| Primary Connections

Scorching swings and slides

Students will:

identify objects that are not a source of heat.
ask questions and make predictions about the movement of heat.
investigate to find the answer to questions about the movement of heat.
explain the movement of heat between an object that does not produce its own heat and a heat source.

Students will represent their understanding as they:

create labelled diagrams which include arrows to show the movement of heat.
use questions to agree and disagree with teams’ claims.

Lesson

Re-orient

Review the previous lesson, focusing on the list of items that were heated by other sources. Discuss where the heat came from.

Ask students: Do you think that most things around us release heat?

Use examples of objects in the classroom to build a consensus that whilst many objects/substances might get warm when near a heat source, the heat originates from another source.

Estimated time

5 minutes

Lesson type

Class

How do objects get warm?

Refer back to the list of student questions recorded in the Launch phase. Draw on a student question (if one has been asked) as a jumping off point for the following investigation about how objects get warmer. For example, How do most objects/substances get warm?

If students haven’t asked a question like this themselves, add it to the list of class questions and discuss how answering this question will be the centre of today’s investigation.

Estimated time

5 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Heating metal and wood

Examine and discuss the metal and wooden spoons that will be used in today’s investigation.

Determine through questioning and discussion why the results of an investigation into these spoons will be relevant to playgrounds/playground equipment: because metal and wood are often used to make playground equipment. Refer to the mind map created in the Launch phase where students identified the materials found in playgrounds.

Examine and discuss a heat source such as a hot water bottle, wheat heat bag or hot pack.

Model completing the Predict and Reason sections of the Predict, Reason, Observe, Explain strategy, to support students to predict what they think will happen to the metal spoon when it is placed on/in the heat source.

Optional: Use a radar thermometer to take the temperature of the spoons before being placed on/in the heat source.

Place the spoons on/in the heat source for 1 minute.

Optional: Use a radar thermometer to take the temperature of the spoons after they’ve been in contact with the heat source. Don’t reveal the temperature to the students until after they have observed the spoon themselves.

Students feel and describe the spoons again: focusing on if the amount of heat released by the spoons has changed, by how much, and how they think that happened.

Estimated time

15 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Science content

Conductivity of metal and temperature

Metal might feel cold to the touch, when actually it will be a similar temperature to other materials around it.

It is likely that students will respond that the metal spoon feels ‘cold’, ‘cool’ or ‘colder than the wooden spoon’ when they first touch it. This use of everyday language to refer to temperature is valid at this year level.

When left at an ambient temperature, and then measured, the temperature of wooden and metal spoons would actually be very similar. However, when touched the metal spoon will feel colder. This is because metal is a better conductor of energy than wood, so when you touch metal, heat energy is drawn away from your body immediately, causing the metal to feel cool.

After the metal spoon has been heated it will feel much hotter than the wooden spoon, but in reality their temperatures will still be quite similar. Again, this is because the metal spoon is conducting the heat energy more effectively, meaning it will be felt more easily.

It is not necessary for students to understand these ideas fully here, but they can begin to think about why the wooden and metal spoons feel like they are different temperatures, when in fact they are similar. They will have an opportunity to explore this later in the lesson.

Pedagogical tools

PROE

PROE (Predict/Reason/Observe/Explain) is a tool to engage students in the investigative process and support deep thinking.

Representing the movement of heat

Create a whole-class labelled diagram showing a spoon on the heat source in the class science journal. Include arrows to show the heat going from the source (base of arrow) to the spoon (arrowhead). Remind students of the diagrams they created in the previous lesson, and how arrows are used to show the direction of heat transfer.

Alternatively, have students create their own labelled diagrams in their science journals.

Discuss the initial temperature of the metal spoon, and if/why students thought it felt ‘cold’ compared to the wooden spoon. Discuss where they think the heat is moving to and from when they hold something made out of metal, and how they would use arrows in a diagram if they were to represent that.

Estimated time

10 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Other ways of heating

Students work in collaborative teams to investigate three other ways they might heat metal and wooden spoons. Brainstorm other potential ways of heating the spoons with students, for example: putting it out in the sun, holding it next to a heater, putting it in warm water, putting it on hot sand, holding it over a candle, blowing it with a hairdryer, or putting it close to your skin for body heat.

