What is a thermometer?

Preparation

• Collect traditional glass tube thermometers, digital and strip thermometers to show students.
• Collect the equipment needed for the investigation sheet.

Curriculum links

• Australian Curriculum: ACSSU049, ACSHE051, ACSIS053, ACSIS054, ACSIS057, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060
• NSW Curriculum: ST2-8PW-ST, ST2-10ES-S, ST2-1WS-S, ST2-2DP-T
• VIC Curriculum: VCSSU063, VCSSU056, VCSIS065, VCSIS066, VCSIS067, VCSIS069, VCSIS070, VCSIS071, VCSIS072
• WA Curriculum: ACSSU049, ACSHE051, ACSIS053, ACSIS054, ACSIS057, ACSIS215, ACSIS058, ACSIS060

Suggested teaching strategies

Introduction

• Display the digital lesson on your smartboard to introduce thermometers.
• The student summary and worksheet page should be used together.
• Students could work in a small group of up to five to complete the experiments. Instructions for the procedure for the experiments and to complete the table are provided in the next column. These could be written for students to follow, related orally or given as a mixture of oral and written format.

Development

• To assist in discussing the student summary, show students how traditional glass tube thermometers, digital and strip thermometers work.
• Provide students with printable versions of the student text and worksheet. Have students complete the worksheet. Students could work in a small group of up to five to complete the experiment sheet. Instructions for the experiment are as below:
  1. As a class, choose 5 different places for each group to position their containers; e.g. freezer, fridge, classroom, outside in shade, outside in full sun. Students list these in their table.
  2. Before they start, students rate the places (within their group) from 1 to 5—1 where they think a container will get the warmest and 5 the coolest.
  3. Students take turns to pour 250 mL cold water into their group’s 5 identical containers. (All groups should have the same; e.g. glasses, glass jars, clear plastic cups. Don’t use containers that are too insulated as this may affect the water temperature too much.) The water temperature is measured and the time recorded.
  4. Each container is placed in position. Note: Thermometers should not be left in the containers. Bring inside so each new reading will be unaffected by continual heat/cold.
  5. Students take three more readings over the next couple of hours, and record in appropriate column. After the last reading, they rate the containers again and discuss and compare the results among the groups. Results can be recorded on graphs. (Also discuss what made the procedure a fair test.)

Differentiation

• The experiment method could be written for students to follow, related orally or given as a mixture of oral and written format.

Conclusion

• Groups should review their experiment results and check to see if they all achieved similar results. Discrepancies in results may be due to reading the thermometer incorrectly.

Assessments

Worksheet answers

1. thermometer, temperature, hot, cold
2. The liquid expands and rises up the tube as the temperature rises and contracts and lowers as the temperature falls.
3. Because the heat from your hands will transfer to the glass tube and make the temperature rise (giving a false reading).
4. (a) 15 ºC (b) 5 ºC (c) 37 ºC (d) 28 ºC
5. Possible answers: Tube thermometers are harder to handle because of heat transfer/made of glass which can break; Digital reading is easier to read than that of a tube thermometer.

Science as a Human Endeavour question

Lists could include: heaters of various forms, air conditioners, ovens, irons, electric blankets, pizza ovens, hair straighteners, hair dryers, washing machines, toasters, refrigerators, hot plates, clothes dryers, coffee makers.

Investigation sheet answers

Teacher check.