6th Grade - Unit 1: Energy

Instructional Sequence

Assessment Types at
This Stage

Assessment Description

Learning Target

Engage

Observations and Inferences: Students use their background knowledge to make connections between the macroscopic and particle scale of substances.

Initial Balloon Bottle Model and Written Explanation:

Students use diagrams and words to make visible their initial ideas and connections between macroscopic and particle scales. 

Students observe a demonstration showing a balloon attached to a bottle placed in hot and cold water. Students observe that the balloon inflates when the bottle is placed in hot water and shrinks when the bottle is placed in cold water.

Students use diagrams and words to explain why the balloon changed sizes.

This assessment is about understanding the ideas students have about what makes up matter and the differences between warm and cold substances. Students should try to make connections between their explanatory ideas and observations.  Students are not expected to have correct science ideas at this point.

Explore

Written Responses to Reflection Questions: Students use simulations to test their ideas about what might be happening at the particle scale.

Concept Map: Students propose an initial concept map that makes visible the relationships between particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Students use simulations and demonstrations to observe the effects of energy transfer at the macroscopic and particle scales.

Students should be able to state that matter is made of particles that are always moving. These particles arrange and move differently in solids, liquids, and gasses.  

Students should begin exploring the relationship between particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Increases in energy correspond to an increase in 1) particle speed, 2) temperature, 3) volume (particles spread out), and 4) pressure (if a closed container).

Explain

Synthesis of Evidence from Learning Activities: Students read an article and answer Reflection Questions.

Students synthesize findings from activities and the article and consider what evidence could be used to revise their models.

Students use what they learned to revise their balloon bottle models.

Students should be able to say that when the bottle was placed in the hot water, energy was transferred to the air inside the bottle. Students should not be expected to know the exact mechanism for how this happens—they will learn more about this in Subunit 2. Students should be able to say that when energy was transferred to the air, the particles started moving faster and spread out, and that is why the balloon filled up.

Students should be able to state the cause and effect relationship between a transfer of energy to a substance and its particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Students should be able to distinguish between thermal energy, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Students should be able to explain what it means to be hot (high average kinetic energy) or cold (low average kinetic energy).

Elaborate

Students’ Models Showing Energy Transfer: Students apply their understanding of particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature to their Culminating Projects.

Students make inferences about what happens at the particle scale when energy is added or removed from cookies or hot tub water using an external energy source.

Students should be able to state that a transfer of thermal energy will result in higher kinetic energy and temperature.

Students should be able to state that a transfer of thermal energy away from a substance will result in lower kinetic energy and temperature.

When assessing the drawings, focus less on the size of the particles, whether they are in a configuration that makes the most sense given the phase, and whether they are showing appropriate differences in particle movement. The drawings should demonstrate an understanding of the connections between energy transfer, particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Evaluate

Critique, Correct, Clarify: Students use and refine their understanding of particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature by correcting an incorrect explanation.

Revisit Driving Question Board: Students revise their responses to the Subunit 1 Essential Question.  

Students assess their ability to answer the questions on the Driving Question Board.

Revised Water Bottle Model: Students revise their responses to the Water Bottle Problem. 

Students correct an explanation that states that all of the particles within a substance are moving at the same speed.

Students revisit their responses to the Subunit Essential Question: What is the difference between warm and cold substances?

Students assess what they figured out and areas that still need to be figured out.

Students return to the Lift-Off problem to explain how and why the sun could heat up the water.

Students should be able to state that the particles are not all traveling at the same speed. Temperature measures the average kinetic energy of the particles in the substance.

When a substance warms up, the particles in the substance move faster. This happens regardless of the state of matter—even in solids the particles will wiggle more as the solid warms up. When the particles are moving more, we say they have higher kinetic energy. We can measure these changes in kinetic energy by measuring the temperature of the substance, which measures the average kinetic energy of the substance. The energy that makes the particles speed up comes from outside the system, like from the sun in the case of the water bottles.

Instructional Sequence

Assessment Types at
This Stage

Assessment Description

Learning Target

Engage

Diagrams: Using their background knowledge, students illustrate energy transfer when substances warm or cool.

Students illustrate how energy from sunlight was transferred to warm the water in bottles.

At this point, all answers are acceptable. It is okay if students are not sure of the relationship between sunlight and thermal energy.

