable
73L E SS O N 11 | INVESTIGATING COLLISIONS
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
THE CORE LESSON TWO DAYS, 45 MIN EACH
1. Day 1: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
What happens when objects collide? Review what students have learned about
collisions. Introduce Newton’s cradle, which shows motion energy transferred to
motion energy.
• Newton’s Cradle: Show students a Newton’s cradle demonstration (live, video,
or both) to illustrate transfer of energy of motion from one ball, through several
others, and back. (See Know the Science 1.) Remind students that Sir Isaac
Newton was a scientist who observed and described laws of motion and gravity.
• Use this link to download the CKSci Online Resources Guide for this unit, where a
specific link to this resource may be found:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Tell students that they will perform an investigation where they make a prediction
about the energy relationships that occur because of a collision and test whether
their predictions are correct.
Online Resources
Instructional Resources
Activity Pages
Investigating Collisions (Day 1):
Predictions (AP 11.1)
Investigating Collisions (Day 2):
Testing and Observation (AP 11.2)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting the
lesson. Read the instructional
steps on the Activity Pages in
advance to prepare to facilitate
the student investigation.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following:
• empty cans or water bottles (1 per group)
• plastic or wooden toy vehicles with wheels
• 2-foot-long ramps made of cardboard or wood
(1 per group)
• small items such as marbles, dry beans
• internet access and the means to project
images/video for whole-class viewing
Activity Pages
AP 11.1
AP 11. 2
Know the Science
1. What’s going on in a Newton’s cradle? Newton’s cradle is a device that shows transfer of energy
through collisions in a predictable pattern. While most of the energy of motion is transferred back and
forth between the balls, some of the energy of motion in these collisions is converted (transformed) to
sound. Always keep this in mind: motion energy >>> collision >>> changes.
74 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
2. Encourage student questions. 5 MIN
Lead a discussion about making predictions. Prompt students to think about
why making predictions is an important skill. Draw attention to real-life examples
of ways that predictions are used. Tell students that a prediction is more than a
random guess; a prediction is based on what you have previously observed and
what you already know (even if your knowledge is partial and still taking shape as
you continue to investigate and learn more).
3. Preview the investigation. 10 MIN
Introduce Investigating Collisions (Day 1): Predictions (AP 11.1), and show students the
materials they will use for their investigations (see Materials and Equipment, page 13).
Explain that they will be investigating the changes that occur when objects collide and
looking for evidence and patterns that explain how motion energy is transferred in a
collision. Tell students that today, Day 1, they will study the materials, as well as ask and
answer questions about the investigation, including making a prediction. Then, on Day
2, they will get to conduct their tests to see if their predictions are correct. (See Know
the Standards.)
Model for students how to complete the Activity Page by going through the
questions for Day 1. Tell students that you will model how to use the Activity Page
for their investigation later.
4. Support the investigation. 15 MIN
Split students into groups, and give them time to work on their Investigating
Collisions (Day 1): Predictions (AP 11.1). Allow students to look at the materials that
they will get to work with, as this will help them answer the questions and formulate
their predictions. Tell students that they do not have to use all the materials
available to them. They can pick and choose the ones to test for their investigations.
As students work on their Activity Page, circulate around the room, and provide
support. Ask students what factors they need to think about to make predictions
about the results of a collision. As needed, prompt students to consider the following:
• What do you already know about collisions? (They can be loud or quiet, hard or
soft, or fast or slow.)
• How do objects change because of a collision? (They can be damaged and cause
damage to other objects.)
Activity Page
AP 11.1
Activity Page
AP 11.1
Know the Standards
Asking questions is an important skill for scientific discovery. Good investigation questions are specific,
testable, and lend themselves to answers that can be quantitatively measured or qualitatively observed.
Asking questions and predicting reasonable outcomes support the Performance Expectation as a
means of addressing phenomena of the natural world.
75LES S O N 11 | INVESTIGATING COLLISIONS
• What happens to the motion energy of the objects that initiate a collision?
(Motion energy can gain speed or strength before the collision if an object is moving
downhill or dropping from a height.)
• How does motion energy move from object to object or place to place during a
collision? (Each impact transfers energy to the object that is hit.)
• What energy forms can exist before, during, and after a collision? (before: motion;
during: sound, motion, perhaps heat; after: motion)
SUPPORT—If necessary, model for students how to make predictions by telling
them to do the following:
» Think about what you already know.
» Make observations, and look for patterns and data.
» Write a statement that starts with “I think . . . . ”
» Test the prediction, and see what happens.
5. Summarize and discuss. 5 MIN
Bring the class back together after students finish completing their Day 1 Activity
Page. Ask volunteers to read their predictions. Draw attention to any similarities.
Allow students to ask questions and address any misconceptions. Tell students
that in their next class session, they will continue this lesson and perform the
investigations to see if their predictions are correct.
1. Day 2: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
• Ask students if they have any questions about the first part of the investigation
that they completed. Students may be wondering about whether they wrote
proper predictions. Invite some students to share their predictions with the class.
• Go over the Big Question again: What happens when objects collide? How are
collisions predictable? Review what students did in the previous class session
(asked and answered questions and made predictions). Prompt students to ask
themselves, “How will I know if my prediction is correct?” Let students know that
they will get to test their predictions today and that there are no points that are
awarded or taken away based on if the predictions are correct or incorrect.
• Tell students that today they will carry out their investigations and decide
whether their predictions were correct.
2. Preview the investigation. 5 MIN
Establish a Scientific Mindset
Students now get to build their investigations and perform tests to carry them out.
Make a connection to science and engineering. Ask students: How do scientists and
engineers use investigations? (Scientists perform investigations and tests to learn more
about the natural world; engineers perform investigations and tests to see how designs
work and come up with solutions to problems.)
76 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Ask students to discuss any personal experience with investigations:
• Have you ever performed a test before? What kind? (Sample answer: placing
objects in water)
• What were you trying to find out? (which objects sink or float)
Discuss good investigation protocols, such as the following:
• assigning roles in teams (i.e., two people build the design, another person starts
the test, another person records the information)
• taking turns in teams
• communicating respectfully with teammates (i.e., listening to each other)
• recording exactly what you observe and not changing the results
Have students take out Investigating Collisions (Day 2): Testing and Observation (AP 11.2).
Inform students that today they will complete Day 2, which consists of the following:
• carrying out a test
• assessing whether their predictions are correct
Model for students how to complete the Activity Page for Day 2 by going through the
questions as well as the observation/data recording table. Give students examples of
the kinds of information they could write there, such as the following:
• evidence of energy transfer
• patterns
• measurement data
Tell students that they can also use this table to draw pictures that show how the
collisions worked in the investigation.
3. Revisit Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Return to Core Vocabulary Card
Tell students to locate their existing Core Vocabulary card for the word collision. Have
students add to the card one sentence describing a low-impact collision and one
sentence describing a high-impact collision. Explain that the strength of the impact
depends on the conditions, or variables, of each situation. (See Know the Science 2.)
Activity Page
AP 11. 2
Know the Science
2. How does changing the conditions affect the impact of collisions? Changing the conditions
changes the outcomes of tests. In collision tests, speed may be a variable. Students increased the
speed of the moving object (by increasing the elevation of the ramp) and noticed different changes,
such as a more forceful impact with more energy transfer, evidenced by a bigger crash. Changing only
one variable at a time allows students to identify patterns or attribute a cause-and-effect relationship to
the changes that they observe. In this investigation, speed is an independent variable that students can
change to predict and observe how speed affects the results of a collision.
77LE SS O N 11 | INVESTIGATING COLLISIONS
4. Support the investigation. 25 MIN
Have students gather materials and use the Activity Page to roughly carry out
their investigations. Circulate around the room, and provide support as they
conduct their investigations. Draw students’ attention to things that they can
observe and specifically measure, including the following:
• how fast the objects were travelling (relatively speaking)
• whether a stationary object moved as a result of the collision
• whether there was (relatively speaking) a strong or weak transfer of motion
energy from the first object to the second object and what caused this
difference
5. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct answers and sample student
responses.
• Collect the completed Activity Pages after students complete their investigations
on both Day 1 and Day 2. Evaluate the predictions that students posed regarding
collisions (AP 11.1) and their subsequent work on the investigation (AP 11.2).
• Students should predict a reasonable outcome of the collisions that they plan,
based on prior observations. Then, having carried out the planned collisions, they
should be able to articulate what happened, describing the energy transfer in
qualitative terms. Incorrect predictions are part of the scientific process.
Activity Pages
AP 11.1
AP 11. 2
Answer Key
78 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Energy Transformation and
Engineering for Energy
OVERVIEW
Lesson Big Question Advance Preparation
12. How Can Energy
Transformations Solve
Problems?
How do energy transformations
help people?
Read Student Reader, Chapter 6.
13. Designing Devices to
Transform Energy
(4 days)
How can I design a device that
transforms energy to solve a
problem?
Gather materials for the student-made
devices.
(See Materials and Equipment, page 13.)
Part E: What’s the Story?
Energy is the ability to cause a change. In previous lessons, students learned that energy can transfer
(move) from object to object and from place to place. Energy can also transform (be converted) from
one type to another.
In Lesson 12, students begin by reading about energy transformation. The goal is to get students
to understand that energy can change from one form of energy to another, such as electrical energy
transforming (or converting) to heat energy or stored energy converting to motion energy.
To meet the Performance Expectation 4-PS3-4, students must be able to recognize different forms of
energy, energy transformations, and how those transformations can be helpful to people or society. For
example, transforming stored energy from a battery to light energy in a flashlight helps people see in
the dark.
In Lesson 13, students apply their knowledge of energy conversions to the process of designing
and testing a device to solve a problem. This four-day lesson allows students to move through the
engineering and design process to 1) brainstorm ideas, 2) design energy transforming devices, 3) test
their devices, and 4) evaluate how well the devices work to transform energy and make improvements.
This lesson prepares students to meet or exceed Performance Expectation 4-PS3-4 and emphasizes
the importance of defining the criteria and constraints during the design process that is used to solve a
problem.
So, to reiterate, people can transform energy from one form of energy to another to solve
problems. This concept will lay the groundwork for your students to meet or exceed other NGSS
expectations related to engineering design and engage students to identify problems and design
solutions as they come up in later units of CKSci Grade 4.
PART E
79LESSO N 12 | HOW CAN ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS SOLVE PROBLEMS?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objective
✓ Describe how energy conversions are used in
devices that help people.
Lesson Activities
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
• hands-on activity
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.B
Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer
PS3.D Energy in Chemical Processes and
Everyday Life
ETS1.A Defining Engineering Problems
Science and Engineering Practice: Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions
Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
Pay special attention to the inherent expectations
in Constructing Explanations and Designing
Solutions. It is common, in a time-crunched
classroom, to use reading and demonstration to
teach facts associated with DCIs. In order to satisfy
PE 4-PS3-4, students must have the opportunity to
design, test, evaluate, and refine a design solution
to a problem.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
LESSON 12
How Can Energy Transformations
Solve Problems?
Big Question: How do energy transformations help people?
80 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 6
“How Can Energy
Transformations Solve
Problems?”
Activity Page
Lesson 12 Check (AP 12.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following items:
• wind-up timer (or timer app on phone)
• index cards for student vocabulary deck
(3 per student)
Student Reader
Ch. 6
Activity Page
AP 12.1
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to these
terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction:
The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered
a part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary words
are introduced in the Student Reader.
convert/conversion design solution engineering design
design problem energy transformation forms of energy
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue above.
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
How do energy transformations help people? Write the following two lists on
theboard or chart paper:
Design
Factors Designers
Need to Consider
toaster
wind-up clock
generator
rechargeable battery
solar panel
electric car
cell phone
light bulb
ceiling fan
lawn mower
electric toothbrush
materials
cost
time
safety
81LESSON 12 | HOW CAN ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS SOLVE PROBLEMS?
