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Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 30 minutes

Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current

Energy

CCSS NGSS.4-PS3-2England: KS3 Physics: Energy (energy changes and transfers)

Objective and success criteria

Students will: Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current.

  • I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
  • I can explain each step and say why it works.
  • I can check my answer and spot a mistake.

Before and after

Needs first: Energy stores and transfers

Leads to: Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators

Materials: Wind-up toys or a pendulum, Energy transfer diagrams, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).

Warm-up · 4 min

  • Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Energy stores and transfers). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
  • Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
  1. Which energy store is most important here: a running dog? (thermal (heat) / elastic potential (stretch or squash) / kinetic (movement) / chemical) → kinetic (movement)Prompt: Is it moving, raised up, stretched, hot, or able to release energy by reacting?
  2. When you rub your hands together, the movement energy is transferred to… (thermal energy (they warm up) / elastic energy / chemical energy / nuclear energy) → thermal energy (they warm up)Prompt: How do your hands feel?
  3. Which of these mainly has a chemical energy store? (a sandwich / a drawn bow / a stretched trampoline / lava from a volcano) → a sandwichPrompt: Think about what each object is doing.

Hook · 3 min

  • Wind up a toy or stretch an elastic band and ask where the energy goes.
  • Share the objective: Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current. Read the success criteria together.

I do: model it · 7 min

  • Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
  • Example: How is energy moving here: a torch (flashlight) beam?
  • Step 1: Energy travels as light from a hot or glowing source.
  • Step 2: So the answer is: light
  • Answer: light
  • Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.

We do: guided practice · 6 min

  • Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
  • Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
  1. How is energy moving here: thunder rumbling? (light / sound / heat / electric current) → soundPrompt: Is it seen, heard, felt as warmth, or carried in wires?
  2. An electric car is plugged in overnight. What is being transferred into its battery? (sound from the cable / light from the street lamps / energy, by an electric current / petrol (gasoline)) → energy, by an electric currentPrompt: What travels along the charging cable?

You do: independent practice · 7 min

  • Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
  • Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.

The 6 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.

Exit ticket · 3 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. How is energy moving here: a pan heating on a hob? (light / sound / heat / electric current) → heatPrompt: Is it seen, heard, felt as warmth, or carried in wires?
  2. A loud firework explodes. Which ways is energy transferred? (light, sound and heat / only sound / only electric current / no energy is transferred) → light, sound and heatPrompt: What do you see, hear and feel?

Watch out for

  • Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
  • Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"

Support and stretch

Support

  • Review first: Energy stores and transfers.
  • Use concrete materials: wind-up toys or a pendulum.
  • Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
  • Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.

Stretch

  • Move on to: Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators.
  • Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
  • Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.

Homework and more practice

Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-4.

Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder

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Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current

Name

Date

Score/ 6

  1. Question 1

    How is energy moving here: a radiator warming a room?

    • A. light
    • B. sound
    • C. heat
    • D. electric current

  2. Question 2

    A solar-powered garden light glows at night. How did the energy get there?

    • A. Sunlight → solar panel → electric current → battery → light
    • B. The Moon charged it.
    • C. Sound from the garden powers it.
    • D. It makes energy from darkness.

  3. Question 3

    True or false? Electricity can only be made by batteries.

    • A. True
    • B. False

  4. Question 4

    How is energy moving here: a torch (flashlight) beam?

    • A. light
    • B. sound
    • C. heat
    • D. electric current

  5. Question 5

    A loud firework explodes. Which ways is energy transferred?

    • A. only sound
    • B. no energy is transferred
    • C. only electric current
    • D. light, sound and heat

  6. Question 6

    True or false? Electric current carries energy through wires.

    • A. True
    • B. False

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Answer key: Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current

  1. 1. C. heat

  2. 2. A. Sunlight → solar panel → electric current → battery → light

  3. 3. B. False

  4. 4. A. light

  5. 5. D. light, sound and heat

  6. 6. A. True