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K
E
Y

What is heat energy? When things give off heat, they often
A type of energy we can feel is called heat.
give off light at the same time.
This energy is called thermal energy. Heat
and light are useful forms of energy that are
needed by most living things.

Heat helps us cook

food or change an
The sun produces a lot of object into a pile of
thermal energy. ashes.
When things burn, a lot of heat energy is released. 2 3

1
Cooking a potato in a fire
using foil is an example of
heat transfer.
What is heat transfer?
Heat is how energy is passed from one
particle to another. This passing along of
thermal energy is called heat transfer.

The heat of the fire, helped by the

foil, is transferred to the potato. 4 5

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 43
heat energy

What is conduction?
Heat energy can move in three ways:
• • •
conduction convection radiation Some materials
are better
Conduction conductors
is a common of heat than
Heat is way that heat others.
conducted to energy is lost.
the particles in
other parts of Metal is a good
the saucepan. conductor.

Particles in the
bottom of the
saucepan are
warmed by the fire.

Types of materials that are poor conductors of heat include:

Metal is a good conductor.
Plastics, wood and
plastic
plant materials are poor 7
conductors.
8

wood 10
plant material

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 44
heat energy

When we heat up a liquid or gas, the particles move around and spread out from
each other. This makes the substance less dense so it weighs less.

What is convection?
Convection is another way that heat You could reduce heat transfer
affects materials. due to convection by putting a
You can see vapour lid on this pot.
rising from the cup – This would block the heated air
convection currents from rising out of the pot.
carry heat from the
coffee upwards.

Convection currents
As the air above the
radiator becomes
The warmer air warmer, it rises.
loses heat energy
Convection currents move from a as it moves away
hot area to a cooler area. from the radiator.

11

The denser, cooler 12

air sinks.
13

14

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 45
heat energy

Heat sometimes travels by radiation.

What is radiation?
Radiation is also
the way that light
energy travels.
15

16

17

18

Conduction and convection can only occur when particles of

All objects emit radiation. The hotter material are next to each other. But radiation can occur even when
something is, the more heat it emits. the material is in empty space.

Objects that absorb radiation the best are

usually dark in colour, and are not shiny or smooth.

What is absorption?
When radiation reaches an object, the
energy can be soaked up. Radiation is
absorbed by some objects.
19 20

The most absorbent colour is black.

21 22 23

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 46
Heat energy

What is reflection?
When light energy bounces off objects and moves away from Objects that reflect light look brighter than objects that
them, we call it reflection. Heat energy can also be reflected. absorb light.

radiation absorbed White and silver are

the most reflective
colours.
radiation reflected

Things that
reflect radiation
stay cooler than Usually, objects that reflect light and heat
things that absorb are smooth, shiny and light in colour. 27 28
radiation.
24 25 26

What is insulation?
Insulation means keeping something The coffee stays hot.
Click to
at a particular temperature.
watch
the
movie
This styrofoam cup
absorbs heat and
reduces conduction.

Insulation works by reducing heat transfer. 29 30 Topic Movie

test quiz

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 47
Movie

Click the
movie
frame to
watch.

Then
click to
try the
movie
quiz.
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.1 HEAT ENERGY

1 Write the names of two things that need light and heat to 3 Name two things that heat energy helps us do.
survive.




4 Imagine we are cooking a potato in a campfire. Number these
steps in the right order.

2 Select the pictures of things that give off both light and heat Step _ We wait until the potato cooks.
energy by ticking the right checkboxes.
Step _ We wrap the potato in foil.

Step _ We light the fire.

Step _ We collect wood for
a fire.

Step _ We put the wrapped potato in the fire.

Step _ We use tongs to take the potato out of the fire.

5 Complete this passage about what happens to the different

forms of energy.

The heat energy helps to c_ _ k the p_ _ _ _ _ .

Some of the h_ _ _ from the fire radiates into the air,
w_ _ ming up the campers. As the fire burns up the wood,
some energy can be seen as l_ _ _ t. The fire releases some
energy in the form of a crackling s _ _ nd .