Quickly go around the room in a “lightning round,” and have each student answer
one of the following questions, rotating through the terms on the Design list:
• What problem does a (toaster, wind-up clock, etc.) solve? (browns toast, tells time)
• What are two or more forms of energy that are used by a ( )?
(electrical energy, heat energy)
• How does a ( ) use energy transformation? (A toaster transfers
electrical energy to heat energy.)
• What are some factors engineering designers had to consider when they were
designing the ( )? (the size of bread or bagels, safety)
• What other factors not listed might an engineering designer need to consider?
(materials, colors, size, shape, time required)
Support students to correct any misconceptions as they offer explanations and the
class considers the examples.
CHALLENGE—If time allows, or as homework, challenge your students to
select a device that they can find at home and answer these same questions
independently.
Preview Core Vocabulary
Prepare students to approach the reading by drawing their attention to terms they
will use as they explore ways that people make use of energy changes.
Before students read, write these terms on the board or chart paper. Encourage
students to pay special attention to these terms as they read:
convert/conversion engineering design energy transformation
Have students write each term in the upper left corner of an index card (one term
per card). They will revisit the cards later in the lesson to add notes about what the
words mean.
Write energy transfer on the board or chart paper, apart from the grouping of the
four terms above. Ask students to recall the meaning of energy transfer. Point out
that energy transfer and energy transformation share the word part trans-. This is a
clue that the terms have something in common, which students should think about
as they read.
2. Read and discuss: “How Can Energy Transformations
Solve Problems?” 25 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “How Can Energy
Transformations Solve Problems?” Chapter 6 in the Student Reader. The chapter
will give students ideas of different ways energy is transformed from one form to
another to solve human wants and needs.
Student Reader
Ch. 6
82 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Establish a Scientific Mindset
Discuss with students examples of technology within the framework of problems
and solutions. Draw attention to the captions on pages 31–34 of Chapter 6.
Tell students that, whether the words problem and solution are spelled out in a
description or not, every human-made device they have ever used began with the
identification of a problem that a designer wanted to try to solve. Designers use
their knowledge of the world and scientific concepts to support their solutions. This
interdependence between science and engineering will continue to be explored in
Lesson 13 and the Unit Review.
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud as a class, always prompt students to follow along. Pause for
discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Pages 31–32
After reading both pages, ask: What is an energy transformation? (It means to change
forms of energy, such as when motion energy causes a loud crash and changes to sound
energy.) Think about other examples of energy transformations—how are these
used to solve problems?
SUPPORT—If needed, prompt students to think about things they use every
day, such as cell phones or kitchen appliances, such as a toaster. Use familiar
examples based on your students’ experiences so concepts are easier to grasp
and discuss.
Ask students to notice the meanings of conversion and transformation. Acknowledge
that these words mean essentially the same thing. Scientists and engineers use both
terms, so it is important for students to learn both and that they refer to the same
process.
Page 33
Ask volunteers to summarize what they read in previous chapters about wind
turbines and hydroelectric dams. In both of these examples, students read that
motion energy was transferred from moving air or water to produce motion
of parts inside mechanical devices. Inside these devices’ generators, the motion
energy is transformed to a different type of energy, electrical energy.
Page 34
After reading the page, ask the following:
» What problems are solved by batteries? (They allow an object to be moved
from place to place without needing to plug the object into a wall socket.)
» How is energy transformation used in the solution to those problems? (The
stored energy in the battery is transformed to sound, light, and motion.)
» What additional problems are solved by rechargeable batteries? (The
batteries will rarely, if ever, need to be changed.)
83LESSO N 12 | HOW CAN ENERGY TRANSFORMATIONS SOLVE PROBLEMS?
Page 35 Ask students to identify small solar-powered devices with which they might be
familiar. Two common examples might be pocket calculators and lights along
walkways that help you to see a path. Discuss the energy transformations that occur
within students’ examples. (Solar cells convert light to electrical energy, which the
calculator requires to operate and display its calculations. Solar cells in sidewalk lanterns
charge batteries [convert light to stored energy], which, in turn, convert the stored energy
to electrical energy. This electricity enables the lights to shine after the sun sets [yet
another conversion, back to light energy].)
SUPPORT—Draw attention to the differences in size and scale of the solar cells,
as illustrated by the examples on the Student Reader page. Note for students
that certain designs have to fit in a certain amount of space. Discuss other
examples of technology that must fit within a certain amount of space.
Page 36
After reading the page, ask students how they might consider whether or not an
idea for a solution to a problem constitutes a workable idea. Emphasize that the
engineering design process involves not only identifying a problem to be solved,
but also asking and answering many questions about what is practical and would
make the best solution, given what engineers have to work with. The last two
paragraphs, which discuss many factors that must be considered in the designs
of electric cars, provide an informal introduction to the notion of criteria and
constraints in engineering design. (See Know the Standards below.)
Know the Standards
Prerequisites to Hands-on Problem Solving: In the lesson that follows, Lesson 13, students will
design, test, and evaluate a device that uses an energy transformation to solve a problem. Defining a
problem is just the first step in the engineering design process; proposing possible solutions requires
consideration of limitations (constraints and criteria) before any building or testing takes place. In that
sense, solutions can begin to be classified as “good ideas to try” or “probably unsuccessful” before any
actual hands-on work commences.
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems:
Possible solutions to a problem are limited by
available materials and resources (constraints). The success of a designed solution is determined
by considering the desired features of a solution (criteria). Different proposals for solutions can be
compared on the basis of how well each design meets the specified criteria for success or how well
each takes the constraints into account.
84 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
3. Teach Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
Word Work
Direct student attention to the Core Vocabulary cards that they started prior to
reading Chapter 6.
convert/conversion energy transformation engineering design
• convert and conversion: (v. to change form; n. the process of being converted
or changing form) Ask students to write in their own words one sentence that
uses the word convert and one sentence that uses the word conversion. (You
convert energy when you change it from one form to another. Conversion of energy
is the process of energy being converted.)
• energy transformation: (n. the change of one form of energy to another
form of energy) Discuss energy transformation as one form of energy changing
into another. Suggest examples such as a toaster converting electric energy
into heat, light, sound, and motion. Have students choose another example of
energy transformation that they commonly see around them and produce an
illustrated example on their card.
• engineering design: (n. a process used to develop a solution to a problem) Ask
students to share what they understand about engineering design. Have students
write one or two sentences on their card for this term. Instruct students to use
the words want, need, problem, and solution in their written explanation. (People
want and need things. They use engineering design to find solutions to problems.)
Have students store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order. They
may use the deck during their completion of the Lesson 12 Check, and they will use
it during later review of the unit.
4. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Formative Assessment Opportunity
Have students complete Lesson 12 Check (AP 12.1). If you have a wind-up timer
handy, display its operation while students work. Explain that it is a demonstration
of a device mentioned in the lesson check (and not intended to time their work!).
Collect the assessment, and check students’ answers to identify concepts with
which students are still struggling. See the Activity Page Answer Key for correct
answers and sample student responses. Incorporate adjustments as you open the
next lesson. Provide additional guidance for students who need more support.
Activity Page
AP 12.1 and
Answer Key
85LESSON 13 | DESIGNING DEVICES TO TRANSFORM ENERGY
LESSON 13
Designing Devices to Transform Energy
Big Question: How can I design a device that transforms energy to solve a problem?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objectives
✓ Design a device that transforms energy from
one form of energy to another.
✓ Test, evaluate, and refine the device’s design to
solve a problem.
Lesson Activities (4 days)
• hands-on investigation
• discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
• student presentations
NGSS References
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy
Transfer
PS3.D: Energy in Chemical Processes and
Everyday Life
ETS1.A: Defining Engineering Problems
Crosscutting Concept: Energy and Matter
Science and Engineering Practice: Constructing
Explanations and Designing Solutions
Constructing Explanations and Designing
Solutions are important as students will
be designing devices that apply energy
transformations to solve a problem.
For detailed information about the NGSS References,
follow the links in the Online Resources Guide for
this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Core Vocabulary
Core Vocabulary words are shown in blue below. During instruction, expose students repeatedly to these
terms, which are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
Language of Instruction:
The Language of Instruction consists of additional terms, not considered
a part of Core Vocabulary, that you should use when talking about and explaining any concepts in this
lesson. The intent is for you to model the use of these words without the expectation that students
will use or explain the words themselves. A Glossary on pages 143–144 lists definitions for both Core
Vocabulary and Language of Instruction terms and the page numbers where the Core Vocabulary words
are introduced in the Student Reader.
convert energy transformation forms of energy
design solution engineering design
86 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Preparation and Rationale
The design process used throughout this lesson’s activities can make for a
challenging classroom environment. Keep the following in mind as you prepare to
guide your class to work through the lesson:
• Students likely will not be proficient with the design process at this time, but the
Activity Pages are set up to help students work through a design problem in a
grade-appropriate way.
• The Performance Expectation requires an open-ended activity, but students at
this level will benefit from additional guidance.
• Review the Activity Pages AP 13.1–AP 13.4 ahead of time to fully understand the
problems presented to students and their likely responses before you begin.
• The materials list provides basic supplies for students to make a solar oven
for Scenario #1 and a machine to replace a doorbell in Scenario #2. Encourage
students to think of other materials that may be useful, depending on what you
have available, as they work on their design solutions.
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 6
“How Can Energy
Transformations
Solve Problems?”
Activity Pages
Device Design Proposal
(Day 1) (AP 13.1)
Device Test Results (Day 2)
(AP 13.2)
Device Presentation Plan
(Day 3) (AP 13.3)
Device Presentation Scoring
Guide (Day 4) (AP 13.4)
Energy Vocabulary Crossword
Puzzle (AP 13.5)
Energy Vocabulary Review
(AP 13.6)
Make sufficient copies
for your students prior to
conducting the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
Collect or prepare the following:
• boxes
• aluminum foil
• clear plastic wrap
• craft paper
• springs
• rubber bands
• containers
• string
• table tennis and
tennis balls
• cups
• sticks
• cardboard tubes
of various sizes
• blocks
• glue
• clipboards for
making ramps
• tape
• electric clock or
pencil sharpener
The listed materials are suggestions, but you may
wish to modify the materials as necessary. Have
the materials out for student consideration on
Day 1, Step 3, when they start onDevice Design
Proposal (AP 13.1).
Student Reader
Ch. 6
Activity Pages
AP 13.1
AP 13.2
AP 13.3
AP 13.4
AP 13.5
AP 13.6
Core Vocabulary Deck: As a continuous vocabulary instruction strategy, have students develop a deck
of vocabulary cards that will be used in various activities across this unit as a part of Word Work. The
deck will include the Core Vocabulary terms designated in blue on the previous page.
87LE SSON 13 | DESIGNING DEVICES TO TRANSFORM ENERGY
THE CORE LESSON FOUR DAYS, 45 MIN EACH
1. Day 1: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How can I design a device that transforms energy to solve a problem? In the
previous lesson, students learned about ways energy transfers and transformations
can solve problems. Explain that today students will begin to develop plans for the
device they will build in which they will utilize energy transfomations.
2. Demonstrate examples and guide discussion. 10 MIN
Lead a discussion about examples of everyday energy transformations that solve
problems. Break the class into groups of four to six students that will design a device.
Present students with the following scenarios:
Scenario 1: There is a power outage, and you need to heat up some food.
What sort of device can you design to heat the food without electricity? (a
wood, coal, or propane grill or a fireplace)
Scenario 2: A friend is hearing impaired and cannot hear the doorbell ring.
