Energy Unit- Lesson plans

Days 1-3What is Energy? What are the different kinds of energy?

Grade Level: Fourth

Length of Lesson: Three 1-hour periods

Purpose: Students will gain an understanding of what energy is. They will explore the different types of energy, including: biomass, coal, geothermal energy, hydropower, natural gas, petroleum, propane, solar energy, uranium, wind, and electricity. After gaining familiarity with different sources of energy students will work in groups to make posters and present them to the class. Objectives:

Students will develop research strategies and skills for information gathering and problem solving (S.IA.04.14).

Students will communicate and present findings of observations and investigations (S.IA.04.12).

Materials: 26 copies of Elementary Energy Info Book (pages 6-7 and 10-33) List of students groups picked out Fact recording sheet for each group (topic and pages on it) 26 energy poster rubrics Posterboard Markers, crayons, pencils, erasers, etc Worksheet for students to take notes on

Management: Students will be free to move around the room and work in any free space available. I will pick the groups out beforehand so that each group is composed students that can work well together and be successful. Uranium and electricity are more difficult topics so I will place more advanced students in those groups. All group members will be expected to participate in the note taking, poster making, and the presentation. Groups will be given a rubric so that they can see what they are being graded on and what needs to be accomplished. Students will be asked to return to their seats to work if there is misbehavior.

Activities:

Day 1 and 2:1. Hook : “This year you are all really lucky because we are going to be studying

energy, something that most other fourth grade classes don’t get to do. Energy is kind of a confusing idea though. I am wondering if people have any ideas about what energy might be?”

2. Take student responses and create list for students to reference later. Read pages 6-7 of the Elementary Energy Info Book.

3. Introduce different energy sources poster making project. -Read Article

-On fact sheet, record important facts, pictures, or charts that you want to present.

o Must give a definition in your own wordso Must say if it is renewable or nonrenewable

-Then, get posterboard -Work on poster -Practice presenting

4. Break students into assigned groups.

Day 3:5. Hand out note taking worksheet. Explain to groups that they will be filling this

out as students present. They must record if the source is renewable or nonrenewable and a definition in their own words. Explain to students that these will be collected at the end of presentations and will be counted towards their final project grade.

6. Students present.

Conclusion:You all did such a wonderful job presenting! Your posters turned out amazing and you were so considerate when people were presenting. Nice job everyone.

Assessment:Students will be evaluated on how they worked together as a group, the number of ideas they share, the attractiveness/ understandability of their posters, and their listening skills.I will use the attached rubric for this formal assessment.

Facts Recording Sheet

Topic: __________________________________ Pages: ___________________

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

Poster Groups

BiomassJordanAlly Ayla

CoalChrisMiranda

GeothermalReemAmanda

HydropowerTravisLucio

Natural GasSabrinaRileyAli

PetroleumNatalieHoward

PropaneHamoudySean

SolarKristinJulie

UraniumJessieTommyLindsey

WindMikaelaMitchell

ElectricityJPCarolynBrendan

Name: ___________________________

Energy Source Renewable or Nonrenewable

Definition

Biomass

Coal

Geothermal

Hydropower

Natural Gas

Petroleum

Propane

Solar

Uranium

Wind

Electricity

Group Members: _________________________________________________________

Rubric for the Group Presentation

Category 4 3 2 1Presentation All members shared

information with the class during the presentation.

One member of the group did not share as much as the other group members did.

Members did not share their poster with class

Facts

*These include: charts, pictures, and facts.

The group shared at least five important ideas that they found in their reading.

The group shared four important ideas that found in their reading.

The group shared only three important ideas that found in their reading.

The group shared less than three important ideas that they found in their reading.

Attractiveness/ Creativity

The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

The poster is acceptably attractive although a little bit messy.

The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.

Conventions/ Understandability

The poster is easy to read and understand. Conventions are always used.

The poster is somewhat easy to read and understand. Conventions are usually in place.

The poster is hard to read and understand. Conventions are rarely used.

The poster is nearly impossible to read and understand. Conventions are not used.

Total: ___________ Percent: ____________ Grade: ___________

Group Members: _________________________________________________________

Rubric for the Group Presentation

Category 4 3 2 1Presentation All members shared

information with the class during the presentation.

One member of the group did not share as much as the other group members did.

Members did not share their poster with class

Facts

*These include: charts, pictures, and facts.

The group shared at least five important ideas that they found in their reading.

The group shared four important ideas that found in their reading.

The group shared only three important ideas that found in their reading.

The group shared less than three important ideas that they found in their reading.

Attractiveness/ Creativity

The poster is exceptionally attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

The poster is attractive in terms of design, layout, and neatness.

The poster is acceptably attractive although a little bit messy.

The poster is distractingly messy or very poorly designed. It is not attractive.

Conventions/ Understandability

The poster is easy to read and understand. Conventions are always used.

The poster is somewhat easy to read and understand. Conventions are usually in place.

The poster is hard to read and understand. Conventions are rarely used.

The poster is nearly impossible to read and understand. Conventions are not used.

Total: ___________ Percent: ____________ Grade: ___________

Day 4Thermometer 1 and Exploring Heat 1 Experiment

Grade Level: Fourth

Length of Lesson: 40 minutes

Purpose: To gain familiarity with a thermometer and to explore heat using water. Objectives:

Students will manipulate simple tools that aid in observation and data collection of different forms of energy (for example: hand lens, ruler, measuring cup, thermometer, spring scale, electric meter (S.IP.04.14)).

Students will make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, Celsius, Fahrenheit, seconds, minutes) for each measurement tool (S.IP.04.15).


Students will use evidence from experiments and reading when communicating ideas about energy (S.RS.04.15).

Students will be able to identify heat, light, motion, and sound as forms of energy (P.EN.04.12).

Students will demonstrate and describe the effects that energy has on temperature (P.EN.04.41).

Materials: 26 copies of page 13 and 14 from Energy Works Student Guide 1- 1000 ml pitcher 2- 250 ml pitchers 1 thermometer Cold and warm water Colored Pencils

Management: Students will remain seated during our Thermometer 1 and Exploring Heat 1 class discussion. Students will be expected to raise their hands when they want to share an idea. I will have volunteers come up and make recordings and read measurements for the class. Students who are sitting quietly with their hand raised will be called on.