Explore

Looking for Patterns: 

Students observe four examples of energy transfer between substances and look for patterns across the examples. 

Students record their observations and collect data for energy transfer when objects touch and do not touch.

Students should be able to notice patterns in their results and should have questions about what is happening at the particle scale that is different between energy transfer when objects touch and do not touch.

Explain

Revise Diagrams / Reflection Questions: Students develop a more generalized diagram to depict energy transfer when objects touch (conduction) and do not touch (radiation). 

Students draw diagrams that could reflect energy transfer across multiple situations in which the common feature in the situations is either energy transfer by direct contact or without direct contact. Students create more generalizable models for conduction and radiation on the particle scale.

Focus more on the idea that energy transfers from substances through both direct contact and without direct contact. Students may state the words conduction or radiation but, more importantly, should be able to model the differences between these two types of energy transfer.  

Elaborate

Applying Understanding to Conduct an Experiment:

Students conduct an experiment to melt ice cubes.

Students apply their understanding of thermal energy transfer to conduct an experiment in which they attempt to maximize energy transfer.

Students should be able to explain how the material choices they made maximize energy transfer to the ice cube using ideas about what happens when energy transfers through either conduction or radiation. 

Evaluate

Using Models to Show Understanding: Students return to the question from the Engage lesson.

Students diagram the Water Bottle Problem to reflect their new understanding of thermal energy transfer at the macroscopic and particle scales via conduction and radiation.

Students should be able to

• Show that when two objects or regions of an object are in contact, thermal energy transfers from higher temperature to lower temperature, never the other way around.
• Show the effect that energy transfer in or out of a substance has on particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature.

Instructional Sequence

Assessment Types at
This Stage

Assessment Description

Learning Target

Engage

Observations: Students apply their background knowledge about the roles mass and temperature play in determining the thermal energy of a substance

Students observe three demonstrations with different amounts and temperatures of water.

It is okay if students are not sure of the exact nature of the connection between mass, temperature, and thermal energy. 

Explore

Predictions and Inferences: 

Students design an experiment to test the effect of two variables on thermal energy transfer: mass and type of matter.

Students design an experiment to warm water and/or sand.

Students should be able to notice patterns in their results. Students should begin to think that different types of matter take in and transfer out energy differently.

Explain

Analogy Map: Students create an analogy map to help explain thermal energy, temperature, and the sample characteristics.

Students articulate how an analogy can help to explain a real-world example of thermal energy transfer. 

Students should be able to state parts of the money analogy that map to the real world, specifically as it relates to concepts and terms about the amount of thermal energy needed to increase the temperature of a sample with a smaller mass than a larger mass (and vice versa).

Elaborate

Applying Understanding to a New Context, Drawing Models, Designing and Testing Devices 

Students apply their understanding to the Culminating Project.

Students should be able to explain how the materials choices they made maximize energy transfer in their devices. They should also be able to draw what they think happens at the particle scale inside their devices. In general, these drawings should show particles with higher kinetic energy, speed, and temperature after using the device than before.

Evaluate

Analyzing Data, Revising Models, and Written Responses

Students

1. Redesign their devices based on their data.

2. Present their devices as a group.

3. Write their Patent Application. 

4. Review a student’s Patent Application.

5. Revise their Patent Application based on peer feedback.

6. Articulate their learning using a Know, Wonder, Learned chart and concept map.

See goals for the Elaborate lesson.

Desired Results

Overview

Through investigations, students identify the relationships between thermal energy transfer, particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature—including identifying where thermal energy is transferred from and to. Students also distinguish between thermal energy and the temperature of substances and describe the relationships among mass, type of substance, and change in temperature.

Project Tasks

Connections to the Culminating Project Lift-Off: Students identify the client, the challenges, and the “need-to-knows” of the device, while also brainstorming possible designs for the device.

Connections to the Culminating Project Subunit 1: Students consider the particle speed, kinetic energy, and temperature of cookies or water when energy is transferred to or away from the substances, and then make connections between what is happening in the device at both the macroscopic and particle scale. 

Connections to the Culminating Project Subunit 2: Students use their understanding of thermal energy transfer to explain how their device works, while also comparing the energy transfer capabilities of various materials to be used in designing their device.

Connections to the Culminating Project Subunit 3: Students first design, build, and test their device based on specified criteria, and then offer ways to modify the device based upon a careful analysis of date.
 