What sort of device can you design to let them know someone is at the door
without them seeing the door or hearing the bell? (Wire a light to the doorbell so
it flashes when the doorbell rings.)
Assign each group a scenario to develop a device. This will allow groups to compare
and contrast their devices later on in the lesson.
SUPPORT—If students are having trouble developing a device plan, have
them reference examples from Lesson 12.
Distribute and go over Device Design Proposal (AP 13.1). Review the categories
listed on the design plan with students to explain what they should record in
eachsection.
3. Support student activity. 20 MIN
In their small groups, have students brainstorm possible devices for each of the
problems. Assign a problem to each group. Recommendation: Make sure more than
one group creates a device for each problem to compare multiple solutions that
accomplish the same goal. Have students explore materials they could use to build
their devices.
Activity Page
AP 13.1
88 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Establish a Scientific Mindset
• Discuss the standards by which to judge the device.
» Review the standards students identified in the previous lesson.
» Explain that student solutions will be evaluated based on how well they
meet the criteria.
» Identify and discuss criteria for creating the group solution.
• Discuss what limitations students noted in planning to create theirdevices.
» Brainstorm and discuss constraints for creating each group solution.
» Brainstorm possible solutions to each problem.
Give students time to complete the Device Design Proposal (AP 13.1) in their groups.
4. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Summarize learning. Ask several groups or, if time allows, have all groups share
their revised idea(s) for solving the problem. Use the discussion to determine if
students understand criteria and constraints, and plan any needed reteaching.
• Review student questions, and identify any that remain unanswered.
• Prompt students to express any new questions they may have and add them to
the list. Discuss strategies for answering remaining questions.
• Review students’ Device Design Proposal (AP 13.1) for appropriate criteria and
constraints. Make sure the plans have identified energy transformations.
SUPPORT—If student understanding is insecure, have them examine a
device, such as an electric clock or pencil sharpener. Have them describe
what powers the device and how the energy that powers the device changes
to movement, sound, or any other form of energy.
Activity Page
AP 13.1
Know the Science
Refresh students’ memory about the difference between energy transfer and energy transformation.
Energy transfer occurs when energy moves from one place or object to another, such as when a
kickball is kicked. The motion energy of a child’s foot is transferred to the ball. This transfer sets the ball
in motion. Energy transformation occurs when energy is changed from one form to another, such as
when a flashlight is turned on. Energy in the battery is transformed from chemical energy to electrical
energywhen the switch is turned to the on position. As electrical energy flows through the bulb, it is
transformed into light and heat energy.
89LESSON 13 | DESIGNING DEVICES TO TRANSFORM ENERGY
1. Day 2: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How can I design a device that transforms energy to solve a problem? In direct
support of the Performance Expectation, on this second day of the lesson, students
will also consider the more specific question How can my device be tested?
Explain that today students will first present their design plans from Day 1. Using the
feedback they receive, they will build and test their devices.
SUPPORT—Before each group presents their plan, ask the class to imagine a
test that can be used specific to each scenario. For example, for Scenario#1,
students could test their devices by fully melting an ice cube or placing an
unwrapped crayon across two small blocks and timing how long it takes for the
crayon to melt enough to touch the base of the device. For Scenario#2, students
could have an observer wearing ear protection to muffle their hearing sit in
another room and test if the device works by signaling someone at the door.
2. Facilitate group presentations. 10 MIN
Have each small group present its design plan, including the following:
• identifying the problem that will be solved by the device
• identifying the transformations that will be applied, including the initial and final
forms of energy
• explaining how the device will work
• identifying needed materials
• explaining how it will be built
Have the class identify the transformation that will be demonstrated and offer
suggestions as to how the device might solve the problem in the scenario.
3. Support group activity. 15 MIN
Distribute Device Test Results (AP 13.2). Review the Activity Page with students, and
model for them how to complete the table.
Have groups build their devices. Provide space for each group to conduct at least
three trial tests. Circulate around the room. Ask each group the following questions:
» How are you meeting the criteria? (Students should be able to clearly describe
their criteria, purposes, and plans.)
» What is the problem you are solving?
» What energy transformation are you using?
» What problems are you having building your device?
» How are you dealing with the constraints you identified?
» What do you need to finish?
Give students time to test and record their data.
Activity Page
AP 13.2
90 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
4. Revisit Core Vocabulary. 5 MIN
As a review of key concepts, have students go through the vocabulary cards they
began at the end of Lesson 12. Invite students to add examples to their cards from
what they have read and observed. For example, they can list different energy
transformations and some processes considered in developing engineering designs.
convert/conversion energy transformation engineering design
Have students safely store their deck of Core Vocabulary cards in alphabetical order.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Evaluate each group’s progress to determine if students understand criteria and
constraints, and plan any needed reteaching.
• Review Device Test Results (AP 13.2) that students completed to determine
if each group is meeting the criteria and constraints of the activity. Identify
students who need more support and concepts that need clarification.
Incorporate adjustments as you plan for Day 3.
• Review student questions, and identify any that remain unanswered.
• Prompt students to express any new questions they may have, and add them to
the list. Discuss strategies for answering remaining questions.
SUPPORT—Reteach, if needed. If student understanding is insecure,
reinforce the steps of the Device Design Proposal (AP 13.1), and remind
students of the importance of testing a design. Emphasize that the devices
will be evaluated on how wellthey meet the criteria and constraints each
group established earlier in thelesson.
1. Day 3: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
How can I design a device that transforms energy to solve a problem? Explain that
today students will refine their designs. Invite students to ask questions about their
designs and tests. Record selected questions on the board or chart paper to revisit after
the activity.
Review paragraphs or sections of “How Can Energy Transformations Solve
Problems?,” Chapter 6 of the Student Reader, including page 36 on how engineering
design solves problems.
If time permits, remind students of the evolution of the phone and how the
solution to the problem of communication over distances has been refined and
improved over time. Emphasize that many different people have contributed to the
development of phones, as well as other devices. Have students describe how other
devices such as light bulbs have been improved over time. You may wish to use the
term optimize when discussing improving a design.
Activity Pages
AP 13.1
AP 13.2
Student Reader
Ch. 6
91LESSON 13 | DESIGNING DEVICES TO TRANSFORM ENERGY
2. Encourage student questions. 5 MIN
Lead a discussion about the descriptions students have shared of other devices.
Prompt students to think about why it is important to improve the designs of
devices over time. Review any questions, and encourage new questions and
insights. Discuss refinements student groups will make to improve their designs and
better meet the criteria for the problem’s solution.
3. Facilitate student renements and retests. 10 MIN
Have students review their device test results. Prompt them to discuss their results
with other students, using Activity Page 13.2 and asking for constructive feedback.
Have students brainstorm changes they can make to address any issues that were
discovered in the tests.
Give students time to make the refinements and retest.
4. Plan for presentations. 10 MIN
Distribute and review the Device Presentation Plan (AP 13.3) guidelines, modeling
for students how to complete the plans, if necessary. Allow time for students to plan
their presentations.
5. Check for understanding. 10 MIN
Summarize learning. Have students summarize what they have learned about
engineering design and testing.
Before moving on to Day 4, review the Device Presentation Plans for each group
to check if students are meeting the criteria and constraints they identified earlier
in the lesson. Identify students who need more support and concepts that need
clarification. Incorporate adjustments as you plan for Day 4.
Review the student questions that you have listed on the board or chart paper.
Prompt students to express any new questions they may have, and add them to the
list. Discuss strategies for answering remaining questions.
Activity Page
AP 13.2
Activity Page
AP 13.3
92 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
1. Day 4: Focus student attention on the Big Question. 5 MIN
How can I design a device that transforms energy to solve a problem?
Explain that today students will present, explain, and demonstrate their devices
for the class.
Review student questions from the beginning of the series of lessons. Identify
questions that have and have not been answered. Discuss how to find the answers
to remaining questions.
Discuss your review of each group’s Device Presentation Plan (AP 13.3).
• Point out positive elements of each plan, such as how well the criteria and
constraints are being met and if they have identified the initial and final forms
of energy.
• Ask any questions you have about the plan, and allow students an opportunity
to address any feedback that you offer each group.
2. Present student designs. 25 MIN
Distribute copies of Device Presentation Scoring Guide (AP 13.4), one for each
presentation. Review with students how to complete the rubrics so that they can
adequately score their peers.
Using Device Presentation Plan (AP 13.3), give each group five minutes to present
their devices to the class. Make sure students address the following points:
» What is the problem you are solving?
» What want or need are you meeting?
» What were the criteria (limitations)?
» What was the initial form of energy in the energy transformation?
» What was the final form of energy?
» Was there one or more than one kind of energy transformation?
» How did your team build it?
» What were the test results?
» How did you refine your device?
» Complete and have students complete a scoring guide after each presentation.
3. Summarize and discuss. 10 MIN
After all groups have made presentations, compare how each group built and
refined their device.
• Have students identify the energy transformations that were similar and
different.
• Discuss how each device solved the problem.
Activity Page
AP 13.3
Activity Pages
AP 13.3
AP 13.4
93LESSON 13 | DESIGNING DEVICES TO TRANSFORM ENERGY
4. Check for understanding. 5 MIN
Summarize learning. Have students summarize what more they have learned
about energy transformation and engineering design from building their devices.
• Review student questions, and identify any that remain unanswered. Prompt
students to express any new questions they may have, and add them to the list.
Discuss strategies for answering remaining questions.
• Review the Device Presentation Scoring Guide (AP 13.4) pages that students
completed for each presentation. Identify concepts that need clarification.
Incorporate adjustments as you open the next lesson.
SUPPORT—Reteach, if needed. If student understanding is insecure, review
the scoring guides individually. Address positive elements of the guide, and
ask students to explain how their devices and presentations could have
been improved after seeing other presentations. Have students describe
the key elements of the activity: the problem to be solved, the energy
transformation, and the criteria and constraints.
• For optional independent Core Vocabulary review, send home Energy Vocabulary
Crossword Puzzle (AP 13.5) and Energy Vocabulary Review (AP 13.6) prior to
conducting your in-class Unit Review and Unit Assessment.
Activity Pages
AP 13.5
AP 13.6
Answer Key
94 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
UNIT REVIEW
Solving Problems and Designing
Solutions: Thomas A. Edison
Big Question: How did Thomas Edison use his knowledge of energy transfer and transformation to
solve problems?
AT A GLANCE
Learning Objectives
✓ Use examples from the Student Reader to
apply the unit Performance Expectations.
✓ Use examples from the chapter about Edison
to review the unit Big Questions.
Lesson Activities
• student observation
• reading, discussion, writing
• vocabulary instruction
NGSS References
This unit addresses the following Grade 4
Performance Expectations for the NGSS topic
Energy.
• Use evidence to construct an explanation
relating the speed of an object to the energy
of that object. (PE 4-PS3-1)
• Make observations to provide evidence
thatenergy can be transferred from place
to place by sound, light, heat, and electric
currents. (PE 4-PS3-2)
• Ask questions and predict outcomes about the
changes in energy that occur when objects
collide. (PE 4-PS3-3)
• Apply scientific ideas to design, test, and refine
a device that converts energy from one form
to another. (PE 4-PS3-4)
The Unit Review is intended to support students
as they summarize their learning about these PEs
and prepare for the Unit Assessment. For detailed
information about the NGSS References, follow the
links in the Online Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
95UNIT REVIEW | SOLVING PROBLEMS AND DESIGNING SOLUTIONS: THOMAS A. EDISON
The Big Idea
Engineers use knowledge of energy as they develop solutions to problems and build
things that are useful to people. This lesson incorporates the principles and practices
of engineering design (such as defining problems and evaluating and optimizing
possible solutions) and reapplies learning objectives from earlier in the unit.
