What is heat and how is it produced?

Preparation

• Provide pictures or actual items of some of the objects/appliances discussed throughout the lesson. (Students could instead identify heat-producing appliances in their classroom and school.)
• Collect the equipment needed for the investigation sheet: water (if a tap is unavailable, a bucket can be used), carpet and hand lotion.

Curriculum links

• Australian Curriculum: ACSSU049, ACSHE051, ACSIS055, ACSIS057, ACSIS058, ACSIS060
• NSW Curriculum: ST2-8PW-ST, ST2-10ES-S, ST2-1WS-S, ST2-2DP-T
• VIC Curriculum: VCSSU063, VCSSU056, VCSIS066, VCSIS068, VCSIS069, VCSIS071, VCSIS072
• WA Curriculum: ACSSU049, ACSHE051, ACSIS055, ACSIS057, ACSIS058, ACSIS060

Suggested teaching strategies

Introduction

• Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce the concept of heat.
• The student summary and worksheet should be used together.

Development

• Provide students with printable versions of the student summary and worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet.
• Students should work individually or in pairs to complete the investigation sheet. However, ensure that each student completes the experiments and discusses any discrepancies in the results. Also discuss what makes the test fair; e.g. rubbing hands 20 times at the same speed, allowing hands to ‘cool down’ before commencing the next activity, ensuring the water used to rub hands together is the same temperature, ensuring the hand lotion is the same amount and type.

Differentiation

• Complete the investigation sheet as a class, discussing the results of each test as you do them and seeing if the students can reach the same conclusion.

Conclusion

• Discuss as a class the different results of each experiment.

Assessment

Text page answers

Most children will not give ‘gas’ for an answer. Many will say ‘liquid’ because when sand is dry, it purs out of a container like a liquid. The answer is ‘solid’. Each little grain of sand is a solid. The same happens when you pour cereal out of a packet. But each piece of cereal is also a solid.

Worksheet answers

1. Matter is anything that takes up space and has mass (weight).
2. (a) liquid, (b) gas, (c) solid, (d) liquid
3. They all have mass/They all take up space
4. (a) Yes, (b) No, (c) No, (d) No, (e) No, (f) Yes
5. (a) packed together tightly, hardly move, (b) close together, always moving around each other, (c) far apart, spread out to fill up the space
6. Possible answers: sugar, flour, rice, nuts, pepper

Science as Human Endeavour question

Possible answers: car tyre, bike tyre, gas over, gas barbecue, bicycle pump, gas hot plates, gas hot water system

Experiment worksheet

1. Students should say the cup is light/hardly weighs anything. Its weight should just register on the scales.
2. Students should predict the cup would feel heavier and measuring will prove that.
3. Measuring will show the cup with the solid (eraser) is heavier.
4. The inflated ball will be slightly heavier than the deflated ball because it is now filled with air.
5. Answers should indicate that solids, liquids and gases have weight.