Estimated length of project: 210 min

ESTABLISHED GOALS

MS-PS1-4. Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases the kinetic energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and helium.]
 

MS-PS3-5. Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the form of temperature changes or motion of an object.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculations of energy.]
 

MS-PS3-3. Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.] 

MS-PS3-4. Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample. [Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.]
 

MS-ETS1-4. Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved. 

NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION

How can we design a device to warm something up?

Students will be able to independently use their learning to

• Design, construct, test, and suggest modifications for a device that maximizes thermal energy transfer.
• Develop and revise the design of a device.
• Conduct investigations to test how thermal energy transfers in a device.
• Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among energy transfer, type of matter, mass, and change in kinetic energy.
• Construct an argument to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. 

Students will know

• That all matter is made of particles which move and are arranged differently in solids, liquids, and gases.
• That the transfer of thermal energy away from a substance will result in lower kinetic energy and temperature.
• That not all particles in a substance are traveling at the same speed, but that temperature is the average kinetic energy of all the particles in a substance..
• That energy always transfers from a substance with more energy to a substance with less energy.

Evidence

Assessment Evidence

PERFORMANCE TASK: Design, construct, and test a device that maximizes thermal energy transfer. At the end of this unit, students will work together to design, construct, build, and suggest modifications for a device that maximizes thermal energy transfer. As part of this project, groups will prepare a short presentation for their device in which they explain how the device is designed to operate.

Individual Culminating Project: Patent Application

In addition to the Group Culminating Project, students complete an Individual Culminating Project. Individually, students will write a patent application for their group’s device in which they explain the scientific concepts underlying the device’s operation, and in which they offer at least one suggested modification for improvement. The completion of the patent application is supported through a peer feedback protocol.

Learning Plan

Subunit 1

In this subunit, students represent matter at the particle scale using particle diagrams. Therefore, it will be helpful to introduce students to the particulate nature of matter. The focus of the unit as a whole is on thermal energy and temperature. Heat is a term often overused and used improperly. As a result, one goal of the unit is to focus students on the terms temperature and thermal energy. The following terms will be defined during this subunit:

• Temperature - Temperature is the average internal kinetic energy in a system.
• Thermal Energy - Thermal energy is the total internal kinetic energy of a system. When thermal energy is added to a system, it results in a temperature change.
• Heat - Heat refers to the energy that is transferred between two objects due to the difference in temperature between the two objects. Heat travels from warm to cold.

Subunit 2

In this subunit, students understand that the structure of a substance may help or hinder the transfer of thermal energy through that substance. A conductor is a substance in which energy is transferred easily as its molecules vibrate rapidly and transfer energy through an increased number of particle collisions. Most metals and liquids are good conductors. An insulator behaves in an opposite manner as it reduces the number of particle collisions, thus decreasing the amount of energy transfer possible. Glass, foam, and dry wood are good examples of insulators. 

Subunit 3 

In this subunit, students use water and sand to show that the change of temperature of a material is dependent on the mass (or amount) of the material. Students should once again notice that thermal energy only travels from a warmer region to a colder region and never the other way around. 

Unit Map

Energy

Essential Question: How can we design a device to warm something up?

Lift-Off and Introduction to the Culminating Project

Subunit 1: Particle Speed, Kinetic Energy, and Temperature

What is the difference between warm and cold substances?

Engage • Explore • Explain • Elaborate • Evaluate

Subunit 2: Thermal Energy Transfer

What are some ways we can warm up or cool down substances?

Engage • Explore • Explain • Elaborate • Evaluate

Subunit 3: Mass and Thermal Energy

How does the amount of matter in a sample affect how substances get warm or cold?

Engage • Explore • Explain • Elaborate • Evaluate

Group Culminating Project

A Device to Maximize Thermal Energy Transfer

Individual Culminating Project

Patent Application

Course Concepts

+ Foundational Crosscutting Concepts: These concepts are foundational to the understanding of middle school science. These concepts are present throughout the course. Students are expected to continue to apply their knowledge of the concepts to subsequent relevant projects. 

* Focal Crosscutting Concept: This concept is called out consistently in the Teacher Book and once per subunit in the Student Book. Students will consider the unit project through the lens of this Crosscutting Concept. 