This lesson also reviews many of the Big Questions students have seen
throughout the unit that focus on the scientific concept of energy as the ability to
cause a change. Students can see concrete manifestations of energy all around
them—when they flip on a light switch, ride in a car, or answer a cell phone.
The scientific concept of energy as the ability to cause a change can prove initially
challenging. This abstract idea of the relationship between energy and change
becomes clearer when students understand that
• energy exists in different forms, such as sound, light, thermal energy, and
electrical energy;
• energy can transfer from object to object and place to place;
• one form of energy can transform to another;
• these forms of energy can cause a change, such as when a high-pitched sound
breaks glass or when heat melts butter; and
• all change, in fact, is evidence of energy transfer or transformation.
Core Vocabulary
Language of Instruction: During instruction, remind students of their prior exposure to the
followingterms.
change convert energy transformation speed
collide energy engineering design stored energy
collision energy of motion motion
conversion energy transfer sound
Core Vocabulary Deck:
Students should refer to their full set of Core Vocabulary cards during the
review discussion.
Instructional Resources
Student Reader, Chapter 7
“Solving Problems and Designing
Solutions: Thomas A. Edison”
Activity Page
Energy’s Big Questions
(AP UR.1)
Make sufficient copies for your
students prior to conducting
the lesson.
Materials and Equipment
No materials are required for this lesson other than
the Instructional Resources. Consider supporting
your students with a review of several examples
used in Lessons 1–13.
Student Reader
Ch. 7
Activity Page
AP UR.1
96 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
THE CORE LESSON 45 MIN
1. Focus student attention on the Big Question. 10 MIN
How did Thomas Edison use his knowledge of energy transfer and
transformation to solve problems? Explain to students that, although they will be
reading about a specific inventor, discussing the chapter will give them an opportunity
to apply what they have learned throughout all the lessons about energy.
Preview Core Vocabulary
Have students take out the Core Vocabulary card decks they have completed
throughout the unit. Instruct students to quickly scan the cards as a reminder of
terms to look for during today’s reading and Unit Review discussion. Have students
place the deck at the top left corner of their desks. When they encounter any term
in the deck during reading or discussion, they should move the card for that term to
the top right corner of the desk. Emphasis in this lesson is for students to use Core
Vocabulary in context in the discussion and to be aware of their use of the terms.
Conduct a quick, informal “Edison scavenger hunt.” Let students know they will
be looking at familiar objects but will be looking for a specific reason—to find
examples of battery-operated devices and electric lights.
• Let students know that there is not one set of correct answers for this activity.
Encourage students to safely look for battery compartments around the room
and to turn lights on and off.
• Discuss four or five examples that students identify and how each makes use of
energy transfer and transformation.
• Ask students to consider how people met the need for the problem these
devices solve before there were batteries or light bulbs.
2. Read and discuss: “Solving Problems and Designing Solutions:
Thomas A. Edison.” 20 MIN
Read together, or have students read independently, “Solving Problems and
Designing Solutions: Thomas A. Edison,” Chapter 7 in the Student Reader. The
selection is a brief overview of Edison’s life, focusing on his contributions to the
inventions of the light bulb and the alkaline battery.
Guided Reading Supports
When reading aloud together as a class, always prompt students to follow along.
Pause for discussion. Ask the following questions, and use the following prompts:
Page 37
• What problems did Edison try to solve as he designed his light bulb? (It is difficult
to see in the dark. A candle, lantern, or fire provides light but can be dangerous.)
Student Reader
Ch. 7
97UNIT REVIEW | SOLVING PROBLEMS AND DESIGNING SOLUTIONS: THOMAS A. EDISON
• Think about your home. Where do you find light bulbs in your home? (lamps in
every room, ceiling lights, new light bulbs stored in a cabinet)
Pages 38–39
• What is an open flame? (light that is not contained)
• Why did Edison place the filament inside the bulb? (to reduce the chance of
buildings catching on fire)
• Do you think light bulbs are safer than candles or lanterns? (yes) Why or why
not? (Open flames are a fire hazard, but when a bulb burns out or breaks, it will no
longer light.)
• Look closely at the picture of Edison’s light bulb. Where do you think the
transformation of electrical energy to light energy happens in his device?
(inside the bulb)
• When a light bulb turns on, what evidence shows that energy has transformed
in the light bulb? (The electrical energy in the filament produces light energy in the
light bulb, so the light comes on.)
Pages 40–41
• During Edison’s time, electric car batteries were heavy. Why do you think Edison
wanted to create a battery that was lighter?
• What energy transformations happen in a modern car? (The stored energy that
is in fuel and batteries makes a transformation to motion energy when the car is
started and begins to move.)
• Think about your home. What are some examples of devices in your house that
use size AA or size AAA batteries? How do they transform energy?
SUPPORT—Note to students that electric cars are not new technology.
The first commercial electric car came out in 1884, roughly four years after
the first commercial gasoline-powered car. The batteries were heavy, and the
cars did not have a long range. By the end of the 1910s, gasoline-powered
engines had been improved enough that they offered greater range and
more power than electric cars. As a result, cars with gasoline-powered
engines became more popular.
• Think about the word persistence. What do you think it means to persist?
(to keep trying to solve a problem)
CHALLENGE—If students would like to learn more, consider asking them
to find out more about Edison’s early electric car batteries. Have students
compare and contrast Edison’s electric car to those of today.
Page 42 • What advantages and disadvantages does the design of the traditional light
bulbhave? (It might be less expensive and might fit into some older sockets.)
• What advantages and disadvantages does the design of the CFL bulb have?
(It uses little heat, but the light is not very bright.)
• What advantages and disadvantages does the design of the LED bulb have?
(It gives off a lot of light and very little heat, using little energy.)
98 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
• Which examples in this chapter model Edison’s persistence as a designer and an
engineer? (He identified problems and worked hard to develop solutions. He tested
more than 6,000 materials to use for filaments. He made the first alkaline battery
in 1901.) Have you ever had to persist and try again and again to accomplish
something? (Yes; examples will vary.)
SUPPORT—The bulbs shown are all similar in form but function much
differently. To ensure students understand that not all lights need to be
shaped like a traditional bulb, ask them to identify lights that are not shaped
like a bulb, such as the classroom lights, which may be fluorescent or LED
tubes, a flashlight, or the light on a cellphone, which will be an LED light.
3. Check for understanding. 15 MIN
Distribute Energy’s Big Questions (AP UR.1).
• Assign students to work in pairs to discuss and develop written answers to the
unit’s Big Questions. Assign each pair one or two Big Questions to answer from
the Activity Page.
• Instruct students to draft their answers first on scrap paper as they work with
their partner.
• Challenge students to use references from Chapter 7 in their answers where
appropriate.
Before the next class session, the Unit Assessment, collect and evaluate the Activity
Page. Address any misguided or incomplete responses.
Return the Activity Page to students, and have selected students read their
responses to the whole class. Reviewing these Big Questions will support students
in preparation for the Unit Assessment.
See Teacher Resources pages 141–142 for guidance in administering the Unit
Assessment to conclude the unit.
Activity Page
AP UR.1 and
Answer Key
99TEACHER RESOURCES
UNIT 1
Teacher Resources
Activity Pages
• Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1) 101
• Surprise! (AP 2.1) 102
• Energy Causes Change (AP 2.2) 103
• On the Move (AP 3.1) 104
• Ramp It Up! (Day 1) (AP 4.1) 105
• Drop It (Day 2) (AP 4.2) 106
• Lesson 6 Check (AP 6.1) 107
• Lesson 7 Check (AP 7.1) 108
• Investigating Energy Transfer (AP 8.1) 10 9 –111
• Examples of Energy Transfer (AP 9.1) 112
• Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer (AP 9.2) 113 –114
• Lesson 10 Check (AP 10.1) 115
• Investigating Collisions (Day 1): Predictions (AP 11.1) 116
• Investigating Collisions (Day 2): Testing and Observation (AP 11.2) 117–118
• Lesson 12 Check (AP 12.1) 119
• Device Design Proposal (Day 1) (AP 13.1) 120–121
• Device Test Results (Day 2) (AP 13.2) 122
• Device Presentation Plan (Day 3) (AP 13.3) 123
• Device Presentation Scoring Guide (Day 4) (AP 13.4) 124
• Energy Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle (AP 13.5) 125–126
• Energy Vocabulary Review (AP 13.6) 127
• Energy’s Big Questions (AP UR.1) 128
Unit Assessment: What Have I Learned About Energy?
129–136
Activity Pages Answer Key: Energy Transfer and Transformation
137–140
Unit Assessment: Teacher Evaluation Guide 141–142
100 TEACHER RESOURCES
Appendix A: Glossary 143–144
Appendix B: Classroom Safety for Activities and Demonstrations 145–146
Appendix C: Strategies for Acquiring Materials 147
Appendix D: Advance Preparation for Activities and Demonstrations 148
Appendix E: What to Do When Activities Don’t Give Expected Results 149
101TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 1.1 Use with Lesson 1.
Energy Scavenger Hunt
Change is all around you! Energy causes changes. Explore the space you are in. Look for things that
change in some way. (Hint: Almost everything can!)
Find three examples of things that change. Complete the table to describe your choices.
Three samples have been done for you.
Something That Changes How Does It Change?
a light bulb It changes from not bright to bright.
an electric fan It changes from not moving to moving.
the grass outside It changes from short to tall.
Write two questions that you have about your examples.
1.
2.
102 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 2.1 Use with Lesson 2.
Surprise!
What changes occur in the party pictured here?
2
4
1
3
103TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 2.2 Use with Lesson 2.
Energy Causes Change
light sound electrical energy motion energy stored energy
Choose one form of energy from the box above. Circle your choice.
What change can this form of energy cause?
Draw a “before and after” cartoon to show a change, and indicate the form of energy that
causes the change.
BEFORE AFTER
Explain the cause and effect shown in your “before and after” cartoon.
What causes the change? What changes? (In other words, what is the cause, and what is the effect?)
104 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 3.1 Use with Lesson 3.
On the Move
Things are on the move everywhere that you look. Those moving objects can cause changes.
Identify an object that you know moves often.
Draw before and after diagrams to show how the motion of this object can cause a change.
Write descriptions to explain your model.
B
EFORE AFTER
105TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 4.1 Use with Lesson 4.
Ramp It Up (Day 1)
Different objects are moving at different speeds all around you! From the cars on the road to balls on
the playground, all moving objects have speed and energy.
Is there a connection between speed and energy? You are about to find out!
STEP 1: Build a low ramp from cardboard propped at one end by a book. Place the cup a short distance
from the bottom of the ramp (about the length of your foot).
STEP 2: Trial 1 Place your ball at the top of the ramp. Release the ball so it rolls down the ramp into the
cup. Notice how far the ball causes the cup to move. Place a marker to show how far the cup
moved.
STEP 3: Add books to make your ramp steeper so your ball will roll from a greater height. Place the cup
in the same position in front of the ramp as you did before.
STEP 4: Trial 2 Place your ball at the top of the ramp. Release the ball so it rolls down the ramp into the
cup. Notice how far the ball causes the cup to move.
STEP 5: Use your observations to complete the table.
Trial 1 Trial 2
In which trial was the ramp height
higher? In which trial was it lower?
In which trial did the ball roll with
greater speed? In which trial did it
roll with lesser speed?
In which trial did the ball move
the cup more? In which trial did it
move less?
In which trial did the rolling ball
have more energy? In which trial
did it have less energy?
STEP 6: Summarize your conclusion. Describe the relationship between energy and speed in your
investigation. Use evidence to support your explanation.
106 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 4.2 Use with Lesson 4.
Drop It (Day 2)
Dropping an object from different heights produces different falling speeds for the object.