Activities:Thermometer 1

1. Hook : “In the last couple of days we have been learning about the different sources of energy. Well today we are going to be learning about one of the forms of energy which is called heat. Thumbs up if you have heard of heat before. Great. Does anyone have any ideas about how we measure heat? What type of tool might we use?”

2. Go over thermometer 1 with students. Have students read the different temperatures at which water boils, freezes, and the temperature of the human body. Ask students to predict the temperature in the classroom, outside, and in the drinking fountain.

Exploring Heat 13. Now that we have brushed up on how to read a thermometer lets get some

practice!4. Ask students to read over the procedure silently.5. Go over steps in the procedure step by step6. Discuss conclusions.

Conclusion:Thanks for participating today everyone. I know that I am feeling much more confident about using a thermometer, how about you? Tomorrow we will get more practice with this.

Assessment:As we are doing this class activity I will be walking around the room to see how students are doing with reading a thermometer. I will also pay attention to who is sharing ideas and who is not. I will also take note of the students who support their claims with evidence from our experiment. I will collect the worksheets after science to see what kind of conclusions students drew.

Computers:Introduce the PowerPoint Project. Walk students through a PowerPoint tutorial by taking control of their screens with the main computer. Give directions for the project. Show them how to insert slides, select layouts, insert pictures and text, transitions, etc. Ask students to make a title slide including, a title, a picture, and their name. Ask them to make one additional slide defining what energy is in their own words. Hand out the PowerPoint check list. Ask students to put there name on it and keep it in a safe place.

Checklist for a QualityPowerPoint Presentation

I have a title slide. It has my name on it, a title, and a picture.

I have 5 slides containing the following:

What is Energy? This slide has a title and a definition of energy in my own words.

Heat – This slide has a title, two things I have learned about heat, and

a picture.

Light – This slide has a title, two things I have learned about light, and a picture.

Sound - This slide has a title, two things I have learned about sound, and a picture.

Motion - This slide has a title, two things I have learned about sound, and a picture.

I have a conclusion slide. It says something catchy or concludes your PowerPoint.

My PowerPoint shows my personal best effort

Energy PowerPoint RubricPoints Possible Your Points Required Elements

3 Title SlideTitle, your name, picture

4What is Energy?Title, definition of energy in your own words

5Heat SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Light SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Sound SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Motion SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

3 Conclusion SlideCatchy phrase or conclusion, picture

35 TOTAL POINTS

Energy PowerPoint RubricPoints Possible Your Points Required Elements

3 Title SlideTitle, your name, picture

4What is Energy?Title, definition of energy in your own words

5Heat SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Light SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Sound SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

5Motion SlideTitle, 2 things you have learned, complete sentences, picture

3 Conclusion SlideCatchy phrase or conclusion, picture

35 TOTAL POINTS

Day 5- Instructional Cycle 1

Exploring Heat Experiments 2 and 3

Instructional Cycle Commentary from Previous Lesson:After doing our first experiment I realized that students were struggling with the idea of heat and how it is always moving to seek balance. This was visible to me in students worksheets and when we had a class discussion and at the end of the experiment on what was really occurring. Students struggled to see that the cold water and hot water ended up balancing out. They weren’t sure how to figure this out. I tried to lead them to the idea of averaging but there still seemed to be a disconnect. Also, I did not encourage students to look at the visual data on the thermometer, which would have made this relationship more evident. For this reason, I feel that this was a great lesson to get students hooked and interested in heat, but would need further instruction in order to have a full understanding of the ideas.

In order to try and help students develop these ideas more fully, students will read about how heat always seeks a balance. We will then revisit yesterday’s experiment and see how this plays a role. I will also demonstrate with a few students and myself as models what is occurring with the molecules. Students will then do two more experiments that deal with heat seeking balance and will also be asked to apply this to a real life situation where they have observed this occur.

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore heat using water. Objectives:







Students will be able to measure volumes of liquids and capacities of containers in millimeters and liters (P.PM.04.17).

Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 4 and 5)

26 copies of pages 15 and 16 in the Energy Works Student Guide 12- 1000 ml pitchers 6- 250 ml pitchers 9 thermometers Cold and warm water* Colored pencils 3 wallpaper pans

**NOTE: This is enough for six groups total. Three groups will perform Exploring Heat 2 and the other three groups will perform Exploring Heat 3 and then switch materials.

Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas and will be expected to stay there until they switch to the next experiment. Groups will have a partner table so that they know which table to switch to when they move to the next experiment. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Heat 2 and 31. Hook : “Last week we began exploring energy in the form of heat. Today we are

going to continue exploring heat using cold/ hot water mixtures and thermometers.”

2. As a class students will read pages 4 and 5 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any questions.

3. Model and highlight the procedure for Exploring Heat 2 and Exploring Heat 3.4. Explain centers to students. The front three tables will begin with Exploring Heat

2 and the back three tables will begin with exploring Heat 3. After 15 minutes groups will switch tables with their designated partner table and perform the next experiment. One student will be designated to get supplies (which will be on trays in the back) and another student will be in charge of returning supplies.

5. Students start experiment. After 15 minutes ask them to rotate.6. When both experiments are done, ask students to discuss and work on their

conclusion questions on the back of their sheets. Ask designated students to return materials to the back counter.

7. Discuss conclusions as a class and turn in worksheets.

Conclusion:“Everyone did a fabulous job today during group work. I love the way that you stayed on task and worked together to perform experiments and draw conclusions. You all had some great insights into what was happening in our experiments. Thanks for the great work!”

Assessment:As we are doing this class activity I will be walking around the room to see how students are doing with reading a thermometer. I will watch for groups that are on task and

working together. I will note and speak to groups who are struggling. I will also pay attention to who is sharing ideas and who is not. I will also take note of the students who support their claims with evidence from our experiment. I will collect the worksheets after science to see what kind of conclusions students drew.

Instructional Cycle Commentary after Lesson:During these two lessons I realized that you cannot assume that students will make a connection between two ideas unless yougive them the support and scaffolding that they need. In the Exploring Heat 1 I thought that my students were going to see the connection between the data and the implications for heat seeking balance right away. However, I realized that I needed to elaborate and give them some background knowledge to be successful. Also, many of the students were just getting into the groove of doing an experiment with a lot of things going on. This was a demo and so students were watching me move through the steps. On the second day when they were doing it, students had more ownership over the experiment so were wondering and noticing more things. They also seemed to be more accurate in their measurements. Students were also forthcoming in the mistakes that they made/ pitfalls that other groups should avoid in later experiments. For example, one group measured the temperature of the hot water and then waited four minutes to mix it with the cold water so they decided that this would skew their data. In my feedback to students I tried to give them positive comments while still prodding them with questions so that on future experiments they will dig deeper. I am confident that most students have a beginning understanding of heat at this point and that is all I expect thus far. Students will discover and connect more and more as we move through the unit.

