Energy Transformations

Sandie Grinnell
 Overview of Lesson
 Differentiate between energy and energy
sources
 Identify types of energy
 Observe energy transformations
 Determine what transformation is
occurring (identify initial type of energy
and what it transforms into)
 Probe—What is Energy?
 Students were to identify examples of
energy from the following list :
oil vitamins turning windmill
gasoline food sound
heat electricity candy bar
light mechanical motion radio waves
sleep stretched rubber band gravity

 After identifying what they thought were

examples of energy, the students were to
explain their reasoning.
 What uses energy?
 After identifying types of energy, the
students selected objects from the
following list that they believed used
energy:
animal bowling ball television
car bicycle train
fire night light wind-up toy

 Then they explained their “rule”.

 Student Understanding and
Misconceptions
 My students identified the following as
examples of energy:
 Oil
 Food
 Vitamins
 Sleep
 Running
 Gasoline
 Uh oh…we’re in trouble!
 The students generalized that an object that
moves “on its own” uses energy:
 Trains
 Living things
 Automobiles

 They also believed that if an object does not

require electricity to operate, then it must not
need energy:
 Bowling balls
 Bicycles
 Wind-up toys
 Informed Instruction
 Students were confusing energy with energy sources.
 Identification of types of energy would be a necessary
prerequisite activity.
 Booklets were made to define the following:
 Chemical energy
 Solar energy
 Electrical energy
 Potential energy
 Kinetic energy
 Light energy
 Thermal energy
 Nuclear energy
 The Lesson
 Six centers were set up around the room.
 Prior to beginning centers answered the following
focus question in their lab notebooks:
 Can energy ever change forms?
 Students were given four minutes at each center.
In those four minutes they:
 Observed beginning energy form
 Watched the transformation and identified what form
of energy existed after the transformation
 Recorded their observations on a chart
Chemical Energy to Light Energy

Center 1

1. Observe the flashlight (look at it on the outside

and open it up CAREFULLY to look inside).
What type of energy is in the flashlight when it is
turned off?
2. What type of energy do you observe when the
flashlight is turned on?
3. What transformation has happened?
Electrical Energy to Light Energy
and Thermal Energy
Center 2

1. Observe the light bulb when it is turned

off.
2. Plug it into the outlet. What type of
energy are you using?
3. Turn on the lamp. What type of energy do
you see?
4. Are there any other transformations
occurring?
Potential Energy to Kinetic Energy

Center 3

1. Stack two books and use the ruler as a

ramp.
2. Hold the car in place at the top of the
ramp. What type of energy does the car
have?
3. Let go of the car. What energy
transformation has occurred?
 Chemical Energy or Potential
Energy to Kinetic Energy
Center 4

1. Think about what you ate today. What kind of

energy do you have inside of you? Where did
you get this energy?
2. Blow on the pinwheel. What type of energy
transformation just occurred?
Chemical Energy to Thermal
Energy and Light Energy

Center 5

1. Observe the burning candle (the key word

here is OBSERVE—do NOT touch the
candle or see how close you can get your
hand to the flame. Be intelligent.).
2. What type of energy does a burning flame
have?
3. What types of energy transformations are
occurring
 Electrical Energy to Thermal
Energy to Kinetic Energy

Center 6

1. What type of energy is entering the hot pot from

the cord?
2. What is it being transformed into?
3. What happens if you place the pinwheel over
the spout of the hot pot? What type of energy
transformation has just occurred?
 Assessment
Lab: Energy Transformations

Beginning Transformed
Center
Energy Form Energy Form Illustration

6
 Scoring Guide/Rubric
90 - 100 All beginning and ending forms of energy are correctly identified
and illustrated. Care has been taken to write neatly and draw as
A
accurately as possible. Lab notebook uses the format given in
class, focus question and conclusion are both expressed in well-
thought out statements that are written in complete sentences.
80 – 89 All beginning and ending forms of energy are correctly identified
and illustrated, but neatness is lacking. Lab notebook follows
B
correct format, but focus question and conclusion are not written
in complete thoughts.
70 – 79 Some energy transformations are incorrectly identified.
Neatness is lacking in all work. Lab notebook missing answers
C
to focus question or conclusion.
60 – 69 More than half of the energy transformations are incorrectly
identified. Lab chart is incomplete. Lab notebook is incomplete.
D

<60 Student participated in labs but did not turn in lab chart or write
Unmentionable up lab in notebook.
 Um…
My Confession: I did not collect the student lab charts…

they are gone…nor did I re-administer the “What is Energy?” probe…

my intended final assessment. As a result, my assessment was very informal.

We had a class discussion about each center.

 More about assessment
 Our follow-up discussion revealed that:
 My students were able to identify the different types of energy at each
center.
 They saw energy transforming and could identify what was happening.
 They were able to have conversations about the transformations using
the correct terminology.
 Observations revealed that:
 My students have a difficult time recording data on their data charts!
 They needed more time!
 My conclusion:
 My class needs me to model what I expect them to do with the data
charts.
 My class needs more time in which to write on their data charts—
perhaps I was in too much of a hurry to get every group through every
station in one period.
 Reflections: The Good
 High student engagement!
 Students were communicating using
correct terminology.
 Students put misbehavior on hold because
they were intrigued.
 Students were able to see my confusion
over why I couldn’t get the steam to turn
the pinwheel, and then they saw me
experiment until I figured it out.
 Reflections: The Bad
 Limited time for completing all centers
 Not enough time to write information on
lab chart
 Some transformations were confusing
 Fire: many missed that it was chemical
energy to light energy AND thermal energy
 Energy books used as a reference were
completed in a hurry—not always
accurate
There wasn’t really anything ugly…
 I learned a lot about my science teaching:
 I need to model what I want my students to give me as
evidence of their learning or I will end up with nothing.
 It’s my job to provide activities like this more often so
that the students who aren’t successful in other
disciplines have a chance to shine.
 Even though they’re working on self-directed activities,
students still need the teacher to come around
periodically to make sure their thinking is on track—
otherwise, they might miss something critical to their
understanding.
 My formal assessments need work. Developing
rubrics AHEAD OF TIME will help me out in this area.