Does the relationship between speed and energy remain the same as what you observed when rolling
a ball down a ramp?
STEP 1: Smooth the sand in the box so that there are no dents in the surface of the sand.
STEP 2: Trial 1 Hold the ball above the sand near one end of the box (not in the middle). Hold the ball
at about knee-height.
STEP 3: Drop the ball into the sand. Gently pick the ball out of the sand without disrupting the sand.
Notice the size of the crater that the ball’s impact made in the sand.
STEP 4: Trial 2 Hold the ball above the sand near the opposite end of the box. Hold the ball at about
waist-height.
STEP 5: Drop the ball into the sand again. Gently pick the ball out of the sand without disrupting the
sand. Notice the size of the crater that the ball’s impact made in the sand this time.
STEP 6: Use your observations to complete the table.
Trial 1 Trial 2
In which trial was the ball dropped
from higher position? In which trial
was it dropped from a lower position?
In which trial did the ball drop with
greater speed? In which trial did it
drop with lesser speed?
In which trial did the ball have a
greater impact on the sand? In which
trial did it have less impact?
In which trial did the falling ball have
more energy? In which trial did it have
less energy?
STEP 7: Summarize your conclusion. Describe the relationship between energy and speed in your
investigation. Use evidence to support your explanation.
107TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 6.1 Use with Lesson 6.
Lesson 6 Check
Write captions on the picture to explain what is happening.
Use each of these words at least one time in your captions.
sound energy evidence transfer
108 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 7.1 Use with Lesson 7.
Lesson 7 Check
Answer the items below to show what you have learned.
1. Which of the following is evidence of energy transfer? Circle all that apply.
a) a ball sitting at the top of a ramp
b) the sound from a vibrating tuning fork
c) a lighted wall across the room from a lamp
d) a crater produced by a meteorite impact
2. Draw a picture showing energy transfer from one object to another object by heat or electricity.
Write a caption on the lines below to explain your drawing. Use the word evidence in your caption.
109TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 8.1 (Page 1 of 3) Use with Lesson 8.
Investigating Energy Transfer
Station 1: Light Transfers Energy
STEP 1: Turn the flashlight on, and shine it at the wall so that its beam passes above the plate of chalk powder.
STEP 2: Gently dip the paintbrush bristles into the plate of chalk powder. Be careful to not make a mess!
STEP 3: Tap the brush gently with your free hand so the chalk powder falls back onto the plate. Watch
as the chalk falls between the flashlight and the wall.
STEP 4: Describe what you see happen in terms of motion energy, chemical energy, electrical energy,
and light energy.
STEP 5: Leave the station ready for the next group.
• Turn the flashlight off.
• Place the paintbrush back on the table.
• Be sure to let your teacher know if there is not enough chalk powder left on the plate. Other groups
will need to repeat the same activity after you!
STEP 6: Answer the questions below about what you observed. Repeat the investigation if you need to.
1. Can you see a beam of light between the flashlight and the wall without the chalk dust?
2. How does the chalk dust change what you are able to observe?
3. What evidence did you observe that energy transferred from place to place?
110 TEACHER RESOURCES
Activity Page 8.1 (Page 2 of 3) Use with Lesson 8.
Station 2: Heat Transfers Energy
SAFETY NOTE: Do not touch the hot plate or the beaker.
STEP 1: Use the tongs to place four ice cubes from the icebox/cooler into the beaker.
STEP 2: Watch what happens to the ice cubes.
STEP 3: Describe what you see happen in terms of electrical energy and heat energy.
STEP 4: When you are finished observing, let your teacher know to ready the station for the next group.
STEP 5: Answer the questions below about what you observed. Repeat the investigation if you need to.
1. What would happen if the temperature of the hot plate was decreased? How might this change
the result?
2. Would the results change if you added more ice cubes? Why or why not?
3. What evidence did you observe that energy transferred from place to place at this station?
111TEACHER RESOURCES
Activity Page 8.1 (Page 3 of 3) Use with Lesson 8.
Station 3: Electricity Transfers Energy
SAFETY NOTE: Do not handle the surge protector power cord that is plugged into the wall
electrical socket.
STEP 1: Observe the electronic device sitting on the table. Unplug the device from its charging cord. Notice
what happens. Plug the charging cord back into the device. Notice what happens.
STEP 2: Trace the cord all the way to the surge protector. Switch the surge protector into the off
position. Study the electronic device. Switch the surge protector back to the on position.
Notice what changes.
STEP 3: Describe what you see happen in terms of electrical energy and stored energy.
STEP 4: Prepare the station for the next group.
• Plug the device back in (if it is unplugged).
• Turn the surge protector to the on position.
• Place the device on the table.
STEP 5: Answer the questions below, and repeat the investigation if you need to.
1. What causes a change in the device?
2. What happens when you turn the surge protector off? What happens when you turn it on?
3. What would happen if there were not a wire connecting the surge protector to the device?
4. What evidence did you observe that energy transferred from place to place at this station?
112 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 9.1 Use with Lesson 9.
Examples of Energy Transfer
You can observe examples of energy being transferred every day.
Identify and record some real-life examples in the table below.
Type of Energy Description of Energy Transfer
Sound
Light
Heat
Electricity
113TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 9.2 (Page 1 of 2) Use with Lesson 9.
Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning About Energy Transfer
Part 1
Let’s take a moment to review the important terms claims, evidence, and reasoning:
1. Claim:
What is a claim?
Why do people make claims?
2. Evidence:
What is evidence?
What are some types of evidence?
3. Reasoning:
Describe an example of scientific reasoning.
Why do you think people use reasoning in science?
114 TEACHER RESOURCES
Activity Page 9.2 (Page 2 of 2) Use with Lesson 9.
Part 2
Now it’s time to write a claim of your own.
1. Choose one example of energy transfer that you have learned about or investigated. Describe an
example of how this form of energy transfers from one place to another.
2. What kind of evidence (data, observations, facts) was there that energy transfer took place?
3. Write a scientific claim about energy transfer. Follow this model: “I know
because
.”
115TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 10.1 Use with Lesson 10.
Lesson 10 Check
1. What two objects are about to collide in the
picture above?
2. What form of energy can be observed before
the collision happens?
3. What forms of energy would you expect to
observe as a result of this collision? Support
your answer with evidence.
4. What two objects are about to collide in the
picture above?
5. What form of energy can be observed before
the collision happens?
6. What forms of energy would you expect to
observe as a result of this collision? Support
your answer with evidence.
116 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 11.1 Use with Lesson 11.
Investigating Collisions (Day 1)
Predictions
Plan your investigation by completing the items below.
1. What do you want to find out? (Example: I want to find out what happens to energy when objects collide.)
2. What materials will you use for your investigation?
3. How will you make them collide?
4. Make a prediction. What do you think will happen when the objects collide?
5. What evidence might you observe that indicates energy transfers from one object to another?
117TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 11.2 (Page 1 of 2) Use with Lesson 11.
Investigating Collisions (Day 2)
Testing and Observation
Complete your investigation by completing the items below.
1. Use the materials you chose on Day 1, and build your ramp.
2. Conduct the investigation.
• Place the objects on the ramp.
• Roll the top objects down the ramp, and observe what happens.
3. Record your observations in the table below under Test 1.
Test Observations of Energy Transfer
Test 1
Test 2
4. Change one variable (i.e., height or speed) in your design. Which variable will you change?
5. Make a new prediction. What do you expect to see now that you changed this variable?
6. Build your second design.
7. Perform the test again with the changed variable.
8. Record the new observations for Test 2 in the table.
118 TEACHER RESOURCES
Activity Page 11.2 (Page 2 of 2) Use with Lesson 11.
9. Study the observations in the table. Answer the following questions:
• Was any energy transferred? Use evidence to support your answer.
• What are the differences between the two tests?
• Do you see any patterns? If so, what are they?
• What is the cause-and-effect relationship that you see? Write your answer as an If, Then
statement.
If
,
then
10. Evaluate the predictions you made before each test. Were your predictions accurate? Why or
whynot?
119TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 12.1 Use with Lesson 12.
Lesson 12 Check
Answer the questions to show what you know from this lesson.
1. What is the Big Question for this lesson?
2. Name a device that converts stored chemical energy of natural gas to heat energy to help people
cook food.
3. What energy transformation(s) takes place in a smoothie blender?
4. What problem does a wind-up kitchen timer solve? Use the word solution, as well as want or need
(or both), in your answer.
5. Describe two energy transformations that happen in a wind-up kitchen timer.
6. How do people use a conversion from electrical energy to light energy in helpful ways in a kitchen
or school classroom?
120 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.1 (Page 1 of 2) Use with Lesson 13.
Device Design Proposal (Day 1)
Plan a device to solve a problem using an energy transformation.
Problem to Be Solved:
Device Name:
Energy Transformation:
Initial Form(s) of Energy Final Form(s) of Energy
How will your team’s device solve the problem by transforming (converting) energy?
How will you know whether your device solves the problem or not?
Criteria:
Constraints (limitations):
Materials: Circle the materials your team will use. Write in any additional materials used on the lines below.
aluminum foil cardboard tubes cups springs
ball clear plastic wrap glue sticks
blocks containers ramps string
boxes craft paper rubber bands tape
121TEACHER RESOURCES
Draw your device, and add labels to help show how your device will work.
Name Date
Activity Page 13.1 (Page 2 of 2) Use with Lesson 13.
122 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.2 Use with Lesson 13.
Device Test Results (Day 2)
Trial
Test your device
multiple times.
Results
Briefly describe
whether your device
worked or not.
Observations About
Energy Transfer and
Transformation
What evidence do you
have that your device
worked?
Improvements or Fixes
How can you refine your
device to work better in
the future?
1.
2.
3.
Make a claim about whether testing your device is important or not. Use your observations as evidence
and reasoning to support your claim.
123TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.3 Use with Lesson 13.
Device Presentation Plan (Day 3)
Review your work on Activity Page 13.2 (Day 2). Summarize your work so far by answering these
questions.
Problem to Be Solved:
Device Name:
Energy Transformation:
Initial Form(s) of Energy Final Form(s) of Energy
How well did your device solve the problem?
How did you build your device?
What were the results of your tests?
How did you refine your device?
Describe whether your revisions made your device work better or worse. Support your ideas by
summarizing observations and evidence from each of your test trials.
124 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.4 Use with Lesson 13.
Device Presentation Scoring Guide (Day 4)
Use this guide as you listen to your classmates present their devices. For each line of the guide, give the
team a score that reflects how well their presentation covered that section. For example, a score of 3 for
“Defines the problem to be solved” would mean the presentation clearly told others of the problem to
be solved.
Description 3 2 1
Defines the problem to be solved
Meets the criteria defined for the device
Meets the constraints or limitations defined for the device
Identies the initial and nal forms of energy in the energy transformation
Describes how the solution converts energy from one form to another to
solve the problem
I like your group’s design because
What other questions would you ask about the device?
125TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.5 (Page 1 of 2) Use with Lesson 13.
Energy Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
Use the words in the word bank to complete the crossword puzzle. Review the cards in your Core
Vocabulary deck before you begin.
light change evidence energy motion forms of energy* position
sound convert heat stored energy* energy transfer* electricity
speed energy of motion* distance
Across
2. when energy moves from one object to
another or from one place to another
4. a type of energy that makes things hot
8. different types of energy, such as sound,
heat, or light
11. the energy an object has while it is moving
12. to change
13. form of energy that powers lights in
modern homes
14. how fast an object is moving
15. anything that helps prove or disprove
anidea
16. to become different
Down
1. where something is in space
3. the process of an object changing position
5. a type of energy you can see with your eyes
6. the ability to cause change
7. a type of energy you can hear with your ears
9. energy that has the potential to cause change
at a later time
10. how far apart objects are
*Spaces that appear between words in terms above do not appear in the puzzle.