Day 6Exploring Heat Experiments 4 and 5

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore how heat moves by conduction and to explore conductors and insulators. Objectives:



Students will construct simple charts and graphs from data and observations (S.IP.04.16).

Students will summarize and analyze information from charts and graphs to answer scientific questions about energy (S.IP.04.16).



Students will understand conduction and insulation. They will also be able to identify objects that are good conductors or poor conductors of heat and electricity ( P.PM.04.53).

Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 6 and 7) 26 copies of pages 17 (change after 5 minutes to 3 minutes in the chart) and

18 (fill in minutes in chart before copying) in the Energy Works Student Guide Cold water and hot water* 15 foam cups with tops 3 pieces of 6 x 4 in aluminum foil 3 pieces of 6 x 12 aluminum foil 3 piece of rope- 10 cm long 6 thermometers 3 plastic cups 3 metal cups or cans 3 glass cups 3 rubber bands 3 pitchers of ice water

**NOTE: This is enough for six groups total. Three groups will perform Exploring Heat 4 and the other three groups will perform Exploring Heat 5 and then switch materials.

Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas and will be expected to

stay there until they switch to the next experiment. Groups will have a partner table so that they know which table to switch to when they move to the next experiment. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Heat 4 and 51. Hook : “Has anybody ever heard of conductors or insulators (raise hands)? Does

anyone have any ideas about what these terms mean (take responses)? Today we are going experiment with these two ideas.”

2. As a class students will read pages 6 and 7 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any questions.

3. Model and go over Exploring Heat 4 and Exploring Heat 5 procedure. Have students highlight important information in the procedure. Emphasize to students that they must pay very close attention to the clock when they are doing both experiments. Suggest to students that they assign one person in the group to be the timekeeper.

4. Explain centers to students. The front three tables will begin with Exploring Heat 2 and the back three tables will begin with exploring Heat 3. After 15 minutes groups will switch tables with their designated partner table and perform the next experiment. One student will be designated to get supplies (which will be on trays in the back) and another student will be in charge of returning supplies.

5. Students start experiment. After 15 minutes ask them to rotate.6. When both experiments are done, ask students to discuss and work on their



Conclusion:“Today we made some great discoveries. Can some people remind us of some of the important things that we learned today? Thanks, and great job everyone!”

Assessment:As we are doing this class activity I will be walking around the room to see how students are doing with the experiment. I will watch for groups that are on task and working together. I will note and speak to groups who are struggling. I will also pay attention to who is sharing ideas and who is not. I will also take note of the students who support their claims with evidence from our experiment. I will collect the worksheets after science to see what kind of conclusions students drew.

Reflection:In the future I would not do Exploring Heat 4 as a class experiment. I might do this as a demo and have the control, thin wire, thick wire, and rope going at once. I would probably have each table be in charge of one and do it together at the overhead. This way they are helping but are not getting tied up in the measurements. Get rid of Celsius on chart.

Day 7Exploring Heat Experiments 6 and 7

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore convection in a liquid and to explore absorption of light energy. Objectives:





Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 8-10) 26 copies of pages 19 and 20 from Energy Works Student Guide 12 clear plastic cups 24 marbles Hot water* Cold water* Food coloring 2 clear plastic cups 2 thermometers Room temperature sand Room temperature water* Sunny day or bright lamp*

**NOTE: This is enough for six groups total.

Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas and will be expected to stay there until they switch to the next experiment. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Heat 6 and 7

1. Hook : “Today we are going to be learning about another property of heat called convection. This may sound like a big scary science concept but it really as not. Our experiment today will help us understand it better. We will also be learning about light absorption and the role that it plays in creating wind.”

2. As a class students will read pages 8-10 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any questions.

3. Discuss Exploring Heat 7 and get it started. Explain to students that they will return to this experiment towards the end of the lesson.

4. Model and go over Exploring Heat 6. Have students highlight important information in the procedure.

5. Students start experiment. Let them work approximately 15 minutes.6. When experiment is done, ask students to discuss and work on their conclusion

questions on their sheets. Ask designated students to return materials to the back counter.

7. Next, return to experiment 7 and discuss what occurred.8. Discuss conclusions from both experiments and allow time for students to fill out

their worksheets.

Conclusion:“You all did a wonderful job today working together to better understand convection. I am also glad that you were all here to help me decide how wind was made. I don’t know if I could have figured it out on my own!”


Day 8Exploring Light 1

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore light waves and shadows. Objectives:


Students will use technology to organize and relay what they have learned about energy to others (S.RS.04.16).


Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 22 and 23) 26 copies of page 31 in the Energy Works Student Guide 1 wooden spool 1 flashlight 1 piece of white paper (11x17)* 1 ruler 1 tape*

Management: This experiment will be performed as a demo. We will do the reading at students’ desks. Next, I will pass out page 31 from the Energy Works Student Guide to students and ask them to meet me in the back with their paper, a clipboard, and pencil. Students will be expected to remain seated in the back unless I ask for volunteers. Students will raise their hands to speak. We will discuss conclusions and I will ask students to return to their seats to record their conclusions.

Activities:Exploring Light 11. Hook : “Has anyone ever noticed how their shadow changes from the sun or in a

light depending on where they stand? Would anyone like to describe some of the ways their shadow might have changed?” Great ideas everyone. Today we are going to be exploring this idea of shadows a little more in depth.”

2. As a class students will read pages 22- 23 of Energy Works Student Guide (remain at seats). Discuss any questions.

3. Ask students to get a pencil, clipboard, and worksheet and meet you in the back.4. Read and do procedure with students.5. Discuss conclusions and allow students to return to their seats to finish writing.6. Ask students to turn in worksheets.

Conclusion:

So far in this unit we have been learning about heat as a form of energy. Can anyone remind me of what form of energy we started learning about today? Thanks for all your help today!”

Assessment:As we are doing this class activity I will monitor who is sharing ideas and who is not. I will also take note of the students who support their claims with evidence from our experiment. I will collect the worksheets after science to see what kind of conclusions students drew.

