Energy Transformations

1. Energy Transformations Sandie Grinnell

2. Overview of Lesson • Differentiate between energy and energy sources • Identify types of energy • Observe energy transformations • Determine what transformation is occurring (identify initial type of energy and what it transforms into)

3. Probe—What is Energy? • Students were to identify examples of energy from the following list : • After identifying what they thought were examples of energy, the students were to explain their reasoning.

4. What uses energy? • After identifying types of energy, the students selected objects from the following list that they believed used energy: • Then they explained their “rule”.

5. Student Understanding and Misconceptions • My students identified the following as examples of energy: • Oil • Food • Vitamins • Sleep • Running • Gasoline

6. Uh oh…we’re in trouble! • The students generalized that an object that moves “on its own” uses energy: • Trains • Living things • Automobiles • They also believed that if an object does not require electricity to operate, then it must not need energy: • Bowling balls • Bicycles • Wind-up toys

7. Informed Instruction • Students were confusing energy with energy sources. • Identification of types of energy would be a necessary prerequisite activity. • Booklets were made to define the following: • Chemical energy • Solar energy • Electrical energy • Potential energy • Kinetic energy • Light energy • Thermal energy • Nuclear energy

8. The Lesson • Six centers were set up around the room. • Prior to beginning centers answered the following focus question in their lab notebooks: • Can energy ever change forms? • Students were given four minutes at each center. In those four minutes they: • Observed beginning energy form • Watched the transformation and identified what form of energy existed after the transformation • Recorded their observations on a chart

9. Chemical Energy to Light Energy • Center 1 • Observe the flashlight (look at it on the outside and open it up CAREFULLY to look inside). What type of energy is in the flashlight when it is turned off? • What type of energy do you observe when the flashlight is turned on? • What transformation has happened?

10. Electrical Energy to Light Energy and Thermal Energy • Center 2 • Observe the light bulb when it is turned off. • Plug it into the outlet. What type of energy are you using? • Turn on the lamp. What type of energy do you see? • Are there any other transformations occurring?

11. Potential Energy to Kinetic Energy • Center 3 • Stack two books and use the ruler as a ramp. • Hold the car in place at the top of the ramp. What type of energy does the car have? • Let go of the car. What energy transformation has occurred?

12. Chemical Energy or Potential Energy to Kinetic Energy • Center 4 • Think about what you ate today. What kind of energy do you have inside of you? Where did you get this energy? • Blow on the pinwheel. What type of energy transformation just occurred?

13. Chemical Energy to Thermal Energy and Light Energy • Center 5 • Observe the burning candle (the key word here is OBSERVE—do NOT touch the candle or see how close you can get your hand to the flame. Be intelligent.). • What type of energy does a burning flame have? • What types of energy transformations are occurring

14. Electrical Energy to Thermal Energy to Kinetic Energy • Center 6 • What type of energy is entering the hot pot from the cord? • What is it being transformed into? • What happens if you place the pinwheel over the spout of the hot pot? What type of energy transformation has just occurred?

15. Assessment Lab: Energy Transformations

16. Scoring Guide/Rubric

17. Um… My Confession: I did not collect the student lab charts… they are gone…nor did I re-administer the “What is Energy?” probe… my intended final assessment. As a result, my assessment was very informal. We had a class discussion about each center.

18. More about assessment • Our follow-up discussion revealed that: • My students were able to identify the different types of energy at each center. • They saw energy transforming and could identify what was happening. • They were able to have conversations about the transformations using the correct terminology. • Observations revealed that: • My students have a difficult time recording data on their data charts! • They needed more time! • My conclusion: • My class needs me to model what I expect them to do with the data charts. • My class needs more time in which to write on their data charts—perhaps I was in too much of a hurry to get every group through every station in one period.

19. Reflections: The Good • High student engagement! • Students were communicating using correct terminology. • Students put misbehavior on hold because they were intrigued. • Students were able to see my confusion over why I couldn’t get the steam to turn the pinwheel, and then they saw me experiment until I figured it out.

20. Reflections: The Bad • Limited time for completing all centers • Not enough time to write information on lab chart • Some transformations were confusing • Fire: many missed that it was chemical energy to light energy AND thermal energy • Energy books used as a reference were completed in a hurry—not always accurate

21. There wasn’t really anything ugly… • I learned a lot about my science teaching: • I need to model what I want my students to give me as evidence of their learning or I will end up with nothing. • It’s my job to provide activities like this more often so that the students who aren’t successful in other disciplines have a chance to shine. • Even though they’re working on self-directed activities, students still need the teacher to come around periodically to make sure their thinking is on track—otherwise, they might miss something critical to their understanding. • My formal assessments need work. Developing rubrics AHEAD OF TIME will help me out in this area.