126 TEACHER RESOURCES
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8 9
10
11 12
13
14
15
16
Name Date
Energy Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle
Activity Page 13.5 (Page 2 of 2) Use with Lesson 13.
127TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page 13.6 Use with Lesson 13.
Energy Vocabulary Review
Complete each sentence with the correct Core Vocabulary term or phrase. Not every word in the word
bank will be used, and some may be used more than once. Review the cards in your Core Vocabulary
deck before you begin.
change energy forms of energy stored energy evidence heat light
motion position sound transfer collision electricity observation
model speed distance energy of motion convert energy transformation
1. When you add hot soup to a cold bowl,
energy transfers from the soup to the
bowl.
2. If a book is falling off a shelf, the book has
because it is changing its
.
3. Playing a drum produces
, which is a form of energy that you can hear.
4. Energy can
from one object to another object.
5. When a bowling ball hits the bowling pins, a sound rings through the bowling alley. The change
from motion energy to sound energy is an example of a(n)
.
6. Energy is the ability to cause
.
7. Heat, light, and sound are examples of
.
8. A marble at the top of a ramp has
, because at any moment it can move down
the ramp.
9. Computers are powered by
.
10.
is a measure of how fast an object is moving, and is a
measure of how far apart objects are.
11. When light energy is converted to heat energy, this is known as
.
128 TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Activity Page UR.1 Use with Unit Review.
Energy’s Big Questions
The table below contains most of the Big Questions you have explored in the unit Energy Transfer and
Transformation.
Circle the question that was assigned for you to answer.
Where can we observe evidence of energy
causing change?
What evidence shows that energy is transferred
from place to place?
What are some forms of energy? How is energy involved in collisions?
How are energy, change, and movement of
objects related?
What happens when objects collide?
How are energy and speed related? How are collisions predictable?
What evidence shows that sound transfers
energy from one place to another?
How do energy transformations help people?
What evidence shows that light, heat, and
electricity transfer energy from place to place?
How did Thomas Edison use his knowledge of
energy transfer and transformation to solve
problems?
Write three or four sentences to answer the Big Question that was assigned to you and your partner.
Prepare a rough draft of your answer first on scrap paper, and then write your final draft below.
Underline any terms in your answer which have a card in your Core Vocabulary deck.
129TEACHER RESOURCES
Name Date
Unit Assessment: What Have I Learned About Energy?
Answer the items below to show what you have learned.
1. Which sentences describe evidence of energy causing change? Circle the letter for each correct
answer.
a) A basketball smashes into a backboard.
b) Electricity jumps from your fingertip to a doorknob, giving you a shock.
c) When the school bus starts up, you can hear the engine make a sound.
d) A stick of dynamite explodes.
2. Write the form or forms of energy described in each sentence below. Some sentences may
describe more than one form of energy.
light heat motion sound electrical
a) The sun is shining on a nice summer day.
b) A firework explodes in the sky.
c) You kick a soccer ball at the goal.
d) You’re happy and you know it, so you clap your hands.
e) You buckle your seat belt, and the school bus takes off to the school.
f) You turn on a battery-powered flashlight.
UNIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 1 OF 8)
130 TEACHER RESOURCES
3. Draw a model of energy causing a change. Your drawing may show a before-and-after
transformation, or you can use your imagination. Identify the type of energy causing the change.
Write a sentence describing the change.
Type of energy:
Describe the change:
UNIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 2 OF 8)
131TEACHER RESOURCES
4. You are setting up an investigation to show the relationship between the speed of a moving
object and its energy. You have a ball and a block. You also have three different types of ramps:
alow-height ramp, a medium-height ramp, and a high-height ramp.
Which ramp will result in the greatest amount of change? Explain your thinking using words from
your Core Vocabulary deck.
5. Which ramp will result in the least amount of change? Explain why using words from your Core
Vocabulary deck.
U
NIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 3 OF 8)
low
medium
high
132 TEACHER RESOURCES
6. What is the relationship between the speed of an object and its energy of motion? Use evidence
and examples you have learned during this unit to support your explanation.
7. Maria has been studying sound energy at school. She has written an explanation of sound using
an example from her experience.
Maria says, “Sound energy only travels over long distances. When I am on the playground, I can
hear the bell that rings from across the field that lets me know recess is over.”
Do you agree with Maria? Use your own evidence to support your answer.
8. Which statements are evidence that energy has been transferred from object to object or place to
place? Circle the letter for each correct answer.
a) Your friend kicks a goal while playing soccer.
b) Gravity pulls on an apple, but it doesn’t fall out of a tree.
c) You push on the school door, but it stays closed.
d) You hear a bell ringing from far away.
e) You flip a light switch, and the room lights up.
f) A person pulls a wagon down a street.
g) The backpack you left in the car gets hot on a sunny day.
U
NIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 4 OF 8)
133TEACHER RESOURCES
The school cafeteria keeps cooked food under lamps until students pick it up to eat. The top of
each portion of food stays warmest.
9. What two kinds of energy are the lamps transferring to the food?
10. What evidence would support your claims about the types of energy used in the cafeteria
example above? Use terms from your Core Vocabulary deck in your answer.
U
NIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 5 OF 8)
lamp
food
134 TEACHER RESOURCES
11. You roll a toy car down a ramp into a stack of four blocks. The top block falls off the stack.
You add some weight to the toy car and repeat the test, changing ONLY the weight of the car. This
time, the top two blocks fall off the stack.
Based on this pattern, explain the result in terms of energy change.
What can you predict if even more weight is added to the toy car for the next test? Use terms from
your Core Vocabulary deck in your answer.
12. Your teacher holds a ball up and drops it. She asks what happened to the energy of the ball.
Hereare the answers from four students.
Student A: The stored energy of the ball becomes motion energy.
Student B: The chemical energy of the ball becomes motion energy.
Student C: Heat transforms into motion energy.
Student D: Gravity is transferred into heat energy.
Which student is correct? Explain your reasoning using vocabulary, such as position, and examples
that you have learned during this unit.
U
NIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 6 OF 8)
135TEACHER RESOURCES
13. Your teacher is leaving over the weekend, but the house plants in his classroom can’t be left
without water or light. Describe a device that could solve this problem. The solution would need to
automatically provide water and light to a plant when people are away.
14. If you were to build your device for your teacher, how would you test it to see if it works, and how
might you improve your design based on your test results?
UNIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 7 OF 8)
136 TEACHER RESOURCES
UNIT ASSESSMENT (PAGE 8 OF 8)
15. A student named Maria made a sketch of her solution to the same problem. Maria’s solution
includes plugging a lamp into a timer that works in a wall socket. At the same times each day, the
timer switches the lamp on and off. Her solution also includes a container of water that allows
water to drip slowly through a hose down into the planter. The container of water sits on a stack of
books so it is positioned higher than the planter.
Complete the labels on Maria’s diagram to identify the types of energy that are converted in her
design.
Maria’s lamp design solution converts
to
.
Maria’s drip hose solution converts
to
.
Water container
Drip hose
137
Activity Pages Answer Key: Energy Transfer and Transformation
This answer key offers guidance to help you assess your students’ learning progress. Here, you will find
descriptions of the expectations and correct answers for each of the Activity Pages of this unit.
Energy Scavenger Hunt (AP 1.1)
(page 101)
• Students should include examples of three changes
and a brief explanation of how each change occurs.
• Accept any reasonable student questions that are
based on the examples the students wrote.
Surprise! (AP 2.1)
(page 102)
1. Light energy transfers (moves) into the room.
2. Electrical energy transforms into light energy as
the light is turned on.
3. Sound energy is made by the people talking and
the noisemakers.
4. Light and heat energy are released by the candle.
Energy Causes Change (AP 2.2)
(page 103)
• Students should correctly identify a change
caused by the energy they circled in the word box,
such as stored energy changing to motion energy
when a person walks across the room.
• Before and after drawings should be correct and
include the form of energy causing the change,
such as drawing the candle without a flame and
then a lit candle.
• Students should identify both the cause and
theeffect. For example, a match can be struck to
light the candle, and the effect is light and heat.
On the Move (AP 3.1)
(page 104)
• Students should identify an object that moves.
• Before and after drawings should be correct and
show the change.
• Students’ descriptions should include correct
before and after descriptions based on their
drawings.
Ramp It Up! (Day 1) (AP 4.1)
(page 105)
Step 5 Students should complete the table for each
trial. The first trial should show a lower starting
height, less speed, less cup movement, and
less energy. The second trial should show a
higher starting height, greater speed, more cup
movement, and more energy.
Step 6 Students should use their results to note the
relationship between energy and speed,
citing evidence to support their explanation.
A steeper ramp makes the ball roll faster. The
greater speed has more energy when it hits the
cup, so it moves farther.
Drop It (Day 2) (AP 4.2)
(page 106)
Step 6 Students should complete the table for each
trial. The first trial should show a lower starting
height, less speed, less impact, and less motion
energy. The second trial should show a higher
starting height, more speed, greater impact,
and more motion energy.
Step 7 Students should use their results to describe the
relationship between energy and speed, citing
evidence to support their explanation.
A drop from a greater height makes the ball
drop faster. The greater speed has more
energy when it hits, so the impact makes a
bigger crater.
Lesson 6 Check (AP 6.1)
(page 107)
Students should note that the pencil transfers energy
of motion to the bottom of the cup and that the sound
of the tapping is evidence of energy transfer. Students
should also note that sound from the tapping comes
out of the top of the cup and that the movement of
the paper is evidence of energy transfer.
TEACHER RESOURCES | ANSWER KEY
138
Lesson 7 Check (AP 7.1)
(page 108)
1. b, c, d
2. Student drawing should show a clearly
captionedand explained energy transfer by
heator electricity. The term evidence is used in
thecaption.
Investigating Energy Transfer – Station 1:
Light Transfers Energy (AP 8.1)
(page 109)
Step 4 Students should note that light energy is
transferring from the flashlight to the wall.
1. Students should note that the flashlight batteries
transfer chemical energy to light.
2. Students should note that they cannot see the
beam oflight without the chalk dust.
3. Students should note the chalk dust gives the light
energy something to bounce off.
4. Students should note the evidence of energy
transfer is the light shining on the chalk dust
andwall.
Investigating Energy Transfer – Station 2:
Heat Transfers Energy (AP 8.1)
(page 110)
Step 3 Students should note that electrical energy
is transferring to the hot plate. Then the heat
energy is transferring from the hot plate to the
beaker and then to the ice cubes.
1. Students should note that less heat energy would
flow from the hot plate to the beaker, causing the
ice cubes to melt slower.
2. Students should note that more ice cubes would
take longer to melt because more heat energy
would be needed.
3. Students should note the melting of the ice cubes
isevidence that energy is being transferred from
place to place.
Investigating Energy Transfer – Station 3:
Electricity Transfers Energy (AP 8.1)
(page 111)
Step 3 Students should note the electrical energy
is transferring from the outlet to the surge
protector and then to the device.
Station 3, continued
1. Students should note that the electrical energy
flowing from the surge protector to the device
causes a change.
2. Students should note that when the surge
protector is off, no electrical energy flows and
that when it is on, electrical energy flows.
3. Students should note that the electrical energy
would not flow if there were no wire.
4. Students should note the device is signaling when
electrical energy is flowing into the device.
Examples of Energy Transfer (AP 9.1)
(page 112)
Students should include examples from all four types
of energy listed and should include an accurate
description of the transfer.
Claims, Evidence, and Reasoning
About Energy Transfer (AP 9.2)
(pages 113–114)
Part 1
1. Claim: A claim is a statement that declares a fact or
presents an argument that has not been proven.