Day 9Exploring Light 2, 3, and 4

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore refraction using a spectroscope, water, and a convex lens. Objectives:




Students will be able to identify properties of the states (solids, liquids, and gases) of mater (P.PM.04.23).

Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 24, and 25) 26 copies of pages 32-34 (stapled together so conclusions can be written on

back) in the Energy Works Student Guide At least 6 spectroscopes (3 for the 2 centers) 8 colored filters (2 for 2 centers) Colored pencils* 2 straight- sided clear glasses full of water* 2 flashlights 2 pieces of white paper At least 2 magnifiers with convex lens 2 flashlights 1 sheet of white paper* 1 ruler 1 penny*

**NOTE: This is enough for six groups total. Two groups will be performing Exploring Light 2, two will be performing Exploring Light 3, and two groups will be performing Exploring Light 4. Students will rotate supplies three times to get through each of the centers.

Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas and will be expected to stay there until they switch to the next experiment. Groups will rotate supplies in a circle when they move to the next experiment. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will

remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Light 2, 3, 41. Hook : “Today in science we are going to explore the idea of refraction. Does

anyone have ideas about what refraction is or means?”2. Students will individually read pages 24 and 25 of Energy Works Student Guide.

Discuss any questions.3. Model and go over Exploring Light 2, 3, 4 procedures. Have students highlight

important information in the procedure. 4. Explain centers to students. Emphasize to students that they have three

experiments today and that each center will be given 7 minutes. Students will rotate supplies in a circle like motion around the room. Ask students to stay on task and take careful consideration of time.

5. Students start experiment. After 7 minutes ask them to rotate, and then rotate again.

6. When all experiments are done, ask students to discuss and work on their conclusion questions on the back of their sheets. Ask designated students to return materials to the back counter.


Conclusion:“Thank you everyone for your cooperation today. What are some things that people learned about refraction?”


Reflection:We ended up doing this activity in four centers. Ask parent volunteers to come in and help. A parent is not needed at the reading station. However, have one parent or teacher at the three other experiment stations. This made the activity run smoother considering there were so many things going on in the room.

Day 10- INSTRUCTIONAL CYCLE COMMENTARY 2Exploring Light 8

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore how the energy in light is changed into heat. Objectives:








Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 26 and 27) 26 copies of page 40 from the Energy Works Student Guide 30 thermometers 6 pieces of black paper (15cm x 15cm)* 6 pieces of yellow paper (15cm x 15cm)* 6 pieces of white paper (15cm x 15cm)* 6 pieces of bright blue paper (15cm x 15cm)* 6 pieces of bright red paper (15cm x 15cm)* Tape* 6 bright lights or sunny day

**NOTE: This is enough for six groups total. I will do this lesson in the morning so that I can borrow some thermometers from Mrs. Pumper.

Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion

questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Light 81. Hook : “Today we are going to learn about how dark colors absorb light and how

light colors reflect light.”2. As a class read pages 26- 27 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any

questions.3. Model and go over Exploring Light 8. Have students highlight important

information in the procedure. Emphasize that students should be doing all trials at once.

4. Students start experiment. 5. When experiment is complete, ask students to discuss and work on their



Conclusion:Fabulous job! What are some things you learned about light absorption and reflection today (Take Responses)? Paraphrasing what students say- So today we learned about how dark colors absorb light waves, turning them into heat and how light colors reflect them.


Reflection:We did this on a day that was kind of cloudy so our results were not perfect. I would try to do this on a sunny day or else get lights for the classroom. I would also change the chart so that students only have to record Fahrenheit and not Celsius. Also, take off the total temperature change because it is not necessary for students to understand what is happening. It actually confuses them a little.

Instructional Cycle 2 Commentary:During this experiment, I decided to have my students go outside so that they would get a more realistic depiction and hands on experience of how light energy can turn to heat energy. However, on the day that we did the experiment it was fairly cloudy outside, which I think confounded our results a bit. As I walked around and looked at the data that students were collecting I realized that each group had different colors absorbing the most and least light energy. When we got back in the classroom students were trying to fill out their conclusion questions but I feel that they were struggling to fill them out because their results did not support the ideas that we had read about. In fact, I was pleased in a way to see that many of them were very frustrated that the experiment did not turn out how they expected. This let me know that they had the right idea but still

needed some development and that I needed a way to demonstrate this phenomenon better to the students. For this reason, I asked students to put their science away and told them that we would continue it the following day.

The next day we first talked about the results that different groups got. I then asked students what we could say about our class results? Many of them piped up and said that we all had very different data. I then asked students what they expected to happen. Most students agreed that the black should have absorbed the most light and been the warmest and that the white should have reflected the most light. I then went further and we had a discussion about how things don’t always turn out how you expect them to. This was perfect because we had just been learning about expected and actual results in probability. One student said that there must be some “lurking variables” affecting our results. I told students that I thought this was a great idea and asked students to share some things that might have affected our results. Students felt that the clouds, individual area, and placement of the thermometers may have messed up our experiment. I was so impressed! We then tried to think of ways to set our experiment up better. I suggested that we use the heat lamp at the back, which we had just used in our plant unit. My students really liked this idea. They also said that 1 person should record the temperatures on the thermometers and that another should check them to make sure that they were accurate. We did this and our results showed what students expected. Students then finished filling out their worksheets. Some students used their same data and said that their results did not support our idea of light absorption and further explained what should have happened. Other students talked about our new data and results to explain light absorption. Both responses were very insightful. I felt that even though this activity did not work out perfectly at first that students got even more out of it than I expected. I guess that is why you should always go where the students lead you.

Day 11Exploring Motion 1 and 2

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore potential gravitational energy. Students will also gain practice graphing and analyzing data. Objectives:




Students will compare and contrast sets of data from multiple trials of investigation to explain reasons for differences (S.IA.04.15).



Students will be able to describe how the position and mass of an object affect the energy of the object (P.FM.05.34)

Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 41 and 42) 26 copies of pages 48 and 49 (stapled together so conclusions can be written

on back) in the Energy Works Student Guide 6 grooved rulers 6 marbles 6 wooden ball 6 measuring tapes (get some out of Everyday Math Kit if not enough) 5 thin books (each about 1 cm thick)* Carpeted area*


Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

Activities:Exploring Motion 17. Hook : “In this unit we have so far learned about heat and light. Today we are

going to start experimenting with motion, specifically potential motion.”8. Students will individually read pages 24 and 25 of Energy Works Student Guide.