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 49
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.2 HEAT ENERGY

6 Unscramble the three ways that heat energy can move. 8 Explain how conduction affects a spoon in a hot drink by
arranging these phrases in the right order to finish
iuccoonndt the sentence.
spoon     the metal     conducted into
ovennccoti
The heat from the drink is .
triinoaad       
9 As you read this passage, unscramble all the words in bold and
7 Select the checkbox below the picture of something that is a
re-write them in the spaces provided.
good conductor of heat.
When thea _ _ _ _ energy moves through something, it
affects each particle of the material. This makes the particles
vome _ _ _ _ around a lot and bump into each other. The
thoter _ _ _ _ _ _ the material gets, the faster the
particles move. Particles in a liquid or a sag _ _ _ move
fairly freely. In a lodis _ _ _ _ _ , the particles vibrate
rather than move freely. Heat always travels from hot to clod
_ _ _ _.

10 Look at the picture below and then select the sentence that
best describes the direction that heat is moving.

Heat is moving away from the

can.

Heat is moving towards the

can.

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 50
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.3 HEAT ENERGY

11 Use these terms to complete 13 Look at the picture below and then select the sentence that
these sentences: best describes the direction that heat is moving.
bottom     particles     rise
cooler

The
that are heated and
are moving quickly
upwards. Then the
particles
take their place at the
. When
they are heated, these convection

particles rise up too.

12 Select TRUE or FALSE for these statements. Heat is moving towards the fire.

Cool air rises. Heat is moving away from the fire.

TRUE FALSE 14 Unscramble these words about convection. Re-write them in the
spaces.
Some heaters use convection to warm up a room.
TRUE FALSE scerrunt c_______
Convection can be used to cook food. thegain h _ _ _ _ _ _

TRUE FALSE voming m_____

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 51
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.4 HEAT ENERGY

15 Use these words to fill in the blanks and complete this passage: 17 Select the correct word from each bold pair to complete
heat     ultraviolet     radiates     energy     some     vibrate these sentences.
changing
Radiation is a way in which (cool/heat) energy sometimes travels.

When particles of a substance v_ _ _ _ _ _, they

give off waves of _ _ _ _ _ _ that can pass through Radiation is also the way that (light/dark) energy travels.
empty space. All objects give off _ _ _ _ energy
through radiation. Heaters work by c_ _ _ _ _ _ _ Conduction can (only/never) occur when the particles of
electrical energy into _ _ _t that is radiated into the materials come very close to each other.
room. Some of the Sun’s energy _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Radiation can occur even when the material is in
toward Earth as infra-red rays and as
(full/empty) space.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ rays.
18 Look at the picture below and select the sentence that best
describes what is happening.

Heat is moving towards

the hands.

Heat is moving away from

the hands.

16 Fill in the blanks to give the shortened name for ultraviolet

radiation:

_ _ rays .

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 52
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.5 HEAT ENERGY

19 What is one object that absorbs heat energy? 23 Write absorb or reflect under each picture to describe what
happens to rays that hit the objects.

dark blue blanket
20 Change these words into different forms by adding the missing
letters.
Hint
a_sor_ ab_o_bent _bs_rb_ng
The word absorb means
21 Complete these sentences that explain what absorbent means: to soak up. The word
reflect means to bounce
off something.
The word absorbent means a substance that can

Paper towels can be used to absorb silver umbrella white car

Dark colours are more absorbent than

22 For each pair, select the colour that would best absorb heat.

dark brown yellow

light green dark green

dark blue orange

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 53
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.6 HEAT ENERGY

24 What is one object that reflects light and heat energy? 28 Write absorb or reflect under each picture to describe what
happens to rays that hit the objects.

white, tiled floor
25 Complete these sentences that explain what reflective means:

A reflective object makes light

.

Reflectors on the road help

Hint

The word absorb means
. to soak up. The word
reflect means to bounce
A reflective object that many people use every day in their off something.
bathroom is a .
black, knitted
26 Change these words into different forms by adding the missing beanie
letters. silver sunshade for a car

r_fl_ct re_ _e_tive _efl_ct_ng

27 For each pair, select the colour that would best reflect heat.

red yellow

light blue dark blue

purple pale pink

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 54
STUDENT WORK SHEET 3.7 HEAT ENERGY

29 Use these words to fill in the blanks and complete this passage:
insulated     in     insulation     instead     inside     insulating

When a container is , it can keep heat

, which keeps the contents warm.
something can also keep things cold by
not letting the cold air out and any heat in. Roofing
helps to stop cool air from coming inside
the house during winter. It also helps the heat already
the house to stay there,
of moving outside. It also works the other
way, keeping the house cool inside during summer.

30 Label each picture using the box provided and write a sentence
explaining how insulation works for each object.

© Ally Chumley and Blake Education 2012 Interactive Instant Lessons – Energy 55