People make claims as a key step to making a
scientific examination.
2. Evidence: Evidence is proof that supports or
refutes a claim. An example of evidence would be
the results from a science investigation.
3. Reasoning: Student examples of reasoning should
show a clear and logical progression. People use
reasoning in science because they seek to reach
testable truths.
Part 2
1. Student examples should indicate a clear transfer of
energy, such as hot soup being poured into a bowl
and subsequent temperature changes.
2. Student evidence should refer back to their
learning or investigation, such as noting that the
bowl that the hot soup is poured into gets hot,
indicating the transfer of heat energy.
3. Student responses should be properly supported
and in the form of “I know . . . because . . .,” such as,
“I know the heat energy in the soup transferred to
the bowl because the bowl is now hot.”
ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
139
140 ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
Lesson 10 Check (AP 10.1)
(page 115)
1. The soccer player’s foot and the soccer ball are
about tocollide.
2. The form of energy before the collision is energy
ofmotion.
3. There would be energy of motion, which you
could see as the ball moves. There would be sound
energy that you could hear. There would be a tiny
amount of heat energy from the collision.
4. The drumsticks and drum are about to collide.
5. The form of energy before the collision is energy
ofmotion.
6. There would be energy of motion as the
drumsticks bounce back up. There would be
sound energy, which you could hear. There would
be a tiny amount of heat energy from the collision.
Investigating Collisions (Day 1):
Predictions (AP 11.1)
(page 116)
Sample responses:
1. We want to find out how energy causes changes
during a collision and if the amount of energy
changes with speed.
2. We will use a ramp and send a toy car down the
ramp. It will collide with a can, and we can see how
far the canmoves.
3. The toy car will collide with the can.
4. I predict the toy car will push the can back.
5. We will roll the car down the ramp to observe it.
We will measure the distance the can moves by
using car lengths.
Investigating Collisions (Day 2): Testing and
Observation (AP 11.2)
(pages 117–118)
3. Student observations should show that the object
travelling down the ramp collided with and moved
the object at the bottom of the ramp.
4. Students should identify one independent
variable to change, such as the height of the ramp
or the weight of an object.
5. If the toy car has more weight, it will move the can
farther back when they collide.
(Day 2), continued
9. • Energy of motion was transferred from the toy
car to the can.
• Student observations between the two tests
should be consistent with the change in
variables, e.g., adding more weight to the car
or height to the ramp caused a collision with
more energy, resulting in the effect of the can
moving farther.
• The more energy added before the collision,
the more energy we saw during the collision.
• If more energy is added to a collision (cause),
then we will see more movement (effect) after
the collision.
10. We predicted adding more weight to the car
would result in more energy in the collision. The
prediction was accurate as the can moved farther
after the collision in the second test.
Lesson 12 Check (AP 12.1)
(page 119)
1. How do energy transformations help people?
2. an oven or stove
3. Electrical energy is converted to energy of motion
and sound energy.
4. A kitchen timer provides the solution of what
to do when you need to cook something a
specific length of time so it does not overcook
or undercook.
5. The stored energy of the spring inside the timer
changes to energy of motion. When the bell rings,
energy of motion changes to sound energy.
6. Accept all reasonable responses, such as, “The
lights in the classroom allow the change of
electrical energy into light energy so students
canread their books.”
Device Design Proposal (Day 1) (AP 13.1)
(pages 120–121)
• The student problem to be solved should be their
assigned problem.
• Students should identify the initial and final forms
of energy their device will transform.
• Student descriptions of their device should include
how the device solves the problem and some
reference to how the energy will be transformed.
• Accept all plausible criteria and constraints.
TEACHER RESOURCES | ANSWER KEY
140
(Day 1), continued
• Students should circle or list any materials they will
use in their device.
• Student drawings of their device should include
clear incorporation of their materials.
Device Test Results (Day 2) (AP 13.2)
(page 122)
• Student results and observations may vary, but
there should be improvements or fixes to their
devices based on the test results.
• Claims should indicate that testing their device
was an important step in improving the device.
Device Presentation Plan (Day 3) (AP 13.3)
(page 123)
• Students should identify the problem, criteria,
and energy transformation from Device Design
Proposal (AP 13.1).
• Students should provide a clear description of how
they built their device.
• Students should refer to Device Test Results
(AP 13.2) for initial information about their test
results, which they can then expand on.
• Students should refer to Device Test Results
(AP 13.2) for initial information about their
refinements to their device, which they can then
expand on.
Device Presentation Scoring Guide
(Day 4) (AP 13.4)
(page 124)
Students should complete the scoring guide for the
device. Students should also identify what they liked
in the other group’s device, as well as other questions
they may have had about the device.
Energy Vocabulary Crossword Puzzle (AP 13.5)
(pages 125–126)
ACROSS: DOWN:
2. energy transfer 1. position
4. heat 3. motion
8. forms of energy 5. light
11. energy of motion 6. energy
(AP 13.5), continued
12. convert 7. sound
13. electricity 9. stored energy
14. speed 10. distance
15. evidence
16. change
Energy Vocabulary Review (AP 13.6)
(page 127)
1. heat 2. energy of motion, position 3. sound
4. transfer 5. energy transformation 6. change
7. forms of energy 8. stored energy 9. electricity
10 speed, distance 11. energy transformation
Energy’s Big Questions (AP UR.1)
(page 128)
Students should circle their assigned question.
Student responses should reflect the content and
experiences from the lesson(s) from which the Big
Question originates. Vocabulary terms from their Core
Vocabulary decks should be incorporated in their
written responses and underlined.
Consider student responses as follows:
Above Average—Written responses clearly identify
examples and ideas that help answer the Big Question.
Examples are clearly linked to the Disciplinary Core
Ideas learned, and Core Vocabulary is incorporated
into the response and underlined.
Average—Written responses may include examples
of learning about the Big Question but do not clearly
link to the DCIs learned during the lessons. Core
Vocabulary is incorporated into the response.
Adequate—The Big Question is answered, but
not using examples from the lessons or Student
Reader chapters. Core Vocabulary may be listed but
is not used in a complete sentence, and/or a minor
misunderstanding about the Disciplinary Core Ideas
is present.
Inadequate—Responses do not relate to
the Big Question, or responses include a clear
misunderstanding of the Big Question or DCI.
ENERGY TRANSFER AND TRANSFORMATION
141TEACHER RESOURCES
Unit Assessment: Teacher Evaluation Guide
Teacher Directions: The Unit Assessment on pages 129–136 is designed as a fifty-point test. Through
this assessment, students demonstrate their overall learning of the unit’s Learning Objectives. CKSci
Unit Assessments typically range from ten to fifteen questions in the upper elementary grades, which
can be answered in a longer, single classroom session or administered in two sittings.
Items with simpler answers that assess knowledge but not the deeper understandings of the content,
such as multiple choice or short answers, are weighted differently and are worth fewer points.
Assessment items that require more complex thinking and a deeper understanding of the content, such
as writing explanations or identifying multiple relationships, are worth more points. Items that require
synthesis of content and other student knowledge are weighted with more points as well. Some test
items encourage students to use their Core Vocabulary decks as a reference source for terminology and
concepts related to the test item.
Expected Answers and Model Responses
1. a, b, c, d (2 points)
2. a) light and heat (6 points)
b) light, sound (Heat and motion also should be considered correct.)
c) motion, sound
d) motion, sound (Heat should also be considered correct.)
e) motion, sound (Electrical energy should also be considered correct.)
f) electrical energy, light (Heat should also be regarded as correct.)
3. (4 points)
Above Average Student response includes labels and/or clear descriptions of what is
happening in the illustration. The type of energy causing the change is
identified, and student clearly describes the change.
Average Student response includes an accurate drawing with labels. The type
of energy causing the change is identified, and student describes the
change.
Adequate Student response includes a drawing. The type of energy causing the
change is identified, and/or student describes the change.
Inadequate Student response includes an inaccurate or no drawing. The type of
energy causing the change is not identified or is incorrect. Student does
not describe the change.
142 TEACHER RESOURCES
4. Student response should note that the highest ramp will result in the greatest energy of
motion when the ball contacts the block. When the energy is transferred to the block, it will
move it the farthest. (3 points)
5. Student response should note that the lowest ramp will result in the least energy of motion
when the ball contacts the block. When the energy is transferred to the block, it will move it
the least distance. (3 points)
6. Student response should note that as the speed of an object increases, the amount of its energy of
motion increases. (3 points)
7. Student response should include evidence that sound energy can travel over long or short
distances. (3 points)
8. a, d, e, f, g (3 points)
9. The food lamps transfer light and heat energy to the food. (2 points)
10. Accept all plausible responses. Student responses providing evidence that the lamps transfer light
and heat could include: the food stays hot on the counter, you can feel the heat coming from the
lamp, and you can see the light with your eyes. (3 points)
11. Student response should note that the more weight in the car, the more stored energy it probably
must have that is converted to motion energy. Based on this pattern, the car with more weight will
knock more blocks over than a car with less weight. (3 points)
12. Student response should note that Student A is correct because the ball has stored energy while
it is positioned in the teacher’s hand. This stored energy transforms into motion energy when she
drops theball. (3 points)
13. Accept all plausible student descriptions of a device that automatically provides water and light to
a plant. (4 points)
14. It could be tested by making sure the plant is healthy and the soil is moist. It might be improved by
adjusting it to get more light or water. (4 points)
15. Maria’s drip hose solution converts energy of position to energy of motion (as water runs
downfrom the container to the planter). Maria’s lamp solution converts electrical energy to
lightenergy. (4 points)
143TEACHER RESOURCES
Blue words and phrases are Core Vocabulary terms for the unit, and Student Reader page numbers
are listed in parentheses. Bold-faced words and phrases are additionalvocabulary terms related
to the unit that you should model for students during instruction and that are often used within
theStudent Reader, and these latter terms do not have specific page numbers listed. Vocabulary words
are not intended for use in isolated drill or memorization.
APPENDIX A
Glossary
C
cause and effect, n. is a relationship in which one thing
makes another thing happen
change. v. to become different (1)
claim, n. a statement that answers a question or poses a
solution to a problem
collide. v. to come together with impact (25)
collision, n. an instance of colliding (25)
contact, n. to be physically touching
conversion, n. the process of being converted or changing
form (32)
convert. v. to change form (32)
D
design problem, n. a problem for which a design solution
should be applied
design solution, n. the method someone develops to solve
a design problem
distance, n. amount of space between two objects
E
electrical energy, n. the flow of electrons from one location
to another
electricity, n. a form of energy caused by the movement of
electrons
energy, n. the ability to cause change (1)
energy change, n. the conversion of one form of energy
into one or more other forms of energy
energy of motion, n. the energy an object possesses while
it is moving (9)
energy transfer, n. movement of energy from one object to
another or from one place to another (17)
energy transformation, n. the change of one form of
energy to another form of energy (32)
engineering design, n. a process used to develop a
solution to a problem (36)
evidence, n. anything that helps prove or disprove
an idea
F
forms of energy, n. the different forms energy can be found
in, such as light or heat
H
heat, n. a form of energy caused by the movement of atoms
or molecules
L
light, n. a form of energy caused by the movement of
photons, which are little packets of energy
M
model, n. a helpful tool for representing an idea or
explaining a process or relationship
motion, n. the process of an object changing position (7)
O
observation, n. the act of noting or viewing something
P
position, n. the place an object occupies
prediction, n. a statement about what might or will happen
R
reasoning, n. a scientific mindset that connects claims and
evidence
rotate, v. to spin
144 TEACHER RESOURCES
S
solution, n. a method for solving a problem
sound, n. a form of energy that comes from a vibrating
object (28)
speed, n. a measurement of the distance an object travels
over an amount of time (13)
stored energy, n. energy that has the ability to cause
change at a later time (4)
T
transfer, v. to move from one place to another
transform, v. to change the appearance or form of
something; see also energy transformation
V
variable, n. something that is changed or is not consistent
145TEACHER RESOURCES
APPENDIX B
Classroom Safety for Activities and Demonstrations
In the Core Knowledge Science program (CKSci), activities and demonstrations are a vital part of the
curriculum and provide students with active engagement related to the lesson content. The activities
and demonstrations in this unit have been selected and designed to engage students in a safe manner.