Discuss any questions.9. Model and go over Exploring Motion 1. Have students highlight important

information in the procedure. 10. Remind students of the steps involved in averaging.11. Students start experiment. 12. When experiment is complete, ask students to discuss and work on their


13. Next, ask students to graph their results on page 49 and answer questions.14. Discuss conclusions as a class and turn in worksheets.

Conclusion:Great work on the experiment everyone. Tomorrow we are going to be learning about friction and how that can affect motion.


Day 12Exploring Motion 5

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To explore friction. Objectives:







Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 43-44) 26 copies of page 54 in the Energy Works Student Guide 6 grooved rulers 6 books 1cm thick* 6 marbles 6 measuring tapes Wood, tile, carpet, concrete* BRING IN WOOD


Management: Students will be assigned to a group composed of 4-5 students that they will work with during our science unit. Students will be assigned working areas and will be expected to stay there until they switch to the next surface. Students will pick one member of the group to get supplies if necessary. If there are questions throughout the experiment students will be asked to raise their hands. When students are done with the experiments, one student from each group will be asked to return materials to the back counter. Everyone else will remain at their seats to finish working on conclusion questions. As a class we will discuss our conclusions. I will call on students who are raising their hands.

**Ahead of time consider numbering the surfaces on the worksheets so that students are all in different places.

Activities:Exploring Motion 5

1. Hook : “Can everyone rub their hands together? What are we creating? What is creating this? Today we are going to explore how friction impacts motion. Who thinks friction helps motion? Who thinks it slows motion?”

2. As a class read pages 43-44 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any questions.

3. Model and go over Exploring Motion 5 procedure. Have students highlight important information in the procedure.

4. Students start experiment. 5. When all experiments are done, ask students to discuss and work on their



Conclusion:Great work with friction! So boys and girls, what did we find out about friction.

Computers:Continue PowerPoint project. Students will work on their light slides today. Each student must make at least one slide containing two things that they learned, a picture, and a transition.


Day 13Spring Scale and Exploring Motion 7

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To gain familiarity with a spring scale. Students will also explore inertia and friction. Objectives:







Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading page 47) 26 copies of page 54 in the Energy Works Student Guide 6 spring scales **check to make sure there are enough 6 wooden blocks **check to make sure there are enough 18 round pencils* 18 hexagonal pencils* 12 pieces of notebook paper*



Activities:Exploring Motion 7

1. Hook : “Has anyone ever used a spring scale before? This is a spring scale (get one out for students to see). What are some things that you notice about it?”

2. As a class read pages 47 of Energy Works Student Guide. Discuss any questions.3. Model and go over Exploring Motion 7 procedure. Have students highlight

important information in the procedure. 4. Students start experiment. 5. When all experiments are done, ask students to discuss and work on their



Conclusion:“Great job working together everyone. Your conclusions really helped me to better understand this concept.”


Day 14Sound

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To gain familiarize students with sound as a form of energy. Objectives:



Materials: 26 Energy Works Student Guides (reading pages 59-62) 26 copies of page 63 in the Energy Works Student Guide

Management: Students will be working in groups of 2-3 students to read material and do the worksheet on key words. Students will be free to move around the room. If noise level is too high or students are misbehaving they will be asked to return to their seats and finish up on their own.

Activities:1. Hook : “What are some of your favorite sounds (take responses)? Did you know

that sound is a form of energy that is moving around us all the time? Today we are going to be learning about the last form of energy called sound.”

2. Gather students on the carpet to preview the subtitles, pictures, headlines, etc. Ask students what they think might be important in this section.

3. Ask students to get into groups and start reading. Tell them that when they are done they can work on completing the key words worksheet on their desks.

Conclusion:“I heard a lot of people sharing some great ideas today. So I am wondering, how is sound produced? How does it move? Etc.”

Assessment:During this session I will be walking around to make sure that students are reading and picking up on main ideas. I will stop and ask them questions to help students clarify their thinking. I will also look over the key words worksheet to make sure that students picked up and main ideas and vocabulary.

Day 15Saving Energy

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: Students will gain familiarity with the history of energy, how is energy used in school and at home, and tips for conserving energy. Objectives:


Students will describe and understand the effect humans have had on the balance of the world and its energy reserves (S.RS.04.18).

Students will use what they know about energy to identify the current problems they may be solved through conservation and the use of technology (S.RS.04.17).

Materials: 26 Saving Energy: Building Buddies (reading page 2-8) 26 copies of page 9 in the Saving Energy: Building Buddies Scissors

Management: Students will be reading at their seats. Students will read and then call on any student in the class to continue reading. If students are not following along and don’t know where we are reading they will be asked to flip their card to yellow. I do this so that students are both reading and hearing the text, which I think is important. After we finish reading, students will be free to move around the room and work on the timeline with a partner

Activities:1. Hook : “So far in this unit we have been learning about the four different forms of

energy. Can people remind us of what those four forms are? Well now we know all about energy but now what are we supposed to do? Now, we need to learn how to best conserve energy. Today we will be learning about the history of energy and some times for conserving it.”

2. Ask students to take out their books and turn to page 2 of Building Buddies. Start reading and have students play “popcorn.” Explain that if people are not following along in the reading that they will have to flip their card. Read pages 2-8 of Building Buddies.

3. Explain how students should do the timeline. Tell them to look on pages 2 and 3 to get the information they need. Students should cut out the pictures and paste them in the right place. Remind them to be careful when cutting out so that they don’t lose any of their pictures.

Conclusion:“Great job working together everyone. After reading, ask students if they can think of ways to save energy when heating and cooling, in lighting, in heating water, in running machines and appliances, etc.

Assessment:In our conclusion, I will see who is participating and raising their hand to share advice. I will be taking note of students who are able to determine ways to conserve energy. In their worksheets I will be looking to see if students were able to pull information out from the text in order to properly place the pictures in the correct time period.

Day 16: Instructional Cycle III- Video of lessonEnergy Saving Jigsaw

Instructional Cycle Commentary:On Day 15, students read about the history of energy and some ways that we can save energy. The activity that I had them do was based on history of energy. I felt that students need more information on how to save energy. I wanted them to hear real life examples of it so that they could think about their own behavior and think about how they could modify it. I also felt like they had some ideas about energy conservation but not much of a way to implement them. It seemed to me like students had this disconnect and I wanted to give them more information and ideas. For that reason, I had students break into groups and become specialists on one area of energy conservation. They picked out the most important information and would then share it with other groups. New groups would be formed so that there was a different specialist in each group to tell them about what they learned.

