Heat Transfer Through Convection, Radiation, and Conduction

1. Bellringer - The students will complete a K-W-L chart on what they know about how heat is transferred. The teacher will share the document, “Heat Transfer K-W-L Chart" with the students. This can be shared digitally, printed, or completed on chart paper as a whole group. The students can work together or individually on the chart.  The students will just complete the K(now) and W(hat) part, but the L(earn) part will be completed at the end of the lesson. The information can be used to guide instruction to determine what the students already know and what they are interested in learning. If the students complete the chart digitally, it can be shared with the teacher and the teacher can create a digital copy for the class. If the students complete the chart on a printed version, the teacher should transfer the information onto a large chart paper of the students’ responses to revisit at the conclusion of the lesson. 
    
2. The teacher will discuss the essential question of the lesson and discuss why it is important to learn about heat transfer. If the students are working in their journals, then they are to write the question in their journals. If they are working digitally, the students will answer the question in their final assessment.
    
3. Students will watch the video, “Thermal Energy 101: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science” on their devices (can be shown as a whole group if the class is not 1:1)  to introduce the lesson to the students. The students will complete “Thermal Energy 101: Heat Transfer Learning Activity.” The teacher should distribute (this can be done digitally or manually depending on the teacher's digital capability. The students can also complete the activity in their journals.) and review the learning activity prior to watching the video so the students know what to expect. The students can submit their completed activity to the teacher when finished. The teacher will check for the students’ understanding by using the document “Thermal Energy 101: Heat Transfer Learning Activity Answer Key.” The teacher will review the answers with the class after everyone has finished. 
    
4. Students will watch the video, “Conduction: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science” on their devices (can be shown as a whole group if the class is not 1:1) to learn about conduction. The students will complete “Conduction: Heat Transfer Learning Activity.” The teacher should distribute (This can be done digitally or manually depending on the teacher’s digital capability. Students can also complete the activity in their journals.) and review the learning activity prior to watching the video so the students know what to expect.  The students can submit their completed activity to the teacher when finished. The teachers will check for the students’ understanding by using the document “Conduction: Heat Transfer Learning Activity Answer Key.” The teacher will review the answers with the class after everyone has finished. 
    
5. Students will complete the “Insulators Activity” to learn about heat transfer. The teacher will inform the class that all materials do not transfer heat equally and poor conductors of heat are called insulators. Students will conduct a quick experiment to see how some materials conduct heat better than others. This can be recorded digitally, in their journals, or on a printed copy of the activity. The teacher should review the students’ answers to see that they noticed the metal spoon got hotter than the plastic spoon. Thus, plastic is a better insulator than metal. The teacher needs to inform the students that energy moves from an area of higher temperature to an area of lower temperature.  The teacher needs to use caution with this experiment as the liquid should be very warm. 
    
6. Students will watch the video, “Convection: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science.” on their devices (can be shown as a whole group if the class is not 1:1) to learn about convection. The students will complete “Convection: Heat Transfer Learning Activity” (this is the same activity located on the page with the video).  The teacher should distribute (This can be done digitally or manually depending on the teacher’s digital capability.  Students can also complete the activity in their journals.) and review the learning activity prior to watching the video so the students know what to expect.  The students can submit their completed activity to the teacher when finished. The teacher will check for the students’ understanding by using the document “Convection: Heat Transfer Learning Activity Answer Key.” The teacher will review the answers with the class after everyone has finished. 
    
7. Students will watch the video, “Thermal Radiation: Heat Transfer | UNC-TV Science” on their devices (can be shown as a whole group if the class is not 1:1) to learn about convection. The students will complete “Thermal Radiation: Heat Transfer Learning Activity” (this is the same activity located on the page with the video). The teacher should distribute (This can be done digitally or manually depending on the teacher’s digital capability. Students can also complete the activity in their journals.) and review the learning activity prior to watching the video so the students know what to expect. The students can submit their completed activity to the teacher when finished. The teacher will check the students’ understanding by using the document “Thermal Radiation: Heat Transfer Learning Activity Answer Key.” The teacher will review the answers with the class after everyone has finished. 
    
8. Students will complete the interactive, “Thermal Energy Transfer” on their devices (can be completed as a whole group if the class is not 1:1) to learn about how conduction, convection, and radiation are used in a house. The students will report about what they learned after completing the interactive. There are discussion questions located on the page that can be used to guide student discussion. 
    
9. Culminating Assessment - Students will create a model using presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) that demonstrates an understanding of how heat is transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation (this can be completed using hand-drawn artwork if the technology is not available). The students will find images that demonstrate conduction, convection, and radiation. The students must explain and label each image and the process by which heat is transferred. The teacher will provide the student with the document “Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Model” that has the directions and a checklist so the students will know their expectations. The teacher will use the document “Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Model Checklist” to assess the students’ understanding.
    
10. The students will complete the L part of the KWL chart from the beginning of the lesson.

If you are using a cloud file storage system (Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or iCloud), I would recommend having the students create a digital folder for this lesson to save their notes and student work. It will help with organization.

Students will create a model using presentation software (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.) that demonstrates understanding of how heat is transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation (this can be completed using hand-drawn artwork if technology is not available). The students will find images that demonstrate conduction, convection, and radiation. The students must explain and label each image and the process by which heat is transferred. The teacher will provide the student with the document “Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Model” that has the directions and a checklist so the students will know their expectations. The teacher will use the document “Conduction, Convection, and Radiation Model Checklist” to assess the students’ understanding.