Crosscutting Concept

Unit 1: Energy

Unit 2: Human Impact on Earth’s Climate

Unit 3: Cells and Body Systems

Unit 4: Reproduction and Heredity

Patterns

*

Cause and Effect

+

*

+

+

Scale, Proportion, and Quantity

+

+

Systems and System Models

+

+

*

Energy and Matter

*

Structure and Function

+

Stability and Change

+

Science and Engineering Practices 

+ Foundational Science and Engineering Practices: These practices “carry forward” through the course. Students focus on one of these practices per unit and are then expected to continue to apply that knowledge to subsequent relevant projects. 

* Focal Science and Engineering Practice: This practice is called out consistently in the Teacher Book and once per subunit in the Student Book. Students will use this practice to complete the unit project. 

Science and Engineering 

Practices

Unit 1: Energy

Unit 2: Human Impact on Earth’s Climate

Unit 3: Cells and Body Systems

Unit 4: Reproduction and Heredity

Asking Questions and Defining Problems 

+

+

Developing and Using Models 

*

+

+

+

Planning and Carrying Out Investigations 

+

+

+

Analyzing and Interpreting Data

+

*

Using Mathematics and Computational Thinking

Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions

+

+

*

Engaging in Argument from Evidence

+

*

+

Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information

+

+

+

MS-PS1-4

Develop a model that predicts and describes changes in particle motion, temperature, and state of a pure substance when thermal energy is added or removed. [Clarification Statement: Emphasis is on qualitative molecular-level models of solids, liquids, and gases to show that adding or removing thermal energy increases or decreases the kinetic energy of the particles until a change of state occurs. Examples of models could include drawings and diagrams. Examples of particles could include molecules or inert atoms. Examples of pure substances could include water, carbon dioxide, and helium.]

MS-PS3-5

Construct, use, and present arguments to support the claim that when the kinetic energy of an object changes, energy is transferred to or from the object. [Clarification Statement: Examples of empirical evidence used in arguments could include an inventory or other representation of the energy before and after the transfer in the form of temperature changes or motion of object.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculations of energy.]

MS-PS3-3

Apply scientific principles to design, construct, and test a device that either minimizes or maximizes thermal energy transfer.* [Clarification Statement: Examples of devices could include an insulated box, a solar cooker, and a Styrofoam cup.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.]

MS-PS3-4

Plan an investigation to determine the relationships among the energy transferred, the type of matter, the mass, and the change in the average kinetic energy of the particles as measured by the temperature of the sample. [Clarification Statement: Examples of experiments could include comparing final water temperatures after different masses of ice melted in the same volume of water with the same initial temperature, the temperature change of samples of different materials with the same mass as they cool or heat in the environment, or the same material with different masses when a specific amount of energy is added.] [Assessment Boundary: Assessment does not include calculating the total amount of thermal energy transferred.]

MS-ETS1-4

Develop a model to generate data for iterative testing and modification of a proposed object, tool, or process such that an optimal design can be achieved.

Misconceptions 

Accurate Concept

Heat is a substance.

Heat is energy.

Heat and cold are substances.

Heat is energy that can be gained or lost; cold is the absence of heat.

Heat is energy that can be gained or lost; cold refers to temperature.

Heat and cold are different.

Cold is the absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature.

There are different forms of energy, such as thermal energy, mechanical energy, and chemical energy.

The nature of the energy in each of these is not distinct—they all are ultimately, at the atomic scale, some mixture of kinetic energy, stored energy, and radiation. In addition, it is misleading to call sound or light forms of energy; they are phenomena that, among their other properties, transfer energy from place to place and between objects.

Misconceptions 

Accurate Concept

Air does not take up space. Gases are not made up of atoms.  (AAAS Project 2061, n.d.)..

From the American Association of the Advancement of Science

(AAAS) Misconceptions website

(http://assessment.aaas.org/topics/1/AM/29#/2) 

http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM107

(http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM107)

and

http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM137

(http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM137)
 

Air is matter because it is made up of atoms. All matter is made up of atoms. 

From: 

AAAS Misconceptions website 

(http://assessment.aaas.org/topics/1/AM/29#/2)
 

and

(AAAS Misconceptions website
(http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM107)

and

 AAAS Misconceptions website (http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM009)

Atoms or molecules of a solid are not moving(Lee et al., 1993; Novak & Musonda, 1991). 