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To learn more ways to conserve energy. Objectives:







Materials: 26 copies of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide

(reading pages 3-8) **Cut and Pasted- make sure to make copies beforehand 7 copies of pages 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13 from Saving Energy: Monitoring &

Mentoring- Student Guide 26 copies of “What did our energy specialists say?”

Management: Students will work in groups of 5-6 students. I will have students work in their table groups. However, I will break up the sixth table among the other ones. Students can stay at their tables and read through their except of reading. When it comes time for the jigsaw I will have students stand at the front of the room. I will then ask all ones to come to this table, all twos at this table, etc. This way the chaos should be cut down. Students

will know what group they are in because I will have a list of this on the board that we will go over.

Activities:1. Hook : “Today we are going to learn about energy consumption and energy

conservation. In order to do this we are all going to become specialists on a certain topic and then teach our peers.”

2. Break students into groups and discuss what they are going to be doing. Explain that they will be doing a jigsaw. Each group will be given a different topic to read about. They will be asked to come up with at least 2 facts from each of the subtitles and record them on their worksheets. When everyone has completed this part new groups will be formed with a specialist from each group. Then students will be asked to record one thing they learned from each “specialist.” Ask if there are any questions. Give more instruction as needed. This may end up taking two days.

3. Allow groups to start working. Give each student a packet of all the materials they will need (**advance preparation).

4. Ask students to stop what they are doing and explain which group each student will be in. Allow students to clean up. Then ask all students to go to the front of the room and have table one sit down, then two, etc.

Conclusion:“Great job working together everyone. You were all wonderful specialists! Can some people share with us some things they learned?” Give students homework.

Homework: Students have an energy survey to fill out with their parents from page 15 of Monitoring and Mentoring and on the back of Page 15 of Building Buddies.

Computers:Continue PowerPoint project. Students will work on their sound and motion slides today. Each student must make at least one slide containing two things that they learned, and a picture.

Assessment:As we are doing this class activity I will watch for groups that are on task and working together. I will note and speak to groups who are struggling. I will also pay attention to who is sharing ideas and who is not. I will also take note of the students who support their claims with evidence from our experiment. I will collect the worksheets after science in order to see if students were able to retain the facts that their peers shared with them.

Instructional Cycle Commentary:After this lesson I feel that the students better understood what energy conservation was and how they could take steps to do it. I think that telling students that they were going to be specialists and would be in charge of teaching other students made them feel really important and take ownership of that information. Looking over the worksheets that students completed I think that they understood most concepts. Also, for homework I told them to try and do some of these things at home. The next day when students came in they were very excited to tell me that they had tried many of these!

Name: ___________________________

What Did the Specialists Say?Directions: Record at least one fact that you learned from each specialist.

Specialists Facts

Sectors of the Economy

Heating & Cooling

Appliances & Machines

Lighting

Water Heating

Day 17Reading Electric & Natural Gas Meters

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: Students will learn how to read electric and natural gas meters, how electricity and natural gas are measured, and how to determine the cost of electricity and natural gas. Objectives:


Students will make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, Celsius, Fahrenheit, seconds, minutes, therms, dollars, CCFs) for each measurement tool (S.IP.04.15).

Materials: 26 copies of pages 19-24 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide

Management: For the first part of the lesson students will work individually at their seats. We will go over how to read electric and natural gas meters at the front with the document camera. We will practice reading these and calculating costs as a class. Students will be able to work with a partner to finish the rest of it.

Activities:1. Go over homework from day 16 to discuss what students found out about energy

use in their homes.2. Hook : “Have you ever heard your parents talk about their electric or natural gas

bills? We are going to learn how to read the meters and how to determine the cost of electricity and natural gas.”

3. Read and do page 19-20 of Saving Energy: Monitoring and Mentoring- Student Guide with students.

4. Next have students work with a partner to practice their new skills of reading electric meters on page 21.

5. Read pages 22-23. Practice reading the natural gas meter.6. Have students work with a partner to complete practice problems on reading a

natural gas meter on page 24.

Conclusion:“So do you feel confident that you could read the natural gas and electric meters at your house? Tell your parents that you know how to do this tonight. They will be very impressed!”

Assessment:As students are working in pairs, I will circulate the room and take notes on who is able to correctly read the different meters. I will also see if they are able to use this

information to determine cost of electricity and natural gas. I will also collect worksheets to see how students are doing with this skill. The basic idea that I want students to take from this is how to read a meter and how costs are determined for energy.

Day 18Insulation Investigation

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To investigate the insulating properties of different materials.

Objectives: Students will manipulate simple tools that aid in observation and data

collection of different forms of energy (for example: hand lens, ruler, measuring cup, thermometer, spring scale, electric meter (S.IP.04.14)).

Students will make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, Celsius, Fahrenheit, seconds, minutes, therms, dollars, CCFs) for each measurement tool (S.IP.04.15).





Materials: 26 copies of pages 25 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide Insulating materials* 12 radiation cans 12 thermometers Tape


Activities:1. Hook : Review with students what insulation is and why it is important/ useful.2. Explain to students that they will be exploring what materials are the best

insulators.

3. Each group will have a different type of insulation material. It will be up to students how they use the insulation material around their radiation can.

4. Explain procedure to students.5. Students work on experiment.6. Discuss results.

Conclusion:“So what are some traits that our best insulators had in common (Discuss)? Next winter I bet you will know how to keep warm!”


Day 19Reading Electric Nameplates

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To gain familiarity with reading electric nameplates. Students will use this sill to determine the cost of running machines.



Students will make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, Celsius, Fahrenheit, seconds, minutes, therms, dollars, CCFs, wattage, current, voltage) for each measurement tool (S.IP.04.15).

Materials: 26 copies of pages 26 and 28 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide 26 copies of pages 27 and 29 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide

Management: Students will work individually at their seats during our class discussion. We will go over how to read electric nameplates at the front with the document camera. I will ask partners to move around the room and find nameplates on some of our appliances. The rest of the class will be recording this information. We will practice reading these and calculating costs as a class.