You might consider having a metal and wooden spoon set aside in the classroom to use as ‘control’ spoons for comparison. Discuss why having a control might be helpful.

Teams will place their spoons in their chosen locations for two minutes, before using their senses to determine if they think each spoon is now warm or hot.

HIGH TECH: Use a digital/radar thermometer to measure the temperature of the spoon before and after.

Model how to accurately use the timing device.

Form teams and allow students time to complete the activity.

Using the Spoon temperature investigation Resource sheet, students record their thinking before, during and after the investigation using the Predict, Reason, Observe, Explain (PROE) strategy. Students might include diagrams as part of their observations.

Estimated time

20 minutes

Lesson type

Collaborative team and individual

Pedagogical tools

Investigating

This is an informal, exploratory fair-test investigation where students practise the skills of science inquiry.

This is an informal, exploratory fair-test investigation where students practise the skills of science inquiry. In this instance students practise accurately measuring an allotted timeframe. They can also discuss the accuracy of measuring the temperature of the spoon according to the scale of 'warm', 'hot' and 'very hot'.

Heat claims

Teams present their findings.

The audience is encouraged to agree or disagree with the findings, or to question the presenting team using science question starters.

Students add a labelled/annotated diagram to their Explain section of their PROE charts, using arrows to show the movement of heat between the heat source and the object that was heated.

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

review the list of questions in the class science journal. Determine which questions have been answered during the session and add any new questions that have arisen.
reflect on how this learning will be relevant to the design of the playground/piece of equipment.
- How do most objects get warm?
  - They come into contact with a heat source—something warmer than them.
- Given what happened to the metal spoon, what is likely to happen to metal objects in a playground on a warm day? And what about wooden objects, given what happened to the wooden spoon?
- Will the metal objects stay hot? Why/why not?
- Will the wooden objects stay hot? Why/why not?
- What will happen to the heat?
- What does this do to the environment/air temperature of the playground?
add to the class word wall.
re-examine and consider if/how the intended learning goals were achieved.
discuss how students were thinking and working like scientists during the lesson. Focus on how they asked questions about how to heat a metal/ wooden spoons, made predictions, and then tested these predictions to find answers.
discuss the importance of sharing and debating evidence.

Estimated time

15 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Illustrations of practice

Examining student work samples

These work samples show the progression of students’ understanding over the course of the lesson/sequence.

Work sample one—spoon temperature experiment

In the spoon temperature experiment, students use a provided scaffold and the PROE strategy to be prompted to make reasoned predictions based on past experiences and observations. The temperature of the spoon is then ‘measured’ comparatively and described in terms of how hot it is compared to the other spoons heated by a different method (“not as hot as hot water”). The data and information are organised using the provided scaffold to identify relationships related to heat transfer. Class discussion allows students to compare their findings to those of others and to explain how they kept their investigation fair.

To further develop this student’s skills and understanding, follow up tasks could involve:

designing their own data table to record observations and taking measurements of temperatures using formal tools such as infrared thermometers.
considering the proximity of the heat sources.
considering why the hot water seemed to make a more noticeable difference to the temperature of the spoons than the sun.

Work sample two—representation

This work sample shows that this student understands that heat is transferred from the heat source to a cooler object. The arrows illustrate the transfer direction of heat energy from the hot water and the sun into the metal spoon.

Work sample three—culmination of learning

In this final work sample, the student has shown an understanding that metals are a good conductor of heat energy. They describe the metal items becoming hot quickly, and that the items will also lose that heat more quickly than other materials. This generalisation has then been used to make decisions about the best materials to use when designing a playground, and steps that may mitigate the transfer of heat over time.

Pedagogical tools

Productive discussion—Building understanding and consensus

Discussions that build understanding and consensus support students to develop a more complete understanding of phenomena.

Discussions that build understanding and consensus involve students sharing, connecting, questioning, and building on their own and others’ findings, claims, evidence and reasoning. They support students to develop a more complete understanding of phenomena by encompassing learning from prior investigations as well as the one being discussed.

During these discussions teachers ask questions that have been carefully sequenced to draw out students’ claims and understanding, and support them to make connections between their experiences, integrating new knowledge into their thinking.

