Energizing Everything
Energy, Motion, & Electricity
3rd Grade, 4th Grade, 5th Grade
Lesson 1: Speed & Energy
Twist-O-Matic Tester
Lesson 2: Collisions & Energy Transfer
Bumper Coasters (Part I)
Lesson 3: Energy Transfer & Engineering
Bumper Coasters (Part II)
Lesson 4: Energy Transfer & Engineering
Build a Chain Reaction (Part I)
In this lesson, students construct an explanation of how energy is stored, released, and transferred in chain reactions, such as falling dominoes. In the activity, Build a Chain Reaction (Part I), students are presented with an engineering design challenge to create their own chain reaction machine--a project they will continue in Lesson 5. Students experiment with a “Chain-Reaction Starter Kit.” This kit includes a lever and a ramp, which serve as the first two steps of a chain-reaction machine.
Lesson 5: Energy Transfer & Engineering
Build a Chain Reaction (Part II)
In this lesson, students learn about storing, releasing, and transferring energy. In the activity, Build a Chain Reaction (Part II), students complete the chain-reaction machine they started building in Energizing Everything Lesson 4.
Lesson 6: Electrical Energy
Build a Flashlight
In this lesson, students are introduced to electricity as a form of energy. In the activity, Build a Flashlight, students investigate how electrical energy requires a circuit and make their own mini flashlights from LEDs, button batteries, and strips of aluminum foil. Along the way, they’ll learn about the anatomy of a battery, begin to see how circuits work, and discover how handy an on-off switch can be.
Lesson 7: Heat Energy & Energy Transfer
Heat Spinner
In this lesson, students explore how heat is another form of energy that can make things go. In the activity, Heat Spinner, students first make a paper Heat Spinner and observe how air can create movement. Then, students use their Heat Spinners to experiment with a heat source (an incandescent bulb) and discover how heat energy can make the spinner move in different ways.
Lesson 8: Renewable Energy & Natural Resources
Power this Town
In this lesson, students analyze the advantages and disadvantages of different sources of energy, including burnable fuels and alternative (renewable) energies. In the activity, Power this Town, students obtain and combine information about wind energy, solar energy, and water energy. They use this information to determine the best alternative energy sources for a town called Boulderville.