From the American Association of the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 

AAAS Misconceptions website

(http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/40/AMM032)

and 

http://assessment.aaas.org/topics/1/AM/40#/2

• Atoms and molecules of all matter are always moving.
• This is true for atoms or molecules of solids, liquids, and gases.
• Even when objects that are made up of these atoms and molecules appear not to be moving, the atoms and molecules that make up those objects are nonetheless themselves in constant motion.
• The motion of atoms or molecules can include moving back and forth with respect to a fixed point, around a fixed point, and/or past each other from one fixed point to another.
• The motion (speed and direction) of an atom or molecule can change when it undergoes collision with another atom or molecule resulting in one speeding up and the other slowing down.
• Because atoms and molecules are continually colliding with each other, the atoms/molecules of the substance do not have the same speed.

From:
 

AAAS Misconceptions website (http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM107) 

and 

AAAS Misconceptions website http://assessment.aaas.org/misconceptions/1/AM/29/AMM009)

Misconceptions 

Accurate Concept

Cold is transferred from one object to another.

Thermal energy is transferred from one object to another.

Heat is a substance.

Heat is energy.

Heat and temperature are the same.

Heat is transferred from one object to another and may result in change in temperature of the objects. 

• Heat is passed from one place to another. 
• Heat is energy measured in joules (J).
• Heat can be gained or lost.
• Temperature is how hot or cold a substance is. 
• Temperature is the average kinetic energy in a substance.
• Temperature is measured in degrees using the scales of Kelvin (K), Celsius (C), or Fahrenheit (F).

Heat and cold are substances.

• Heat is energy that can be gained or lost; cold is the absence of heat.
• Heat is energy that can be gained or lost; cold refers to temperature.

Heat and thermal energy are the same.

• Heat is energy in transit due to differences in temperature between two systems; thermal energy is not in transit but remains as part of the internal energy of the system.
• Heat cannot be stored or contained by a system because it is a process function; thermal energy is part of the internal energy in a system. 

Heat moves from cooler objects to warmer objects.

Heat moves from an area or object with higher thermal energy to an area or object with lower thermal energy.

Heat and cold are different.

Cold is the absence of heat. Cold refers to temperature.

Objects (blankets, gloves) produce their own heat.

Objects (blankets, gloves) keep things warm by trapping heat.

Some substances do not heat up.

All substances can heat up, although some gain heat more easily or faster than others.

Misconceptions 

Accurate Concept

Temperature depends on the size of an object.

Temperature does not depend on size. For example, a swimmer has a higher temperature than the ocean the swimmer swims in.

The change in temperature over time is constant for each material and does not depend on size or mass.

The change in temperature depends on the nature of the matter and its size.

The time it takes to bake a cake does not depend on the size of the cake. 

Assuming two cakes have the same ingredients and are in the same oven, a large cake needs more time to bake than a small one because it has more substance and thus a greater number of particles. The more particles, the more thermal energy is needed to be transferred to those particles. So, the large cake needs more time in the oven to bake. 

Permanent

Consumable

Teacher Provided

• Flask (1) 
• Tongs (1) 
• 600 mL beaker (4) 
• Hot plate (8) 
• Thermometer (16) 
• Plastic 1 L container (2) 
• Plastic shoebox (2) 
• Heat lamp (8)
• 400 mL beaker (30) 
• Cooler (1) 
• Frying pan (1) 
• Oven mitt (4) 
• Wood cutting board (1) 
• 200 mL beaker (6) 
• Measuring cup set (8) 
• 10 pounds of sand
• Ice cube tray (4) 
• 15 oz plastic cup (6)
• 150-watt bulb (8) 

• Construction paper, white (50 sheets)
• Construction paper, black (50 sheets)
• Balloons, 50 pack
• 16 oz deli containers with lids (50)
• 8 oz deli containers with lids (50)
• Zip bags, sandwich size, 200 pack 

• Piece of chart paper (6)
• Large 5"x7" sticky notes (144) 
• Small sticky notes (144) 
• Marker (32) 
• Highlighter (32) 
• Stick of butter (2) 
• Approximately 1,200 mL of ice
• Timer (8) 
• Piece of graph paper (40)
• roll of paper towels (1) 
• Roll of scotch tape (3)
• Cardboard box (40) (student-provided)
• Rolls of aluminum foil (5)
• Roll of plastic wrap (5)
• paper bag, newspaper, paper towel, foam, or some other material to use as a base (to prevent conduction from ground)