Back to the lesson plan builder
Lesson length30 min45 min60 min
Questions🔀 New questions

Print the plan for yourself; the student sheet prints on its own page after it.

Science lesson plan · 4th grade (Year 5 in England) · 60 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 · 6 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.
  1. How is energy moving here: a radiator warming a room? (light / sound / heat / electric current) → heatPrompt: Is it seen, heard, felt as warmth, or carried in wires?
  2. Why does a spoon left in hot soup get hot all the way up the handle? (Heat moves through the metal from the hot end to the cooler end. / Light from the soup warms it. / The spoon makes heat. / Cold moves into the soup.) → Heat moves through the metal from the hot end to the cooler end.Prompt: Which way does heat always flow?
  3. True or false? Sound carries no energy. (True / False) → FalsePrompt: Light, sound, heat and electric current all carry energy.

Hook · 6 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 · 12 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 · 12 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. Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: feathers? (thermal conductor (lets heat through easily) / thermal insulator (slows heat down)) → thermal insulator (slows heat down)Prompt: Is it a metal?
  2. Why does insulating a house's loft (attic) help the planet? (Insulation makes electricity. / It stops rain. / Less heat escapes, so less fuel is burned for heating. / It makes the house colder.) → Less heat escapes, so less fuel is burned for heating.Prompt: Where does heat go if the roof lets it out?

You do: independent practice · 17 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 · 7 min

  • Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
  1. 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?
  2. Why do polar bears and penguins stay warm in freezing weather? (Their bodies never lose any heat. / They make cold air warmer. / Thick fur, feathers and fat are good thermal insulators. / They are made of metal.) → Thick fur, feathers and fat are good thermal insulators.Prompt: What do fur and feathers trap?

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

eurekami

Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators

Name

Date

Score/ 8

  1. Question 1

    Why do polar bears and penguins stay warm in freezing weather?

    • A. They make cold air warmer.
    • B. Their bodies never lose any heat.
    • C. They are made of metal.
    • D. Thick fur, feathers and fat are good thermal insulators.

  2. Question 2

    Four cups of water at 70 °C were wrapped in different materials. The chart shows each temperature after 20 minutes. Which wrap was the best thermal insulator?

    Temperature after 20 minutes (°C)010203040506041no wrap48paper56cotton60wool
    • A. no wrap
    • B. paper
    • C. cotton
    • D. wool

  3. Question 3

    Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: iron?

    • A. thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)
    • B. thermal insulator (slows heat down)

  4. Question 4

    Why does insulating a house's loft (attic) help the planet?

    • A. Less heat escapes, so less fuel is burned for heating.
    • B. It makes the house colder.
    • C. It stops rain.
    • D. Insulation makes electricity.

  5. Question 5

    Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: cork?

    • A. thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)
    • B. thermal insulator (slows heat down)

  6. Question 6

    The water started at 70 °C. How many degrees did the cup with wool cool down in 20 minutes?

    Temperature after 20 minutes (°C)01020304050607042no wrap50paper54cotton64wool

    Answer°C

  7. Question 7

    Is this a thermal conductor or a thermal insulator: aluminium (aluminum)?

    • A. thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)
    • B. thermal insulator (slows heat down)

  8. Question 8

    A cool box keeps drinks cold on a hot day. What is it lined with?

    • A. nothing, just air holes
    • B. thin copper sheets
    • C. a thermal insulator like plastic foam
    • D. black paint

Free from eurekami.com

for the adult only

Answer key: Keep it hot or keep it cold: thermal insulators

  1. 1. D. Thick fur, feathers and fat are good thermal insulators.

  2. 2. D. wool

  3. 3. A. thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)

  4. 4. A. Less heat escapes, so less fuel is burned for heating.

  5. 5. B. thermal insulator (slows heat down)

  6. 6. 6 °C

  7. 7. A. thermal conductor (lets heat through easily)

  8. 8. C. a thermal insulator like plastic foam