Resources
small beakers, large beakers, thermometers, cardboard lids with a hole for a
Required Practical
Investigation:
Thermal Insulation
Teaching Ideas
Learning Objective:
Part 1: To investigate the
effectiveness of different
materials as thermal
insulators.
Part 2: To investigate the
effectiveness of different
thicknesses of thermal
insulators.
Success Criteria:
• To safely carry out an
• investigation.
• To analyse the results of an
• investigation.
• To evaluate the method and
• results of an investigation.
Context
This lesson pack includes
resources to support you in
carrying out both parts of the
AQA GCSE Physics thermal
insulation required practical
activity.
Students will need to have
learnt about conduction
and thermal conductivity
prior to carrying out these
investigations.
thermometer, stopwatches, insulating, materials , kettles
Starter
What Do You Think?
Students are shown illustrations of identical triplets that are each wrapped in a
material. Person one is wrapped in bubble wrap, person two in a thin covering of
newspaper and person three in a thicker covering of newspaper. They are asked
which person they think will be the warmest.
This question presents the factors that affect insulation in a way that is familiar
(keeping ourselves warm) and engaging.
Main Activities
Required Practical
This required practical activity is split into two parts. In part one, students will
compare the effectiveness of different materials as thermal insulators. In part
two, they will compare the effectiveness of different thicknesses of thermal
insulators.
The lesson pack includes a variety of resources to enable you to carry out these
practical activities in the way that best suits your group, time and resources. You
may choose to complete one part in each of two lessons, or students could run
both investigations at the same time if you have enough equipment available.
Rather than each group collecting all results, you could have individual groups
collect data for one material or number of layers and then pool the class results.
Blank tables for each part are included in the PowerPoint presentation if you
want to use them to record the class data.
The PowerPoint presentation recaps some background information that is
relevant to the required practical and then works through each step of the
investigations. There are two method slides and two results table slides, one for
each part of the practical. You can skip past any slides that are not needed for
that lesson.
A Required Practical Student Workbook is provided for each investigation.
There is a higher and foundation version of each booklet. These booklets will be
a useful resource for students when they come to revise the required practical.
The booklets include:
• introductory information to support the required practical;
• the aim, equipment list and method;
• space to identify the independent, dependent and control variables;
• a completed risk assessment;
• a blank results table;
• graph paper and a graph checklist with information about cooling curves;
• support to write a conclusion;
• support to write an evaluation;
• practice exam questions.
1
The contents of the booklet are also provided as separate Disclaimer
worksheets so that you can choose to use only the parts We hope that you find the information on our website and
that are needed by your group. in our resources useful. As far as possible, the contents
of this resource are reflective of current professional
─ The methods for each investigation are provided on research. However, please be aware that information can
the Thermal Insulation Part 1 Method and Thermal quickly become out of date. The information given here
Insulation Part 2 Method sheets. is intended for general guidance purposes only and may
have to be adapted to meet the needs of your students.
─ The Thermal Insulation – Variables Worksheet can be
used for both investigations if you would like students to
record the independent, dependent and control variables. The activities set out in this resource are potentially
hazardous. The activities are not suitable for all children
─ You could provide students with the Thermal Insulation
and adult supervision may be required for some of the
Risk Assessment Blank if you would like them to complete
activities. It is your responsibility to assess whether the
their own risk assessment. Otherwise, the Thermal
children in your care are able to safely carry out the activities
Insulation Risk Assessment Completed sheet has the
and whether the children require adult supervision. You
completed risk assessment table.
are responsible for carrying out proper risk assessments
─ The Thermal Insulation Results Tables sheet includes on the activities and for ensuring that activities can be
one table for each part of the required practical. Alternatively, carried out safely. We are not responsible for the health
each table each table is provided on a separate and safety of your group or environment so, insofar as
sheet in both A4 and A5 versions. it is possible under the law, we cannot accept liability for
─ The Thermal Insulation Part 1 Graph Checklist and any loss suffered by anyone undertaking the activity or
Thermal Insulation Part 2 Graph Checklist provide some activities referred to or described in this resource. It is
information about drawing cooling curves along with a also your responsibility to ensure that those participating
checklist for students to use while drawing a graph of their in the activity are fit enough to do so and that you or
results. the organisation you are organising for has the relevant
insurance to carry out the physical activity. If you are
─ Each part has two versions of the conclusion worksheet
unsure in any way, we recommend that you take guidance
available. The Thermal Insulation Part 1 Conclusion
from a suitably qualified professional.
and Thermal Insulation Part 2 Conclusion sheets gives
students some prompts on what to include in a conclusion.
The support versions of these sheets separate these
prompts into questions for students to answer. Answers to
these questions are also provided.
─ The Thermal Insulation Evaluation sheet gives students
some prompts on what to include in an evaluation. The
support version of the worksheet separates these into
questions for students to answer.
─ The Thermal Insulation Glossary can be given to
students to support with understanding of the key words
used throughout the practical activity.

Plenary

Exam-Style Questions
Practice exam questions are provided at the end of each
booklet and also as separate worksheets. Mark schemes
for these questions are also provided.

Required Practical Investigation: Thermal Insulation Teaching Ideas 2