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Science at key stage 3    (Year 8)

Unit 8I: Heating and cooling
Section 4: b. How do things get hotter or colder?

QCA

Objectives
Children should learn:
  • that heat energy will flow more easily through good thermal conductors and less well through poor conductors

Activities

Outcomes
Children:
  • Ask pupils to touch a number of materials, eg wool, metal, polystyrene, rubber, wood, glass, etc, and decide which feels coldest/warmest. Summarise opinions. Point out that all materials are at the same temperature - room temperature. Explain that the sensation of coldness is caused by the best conductors of heat conducting their body heat away most quickly. The temperature difference causing this flow of energy is between the pupils themselves and the object they touched. Remind pupils that we have a near-constant body temperature of about 37?C. Ask how this compares with the objects touched.
  • explain that whether things feel warm or cold to the touch will depend on their conductivity as well as their temperature

Points to note
  • Pupils may have investigated thermal insulators for keeping things warm or cool at key stage 2. Some may think that thick clothes 'make them warm', as if the material is active rather than preventing the loss of heat generated by the body.
  • Pupils should be dissuaded from talking about 'the cold getting in' when discussing the purpose of insulation.

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.
1. a. What's the temperature?
2. b. What's the temperature?
3. a. How do things get hotter or colder?
4. b. How do things get hotter or colder?
5. c. How do things get hotter or colder?
6. d. How do things get hotter or colder?
7. e. How do things get hotter or colder?
8. a. How do materials change when they are heated and cooled?
9. b. How do materials change when they are heated and cooled?
10. c. How do materials change when they are heated and cooled?
11. d. How do materials change when they are heated and cooled?
12. e. How do materials change when they are heated and cooled?
13. a. How can we reduce energy waste?
14. b. How can we reduce energy waste?
15. Checking progress
16. How can we explain change of state?
17. Reviewing work