Activities:1. Hook : “Today we are going to learn how to read the nameplates on the back of

appliances and how to determine the cost of running these appliances each year.”2. Read page 26 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide. 3. Decide on appliances that the class wants to look up and have partners look

around the room at these appliances for the electric nameplate.4. Have the other students record the data.5. Read page 28 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide on the

cost of using machines.6. Calculate the yearly cost of the chosen machines.7. Assign pages 27 and 29 for homework. Ask students to find 2-3 examples in their

homes.8. Discuss appliances that would cost a lot to run and others that might not cost as

much. Why is this so?

Conclusion:

“Why do you think it is important to learn about reading nameplates? Why is it useful (they can determine how much it costs for the machine to run)?”

Homework:Page 28 and 29 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide (2-3 appliances).

Assessment:As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and who can calculate the results. I will also see if they are able to use this information to determine cost of machines. I will also collect homework and worksheets to see how students are doing with this skill. The basic idea that I want students to take from this is how to read nameplates and a basic idea of how to determine cost.

Day 20Kill A Watt Monitor

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To teach students how to use a Kill A Watt Monitor to measure and monitor the electronic consumption of electrical machines and devices.



Students will make accurate measurements with appropriate units (centimeters, meters, milliliters, liters, Celsius, Fahrenheit, seconds, minutes, therms, dollars, CCFs, wattage, current, voltage) for each measurement tool (S.IP.04.15).




Student Guide Kill A Watt Monitor Energy Saving Comic Rubric

Management: Students will work individually at their seats during our class discussion. We will go over how to use the Kill A Watt Monitor at the front with the document camera. I will ask partners to move around the room and use the Kill A Watt on different appliances. The rest of the class will be recording this information. We will practice reading this and calculating costs as a class.

Activities:1. Hook : “Today we are going to learn how to use a Kill A Watt Monitor. Has

anyone ever heard of this? It is used to measure power consumption of appliances.”

2. Read page 33 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide. 3. Decide on appliances that the class wants to look up and have partners use the

Kill A Watt Monitor on these appliances.4. Have the other students record the data.5. Discuss conclusions.6. If there is time and students are getting the concept then do page 34 of Saving

Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide. This compares machines when they are idle and when they are active.

Conclusion:“What conclusions can we draw today about the appliances we selected to test? Which uses the most electricity per hour? Which uses the least? Which electrical device uses the most electricity each year? Which uses the least

Computers:Students will create a comic strip at http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/ that has to do with saving energy. Students will be expected to have at least one panel and the comic must have to be about saving energy.

Assessment:As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and who can calculate the results. I will also see if students are able to look at the data we collected and determine which devices used the most electricity or least electricity in an hour. I will also be looking for students to demonstrate a basic knowledge that machines in idle use less energy than machines that are active.

http://www.readwritethink.org/materials/comic/

Name: ________________________

Energy Saving Comic Rubric

Points Possible Your Points Required Elements

3Must have at least 1 panel.

3Must have at least one character.

3Must have at least 1 speech bubble

4Must have something to do with saving energy.

2Creativity

15 TOTAL POINTS

Name: ________________________

Energy Saving Comic Rubric

Points Possible Your Points Required Elements

3Must have at least 1 panel.

3Must have at least one character.

3Must have at least 1 speech bubble

4Must have something to do with saving energy.

2Creativity

15 TOTAL POINTS

Energy Study SheetTest 4/3/08

Energy Sources

Energy SourceRenewable or Nonrenewable

Definition

Coal Nonrenewable Black rock burned to make electricity.

Hydropower Renewable Energy from flowing water

Petroleum Nonrenewable Fossil fuel for cars, trucks, and jets.

Solar Renewable Energy from the sun.

Wind Renewable Energy from moving air.

Heat Heat, light, motion, and sound are all forms of energy. Heat is always on the move. It moves to seek balance. Conduction is the way that heat energy moves in solids. Materials that don’t conduct heat well are called insulators.

o Examples: cotton and wood Materials that conduct- or move heat energy well are called conductors.

o Example: Metal The molecules in good conductors are close together. There is very little space

between them. When they vibrate, they push against the molecules near them. The energy flows between them easily.

Heat energy in liquids and gases moves in currents by convection.o During convection, the cooler, denser molecules flow down and the

warmer molecules rise up forming currents of flowing molecules.o Wind is an example of a convection current.

Most of the earth’s energy comes from the sun.

Light Visible light- the wave energy we can see- is made of many colors. Prisms and water refract- or bend light waves. Light energy can be absorbed by a substance and turned into heat. Dark colors, such as black, absorb light. Light colors, such as white, reflect light.

Motion The energy of motion is called kinetic energy. The energy of place or position is called potential energy. Friction is the force that slows the motion of objects that are rubbing together.

o Example: When you rub your hands together you are creating friction. The kinetic energy in your hands turns into heat and sound.

Inertia means that an object in motion will remain in motion until a force changes its motion. An object at rest will stay at rest until a force moves it.

o Example: If your parents are driving and step on the brakes, your body continues to move forward for a second.

Sound All sounds are caused by vibrations. Sound waves can travel through gases, liquids, and solids.

Day 21Facts of Light

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To investigate the differences in Incandescent and CFL lights.

Objectives: Students will develop research strategies and skills for information gathering and

problem solving (S.IA.04.14). Students will summarize and analyze information from charts and graphs to

answer scientific questions about energy (S.IP.04.16). Students will use what they know about energy to identify the current problems

they may be solved through conservation and the use of technology (S.RS.04.17).

Materials: 26 copies of page 36-37 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide Answer key on page 21-21 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Teacher Guide

Management: Students will work individually at their seats during our class discussion. Students will be expected to raise their hands and participate in the discussion.

Activities:1. Hook : “Has anyone ever seen one of these light bulbs before (Show students CFL

light bulb)?” Next, bring out a regular light bulb and ask students to compare and contrast things that they notice or might know about the two light bulbs.

2. Read page 36 of Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide. 3. Work on page 37 with students.4. Discuss with students what they learned and what kind of light bulb they would

use in their own homes after today’s investigation.Conclusion:“So if you owned your own house, what kind of light bulbs would you use? Why (probably have students do this on a notebook paper to turn in)?”

Assessment:As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and who can calculate the results. I will also see if students are able to use the evidence that we learned about to discuss what kind of lights they would use in their own home.