The activities and demonstrations make use of materials and equipment that are typically deemed
classroom safe and readily available.
Safety should be a priority when engaged in science activities. With that in mind, observe the following
safety procedures when the class is engaged in activities and demonstrations:
• Report and treat any injuries immediately.
• Check equipment prior to usage, and make sure everything is clean and ready for use.
• Clean up spills or broken equipment immediately using the appropriate tools.
• Monitor student behavior to ensure they are following proper classroom and activity procedures.
• Do not touch your eyes, ears, face, or mouth while engaging in an activity or demonstration.
• Review each step of the lesson to determine if there are any safety measures or materials necessary
in advance.
• Wear personal protective equipment (e.g., safety goggles, aprons, etc.) as appropriate.
• Check for allergies to latex and other materials that students may have, and take appropriate
measures.
• Secure loose clothing, hair, or jewelry.
• Establish storage and disposal procedures for chemicals as per their Safety Data Sheet (SDS),
including household substances, such as vinegar and baking soda.
Copy and distribute the Student Safety Contract, found on the next page, for students to read and
agree to prior to the start of the first unit so students are aware of the expectations when engaged in
science activities.
For additional support for safety in the science classroom, follow the links in the
Online Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Online Resources
146 TEACHER RESOURCES
Student Safety Contract
When doing science activities, I will do the following:
• Report spills, breakages, or injuries to the teacher
right away.
• Listen to the teacher for special instructions and
safety directions. If I have questions, I will ask the
teacher.
• Avoid eating or drinking anything during the
activity unless told to by my teacher.
• Review the steps of the activity before I begin. If
I have questions, I will ask the teacher.
• Wear safety goggles when working with liquids
or things that can fly into my eyes.
• Be careful around electric appliances, and
unplug them, just by pulling on the plug, when a
teacher is supervising.
• Keep my hands dry when using tools and
devices that use electricity.
• Be careful to use safety equipment like gloves or
tongs when handling materials that may be hot.
• Know when a hot plate is on or off and let it cool
before touching it.
• Roll or push up long sleeves, keep my hair tied
back, and secure any jewelry I am wearing.
• Return unused materials to the teacher.
• Clean up my area after the activity and wash my
hands.
• Treat all living things and the environment with
respect.
I have read and agree to the safety rules in this contract.
/ / /
Student signature and date
Print name
Dear Parent or Guardian,
During science class, we want to create and maintain a safe classroom. With this in mind, we are making
sure students are aware of the expectations for their behavior while engaged in science activities. We
are asking you to review the safety rules with your daughter or son and sign this contract. If you have
any questions, please feel free to contact me.
/ / /
Parent or guardian signature and date
147TEACHER RESOURCES
APPENDIX C
Strategies for Acquiring Materials
The materials used in the Core Knowledge Science program (CKSci) are readily available and can be
acquired through both retail and online stores. Some of the materials will be reusable and are meant to
be used repeatedly. This includes equipment such as scales, beakers, and safety goggles, but also items
such as plastic cups that can be safely used again. Often these materials can be cleaned and will last for
more than one activity, or even one school year. Other materials are classified as consumable and are
not able to be used more than once, such as glue, baking soda, and aluminum foil.
The Material Supply List for this unit’s activities can be found online. Follow the links
in the Online Resources Guide for this unit:
www.coreknowledge.org/cksci-online-resources
Ways to Engage with Your Community
The total cost of materials can add up for an entire unit, even when the materials required for activities
and demonstrations have been selected to be individually affordable. And the time needed to acquire
the materials adds up too. Reaching out to your community to help support STEM education is a great
way to engage parents, guardians, and others with the teaching of science, as well as to reduce the cost
and time of collecting the materials. With that in mind, the materials list can be distributed or used as a
reference for the materials teachers will need to acquire to teach the unit.
Consider some of the following as methods for acquiring the science materials:
• School Supply Drive—If your school has a supply drive at any point in the year, consider distributing
materials lists as wish lists for the science department.
• Open Houses—Have materials lists available during open houses. Consider having teams
of volunteers perform an activity to show attendees how the materials will be used throughout
the year.
• Parent Teacher Organizations—Reach out to the local PTO for assistance with acquiring materials.
• Science Fair Drive—Consider adding a table to your science fair as part of a science materials drive
for future units.
• College or University Service Project—Ask service organizations affiliated with your local higher
education institutions to sponsor your program by providing materials.
• Local Businesses—Some businesses have discounts for teachers to purchase school supplies. Others
may want to advertise as sponsors for your school/programs. Usually you will be asked for verifiable
proof that you are a teacher and/or examples of how their sponsorship will benefit students.
Remember: if your school is public it will be tax exempt, so make sure to have a Tax Identification
Number (TIN) when purchasing materials. If your school is private, you may need proof of 501(c)(3)
status to gain tax exemption. Check with your school for any required documentation.
Online Resources
148 TEACHER RESOURCES
APPENDIX D
Advance Preparation for Activities and Demonstrations
Being properly prepared for classroom activities and demonstrations is the first step to having a
successful and enriching science program. Advance preparation is critical to effectively support student
learning and understanding of the content in a lesson.
Before doing demonstrations and activities with the class
• Familiarize yourself with the activity by performing the activity yourself or with a team, and identify
any issues or talking points that could be brought up.
• Gather the necessary materials for class usage. Consider if students will gather their materials at
stations or if you will preassemble the materials to be distributed to the students and/or groups.
• Identify safety issues that could occur during an activity or demonstration, and plan and prepare
how to address them.
• Review the Teacher’s Guide before teaching, and identify opportunities for instructional support
during activities and demonstrations. Consider other Support and/or Challenge opportunities that
may arise as you work to keep students engaged with the content.
• Prepare a plan for postactivity collection and disposal of materials/equipment.
While engaged in the activity or demonstration
• Address any emergencies immediately.
• Check that students are observing proper science safety practices as well as wearing any necessary
safety gear, such as goggles, aprons, or gloves.
• When possible, circulate around the room, and provide support for the activity. Return to the
Teacher Guide as students work, to utilize any Support and Challenge opportunities that will make
the learning experience most meaningful for your students.
After the activity or demonstration
• Use your plan for students to set aside or dispose of their materials as necessary.
• Have students wash their hands after any activity in which they could come in contact with any
potentially harmful substances.
When engaging students in activities and demonstrations, model good science practices, such as
wearing proper safety equipment, never eating during an investigation, etc. Good science practices
at a young age will lead to students observing good science practices themselves and being better
prepared as they move into upper-level science classes.
149TEACHER RESOURCES
APPENDIX E
What to Do When Activities Don’t Give Expected Results
Science activities and experiments do not always go according to plan. Microwave ovens, super glue,
and X-rays are just some of the discoveries made when people were practicing science and something
did NOT go according to plan. In your classroom, however, you should be prepared for what to do when
activities don’t give the expected results or when an activity doesn’t work.
When going over an activity with an unexpected result, consider these points in discussion with
your students:
• Was there an error in following the steps in order? You or the student may have skipped a step.
To help control for this, have students review the steps to an investigation in advance and make a
check mark next to each step as they complete it.
• Did students design their own investigation? Perhaps their steps are out of sequence, or they missed
a step when performing the activity. Review and provide feedback on students’ investigation plans
to ensure the work is done in proper sequence and that it supports the lesson’s Big Question.
• When measurements were taken, were they done correctly? It is possible a number was written
down incorrectly, a measurement was made in error, such as wrong unit of measure or quantity, or
the starting or ending point of a measurement was not accurate.
• Did the equipment or materials contribute to the situation? For example, chemicals that have lost
their potency or a scale that is not measuring accurately can contribute to the success or failure of
an activity.
One of the greatest gifts a student can learn when engaged in science is to develop a curiosity for why
something happened. Students may find it challenging or frustrating to work through a problem during
an activity, but guiding them through the problem and figuring out why something happened will help
them to develop a better sense of how to do science.
CK
Sci
™
Core Knowledge
SCIENCE
™
Series Editor-in-Chief
E.D. Hirsch Jr.
Editorial Directors
Daniel H. Franck and Richard B. Talbot
Subject Matter Expert
Martin Rosenberg, PhD
Teacher of Physics and Computer Science
SAR High School
Riverdale, New York
Illustrations and Photo Credits
Oleksandr Kovalchuk / Alamy Stock Photo: Cover B
Pawel Libera / Superstock: i, iii
Russ Bishop / Alamy Stock Photo: Cover D
U.S. National Park Service: Cover A
Within this publication, the Core Knowledge Foundation has provided hyperlinks to independently owned and operated sites whose content we have determined to be of
possible interest to you. At the time of publication, all links were valid and operational, and the content accessed by the links provided additional information that supported
the Core Knowledge curricular content and/or lessons. Please note that we do not monitor the links or the content of such sites on an ongoing basis and both may be constantly
changing. We have no control over the links, the content, or the policies, information-gathering or otherwise, of such linked sites.
By accessing these third-party sites and the content provided therein, you acknowledge and agree that the Core Knowledge Foundation makes no claims, promises, or
guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the content of such third-party websites and expressly disclaims liability for errors and omissions in either the
links themselves or the contents of such sites. If you experience any difficulties when attempting to access one of the linked resources found within these materials, please
contact the Core Knowledge Foundation:
www.coreknowledge.org/contact-us/
Core Knowledge Foundation
801 E. High St.
Charlottesville, VA 22902
SCIENCE
Teacher Guide
Energy Transfer
and Transformation
Lewis Howard Latimer
Pendulum clock
Energy transfer
Stored energy
CK
Sci
™
Core Knowledge
SCIENCE
™
Energy Transfer and Transformation
Core Knowledge Science 4
What is the Core Knowledge Sequence?
The Core Knowledge Sequence is a detailed guide to specific
content and skills to be taught in Grades K–8 in language arts,
history, geography, mathematics, science, and the fine arts. In the
domains of science, including earth and space, physical, and the
life sciences, the Core Knowledge Sequence outlines topics that
build systematically grade by grade to support student learning
progressions coherently and comprehensively over time.
For which grade levels is this book intended?
In general, the content and presentation are appropriate for
readers from the middle to upper elementary grades. For teachers
and schools following the Core Knowledge Sequence, this book is
intended for Grade 4 and is part of a series of Core Knowledge
SCIENCE units of study.
For a complete listing of resources in the
Core Knowledge SCIENCE series,
visit www.coreknowledge.org.
Core Knowledge Curriculum Series
™
Series Editor-in-Chief
E.D. Hirsch Jr.
ISBN: 978-1- 68380-515-1
Core Knowledge Curriculum Series
™
Series Editor-in-Chief
E.D. Hirsch Jr.
CK
Sci
™
Core Knowledge
SCIENCE
™
A comprehensive program in science, integrating
topics from Earth and Space, Life, and Physical Sciences with
concepts specified in the Core Knowledge Sequence
(content and skill guidelines for Grades K–8).
Core Knowledge
SCIENCE
™
units at this level include:
Energy Transfer and Transformation
Investigating Waves
Structures and Functions of Living Things
Processes That Shape Earth
Using Natural Resources for Energy
www.coreknowledge.org
