Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 45 minutes
Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators
Energy
CCSS NGSS.4-PS3-2CCSS NGSS.SEP 3England: KS2 Y5 Properties and changes of materials
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators.
- 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 moves by sound, light, heat and electric current
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
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 · 5 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Energy moves by sound, light, heat and electric current). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- How is energy moving here: a charger cable filling a tablet battery? (light / sound / heat / electric current) → electric currentPrompt: Is it seen, heard, felt as warmth, or carried in wires?
- A loud firework explodes. Which ways is energy transferred? (only sound / light, sound and heat / only electric current / no energy is transferred) → light, sound and heatPrompt: What do you see, hear and feel?
- True or false? Light from the Sun carries energy to Earth. (True / False) → TruePrompt: Light, sound, heat and electric current all carry energy.
Hook · 5 min
- Wind up a toy or stretch an elastic band and ask where the energy goes.
- Share the objective: Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 10 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: steel?
- Step 1: Metals let heat pass through quickly.
- Step 2: So the answer is: thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)
- Answer: thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 10 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: plastic foam (polystyrene)? (thermal conductor (lets heat through easily) / thermal insulator (slows heat down)) → thermal insulator (slows heat down)Prompt: Is it a metal?
- Why are saucepans made of metal but have plastic or wooden handles? (Plastic makes the pan heat faster. / Wood is a good thermal conductor. / Metal conducts heat to the food; the handle insulates your hand. / Metal handles are too light.) → Metal conducts heat to the food; the handle insulates your hand.Prompt: Which part should get hot, and which should not?
You do: independent practice · 10 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 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 5 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- A cool box keeps drinks cold on a hot day. What is it lined with? (a thermal insulator like plastic foam / black paint / thin copper sheets / nothing, just air holes) → a thermal insulator like plastic foamPrompt: The same material keeps hot things hot and cold things cold.
- Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: aluminium (aluminum)? (thermal conductor (lets heat through easily) / thermal insulator (slows heat down)) → thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)Prompt: Is it a metal?
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 moves by sound, light, heat and electric current.
- 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
- 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