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Discuss: (1/2)

What would you use to get a hot dish out of the oven?

food_in_oven

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What would you use to hold a cup of hot chocolate that’s too hot for your hands?

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How can you find out which of these materials are insulating (can protect your fingers from a hot pan)?
materials_to_test

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Extend this lesson

Assessments

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## Extensions

Below are ideas for extending this topic beyond the activity & exploration which you just completed.

Lesson Assessment and Answer Key
Reading: Heat Stoppers examines how oven mitts and mittens work by blocking heat.
Video Demonstration: Learn how polar bears stay warm in icy water.
Activity: Combine reading and science with a hands-on activity that starts with a Ukranian folktale.
Distance Learning: Substitute Remote Activity

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## Video Demonstration — Polar Bear Hands

Polar bears, whales, and seals stay warm in icy Arctic water because they have a layer of fat or blubber that insulates them from the cold.

In a short video, Carmelo the Science Fellow demonstrates how this works with two sandwich bags and some vegetable fat.

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## Activity: The Mitten Experiment

Selina Smith combines science and literacy in a wonderful lesson exploring mittens. She begins with Jan Brett’s picture book, The Mitten (available at Amazon and as an online video).

Then she asks her students — “Are mittens warm?” To find the answer, students measure the temperature of the room, of an empty mitten, and of a mitten on someone’s hand. Results show that mittens alone are NOT warm. The wearer's hand is warm, and the mitten traps the heat.

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## Distance Learning: Substitute Activity

Read or assign the Epic! book Do You Really Want to Burn Your Toast?.

Review the vocabulary words insulate and conduct.

Ask students to draw an invention that will insulate ice cream on a hot day so that it doesn't melt.

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material

1 of 7

what something is made of, like metal, wood, or plastic

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metal

2 of 7

a natural material that is often shiny and you cannot see through it

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cloth

3 of 7

a material people make by weaving threads together

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conductor

4 of 7

a kind of material that heat easily travels through

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insulator

5 of 7

a kind of material that heat does not easily travel through

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property

6 of 7

something you can observe about an object or material

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experiment

7 of 7

a test used to discover new information about a question

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Image & Video Credits

Mystery Science respects the intellectual property rights of the owners of visual assets. We make every effort to use images and videos under appropriate licenses from the owner or by reaching out to the owner to get explicit permission. If you are the owner of a visual and believe we are using it without permission, please contact us—we will reply promptly and make things right.

Exploration

island by Christopher Michel , used under CC BY

rooster by DIAC images , used under CC BY

nest by D. Gordon E. Robertson , used under CC BY-SA

eggs by Mnolf , used under CC BY-SA

palms by Katy Warner , used under CC BY-SA

fire by arwen57 , used under CC BY

pan by Juan de Vojníkov , used under CC BY-SA

fried egg by Helga Birna Jónasdóttir , used under CC BY

burns by John Stone , used under CC BY

coffee by Nirzar , used under CC BY-SA

oven mitt by Lymantria , used under CC BY-SA

aluminium foil by Lewis Ronald , used under CC BY-SA

sand by Chris Oatley , used under CC BY

socks by Scott Bauer

styrofoam cups by NOAA's National Ocean Service , used under CC BY

cast iron pan by Douglas Paul Perkins , used under CC BY

cookware by Cooks Standard , used under CC BY

Frying egg in Phoenix by Kirk Erickson , used under CC BY

toes by Purpleblue , used under CC BY-SA

Activity

seagulls by Ruth Ellison , used under CC BY

pencil by Charm

Credits

Fill the Plastic Bottles

Each group of four students (or homeschool student) needs two plastic bottles. Half of the bottles will be filled with cool or cold water and the other half will be filled with warm or hot water. The difference in temperature between the two bottles has to be enough to feel easily with bare hands. You can use ice water and warm water or you can use very hot water and cool water. You just need to make sure there is a definite difference.

You can keep your hot bottles hot (or your cold bottles cold) for a couple of hours if you put them in a cooler or in a cardboard box with bath towels as insulation.

“I love how there are short videos that teach kids a little piece and then mixed with step by step easy to follow science experiments, which are then followed up with great discussion questions. It makes it super easy to do for the teacher and easy for students to follow.”

“I teach special education, and I am just introducing the turn and talk to your partner skill for collaboration. This activity was a great introduction of this skill while addressing matter standards.”

“Having my 7 year old student be excited to really try each material and how it did or didn't change. The whole process was simple but yet very effective and engaging. Especially to young 7 year old minds! Simple easy worksheet to go along but yet made them feel like a true scientist conducting their own results but not demanding at all. Just made them feel accomplished!”

“The predictions and observations the students made while participating. Many found it to be a refreshing way to learn. Several had prior experience baking and were able to apply their knowledge.”

“When I asked my students what they liked best about the lesson they couldn't decide on just one thing, they liked the whole lesson. As a teacher, I really liked the step by step and the videos. The students were able to follow along without confusion. The discussions that they had with each other and as a class were very thoughtful. ”

“The best part was testing with the foil, gloves, and cups. They were completely engaged the entire time. They are already asking when we can do the next mystery! It is so teacher friendly. Thank you Mystery Science!”

“All of it! This was the best one yet. Loved how you showed the egg actually frying at the end---and the experiments with the warm/cold water....excellent! Finished today with the polar bear blubber mittens. Love, love, love Mystery Science!”

“The kids loved the experiment. They started with the idea that the tin foil will be the best protection and were excited to see that it actually offered the least protection. We discussed further questions like why oven mittens are not made of styrofoam, or what it would be to live in a metal house. It was fun and they learned a lot.”

“Another great lesson! The children LOVED this experiment! Not only have my students thoroughly enjoyed these lessons, they have been so simple for me to prepare for and teach! We're doing the next mystery next week!”

“The video at the end tying everything together was the best part. The students were super engaged! I liked how clearly the instruction were given for doing the experiment part. During the exploration some students kept trying to think of ways to make use the materials to see how insulating of a materials they could create (like layering the aluminium foil with the sock, etc. I had to steer them back to the task of testing the materials to see if they were or were not insulating. But perhaps an optional follow up activity would be how to create an highly insulating material (or set of materials). Thanks again for a high quality science lesson that took me less than 15 minutes to prepare!!!”

“Another one that the kids loved. Great interactive activity that was easy to implement and which the kids had great fun with. I can't stress enough how fantastic these science lessons are; they are definitely my children's favourite part of our homeschool.”

Feel the Heat worksheet	30 copies
Feel the Heat Answer Key teacher-only resource	1 copy
Coolers One for the hot water bottles and one for the cold water bottles. You can line 2 cardboard boxes with bath towels to create homemade coolers.	Details 2 coolers
Aluminum Foil	25 feet
Plastic Bottles (8oz)	16 bottles
Socks We suggest you ask students to each bring in one pair of socks. You’ll still have enough if half the students forget!	Details 15 pairs
Styrofoam Cups (6 oz)	30 cups

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Vocabulary