Day 22Lightbulb Investigation 1 & 2

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To compare the heat output and wattage of an incandescent to a compact fluorescent lightbulb.








Student Guide Kill A Watt Monitor 2 lamps 1 incandescent lightbulb 1 compact fluorescent bulb 2 thermometers Tape

Management: Students will work individually at their seats during our class discussion. When it is time to take measurements, I will ask students to come up and help out. Students ho are participating and who are working quietly will be the ones who are asked to help in the investigation. I will have two people come up at a time so that they can agree upon a measurement together.

Activities:1. Hook : “We are going to be investigating incandescent and fluorescent lightbulbs

today. We will be comparing heat output and the wattage between the two lightbulbs.

2. Read over the Lightbulb 1 investigation.3. Set up experiment.4. Call on students come up and make calculations.5. Discuss conclusions and let students fill out this section of their worksheet.

6. Read over Lightbulb 2 investigation.7. Set up experiment.8. Call on students to use the Kill A Watt Monitor to make measurements.9. Discuss conclusions and allow students time to fill out their worksheet.10. Read page 40 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student Guide to

set up for tomorrows experiment.

Conclusion:“So what are some things that you learned about the two different lightbulbs today? Which one has more heat output? Why might it be important to know this? Which lightbulb used more wattage?”

Assessment:As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and filling out there charts. I will be collecting worksheets to see what kinds of conclusions students drew about the lightbulbs. In the conclusions I will be looking for evidence supporting students’ claims. I will also be checking to see that the student volunteers are making accurate measurements on the thermometers and Kill A Watt Monitors.

Day 23Light Level Investigation

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To practice using the light meter by investigating the light levels of the classroom, the hallway, and outside areas in different conditions.







Materials: 26 copies of page 40 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring- Student

Guide 26 copies of page 42-43 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide

Management: During SSR and recess I will have pairs of students go with me to different parts of the school where we will measure and record the different light levels. If there were not two adults in the room I would ask for a parent volunteer to come in and aid us with this project. Students will remain at their seats for discussion.

Activities:1. Hook : “During the day today, pairs of students have been going all over the

school and recording the light levels in different areas.”2. Students will copy down the results on their charts.3. Ask students what they notice about the results. Which rooms have the most

light/ least light?4. Look at the recommended light levels on page 43.5. Compare and discuss what the light levels are in the school compared to those that

are recommended.6. Discuss conclusions

Conclusion:

“So is Tonda using too much light or not enough light? Are there any recommendations that you would make for the school?”

Assessment:As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and filling out there charts. I will be collecting worksheets to see what kinds of conclusions students drew about the light levels. In the conclusions I will be looking for evidence supporting students’ claims.

Day 24Reading and Comparing Energy Guide Labels

Grade Level: Fourth


Purpose: To practice reading and comparing energy guide labels.

Objectives: Students will develop research strategies and skills for information gathering and

problem solving (S.IA.04.14). Students will summarize and analyze information from charts and graphs to

answer scientific questions about energy (S.IP.04.16). Students will communicate and present findings of observations and

investigations (S.IA.04.12). Students will use what they know about energy to identify the current problems

they may be solved through conservation and the use of technology (S.RS.04.17). Students will describe and understand the effect humans have had on the balance

of the world and its energy reserves (S.RS.04.18).

Materials: 26 copies of page 45-47 in the Saving Energy: Monitoring & Mentoring-

Student Guide 26 copies of Comparing Washing Machines (homework)

Management: We will do this activity as a whole class discussion. Students will remain in their seats and be expected to participate by raising their hands.

Activities:1. Hook : “Today we are going to be looking at the energy guides on different

appliances. We will be calculating to see which machines are cheaper in the long run and if things are always how we expect them.”

2. Read page 45. Ask students if they have ever seen these energy labels.3. Look over and read page 46 together.4. Fill out the first chart on page 47 together. Ask students to do the second chart on

their own. 5. Discuss data and conclusions.

Conclusion:“Today we learned about reading energy labels to find the cost of appliances. For homework this week I would like you to compare the energy labels of two different washing machines. Lets see who can find the most efficient and cost effective washing machine.” Recommend that students take their worksheets home so that parents can see what students are doing.

Assessment:

As we discuss results I will be looking for students who are participating and filling out there charts. I will also be looking at the homework sheets to see if students are able to read energy guides and calculate cost and efficiency from them.

Days 25-27Tips for Conserving Energy

Grade Level: Fourth

Length of Lesson: Three 1-hour periods

Purpose: Students have been learning about what energy is and how to conserve it. It is now time for them to demonstrate what they know. Here they will synthesize all that they have learned into advice that they can give to people for saving energy. Objectives:



Materials: Various readings from unit List of students groups picked out Fact recording sheet for each group (topic and pages on it) 26 energy poster rubrics Posterboard Markers, crayons, pencils, erasers, etc Worksheet for students to take notes on

Management: Students will be free to move around the room and work in any free space available. I will pick the groups out beforehand so that each group is composed students that can work well together and be successful. Uranium and electricity are more difficult topics so I will place more advanced students in those groups. All group members will be expected to participate in the note taking, poster making, and the presentation. Groups will be given a rubric so that they can see what they are being graded on and what needs to be accomplished. Students will be asked to return to their seats to work if there is misbehavior.

Activities:

Day 25 and 26:1. Hook : “We have been learning about energy this unit. I was wondering if some

people could share with me some things that they have learned about energy? We are going to be working on posters that we will present on ways to save energy. We will hang them in the hall so that other people can learn from them.”

2. Introduce different energy sources poster making project. -Look up and decide on important energy saving tips. -On fact sheet, record important facts, pictures, or charts that you want to

present. o Must give a definition in your own wordso Must say if it is renewable or nonrenewable

-Then, get posterboard

-Work on poster -Practice presenting

3. Break students into assigned groups.

Day 27:4. Students present.

Conclusion:“You all did such a wonderful job presenting! Your posters turned out amazing and you were so considerate when people were presenting. Nice job everyone. I am sure that people will learn a lot from these posters. Hopefully, they will try some of your ideas!”

Assessment:Students will be evaluated on how they worked together as a group, the number of ideas they share, the attractiveness/ understandability of their posters, and their listening skills.I will use the attached rubric for this formal assessment.

Energy Unit- Lesson plans

Documents

Transcript of Energy Unit- Lesson plans