These probing and challenge questions are designed to support this, enabling students to begin to make claims about the transfer of heat, and to justify these claims with evidence.

The class should be encouraged to ask questions of each team to find out more about their investigation methods, conclusions and evidence.

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Our design decisions

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Science content

Pedagogical tools

Illustrations of practice

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Scorching swings and slides

View Sequence overview

Students will:

identify heat sources.
categorise objects as being a source of heat themselves, or as being warmed by something else.
use data tables to identify relationships and patterns between objects that release heat (heat sources).

Students will represent their understanding as they:

contribute to the joint construction of data tables.
use oral, written and visual language to record and discuss their observations of heat sources.
engage in discussion to compare ideas about heat sources.

Lesson

Re-orient

Recall the previous lesson, focusing on the discussion of the source of the heat on a sunny day, and the objects students named that get warm/hot in the sun.

If not already done so in Lesson 1, remind students that they will be learning about heat, how it moves, and its impact on playgrounds and their equipment, and how we can stop them from getting too hot. Brainstorm a list of student questions on this.

Estimated time

5 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Science content

Heat energy

Heat is a form of energy, and energy (in any form, including heat) can be neither created nor destroyed.

Heat is a form of energy. While we use the term ‘make heat’ here, energy (in any form, including heat) can be neither created nor destroyed, but rather is transferred or transformed. The Australian Curriculum dictates that at this year level students explore energy (in the form of heat) transfer.

At this stage it is acceptable to use everyday language such as ‘making their own heat’ to describe objects that transform one type of energy into another, such as a hairdryer converting electrical energy into heat, or a candle transforming stored chemical energy into light/heat.

What objects are hot?

Refer back to the list of student questions about playgrounds and heat. Draw on a student question (if one has been asked) as a jumping off point for the following investigation about objects that release heat. For example, What things are hot?

If students haven’t asked a question like this themselves, add it to the list of class questions and discuss how answering this question will be the centre of today’s investigation.

Estimated time

5 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Asking questions about heat

Using one or both of the demonstrations described below, explore how some objects, such as a candle, can ‘make their own heat’, whilst others, such as a hot water bottle, only feel warm when they are heated by another source.

Discuss how to safely identify if objects are warm or hot to the touch: by moving your hand slowly towards the object, your hand can be quickly withdrawn as soon as you feel it becoming hot.

Model how to record information during the investigation using the What's hot Resource sheet that students will use later in the lesson.

Students draw a diagram to represent where the heat was moving from and to in the demonstrations. Organise a gallery walk so that students can discuss the features in the diagrams that best demonstrate heat transfer, and draw their attention to the diagrams that have used arrows.

Discuss why arrows are a clear way of showing the movement of heat: they show clearly where the heat is coming from, the direction it’s moving in, and what objects it might be heating.

Estimated time

15 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Pedagogical tools

Developing a representational language in context

Use students’ existing literacy skills to draw out the scientific convention for representing heat transfer in context.

Asking students to draw a diagram showing the movement of heat challenges them to use their existing literacy skills to show what they think was happening during the demonstrations.

The standard scientific convention is to use arrows to show the direction and magnitude of energy transfer. Although it is unlikely students will specifically know to use this convention, it is very likely that many will naturally use arrows to show, for example, the heat moving from the candle to the air, or from the water to the hot water bottle.

By monitoring what students are drawing, the teacher can draw attention to specific diagrams that use arrows during the gallery walk. Highlighting how arrows are helpful for showing the movement of heat from a heat source to another object or place establishes this standard scientific convention in a relevant context for students.

Pedagogical tools

Gallery walk

In a gallery walk, students move about the room examining the work of their peers.

In a gallery walk, students move about the room examining the work of their peers. They might discuss what they see with a partner, or use post-it notes to post comments and questions about what they are seeing. Class discussion and careful questioning can then be used to draw attention to specific aspects.

In this instance you would draw attention to the use of arrows to show the movement of heat, establishing this standard scientific convention in a relevant context for students.

Recording data on what’s hot

Students work in collaborative learning teams to list objects that might release heat, recording the information on their What's hot Resource sheet. They then feel these objects and decide if they feel ‘normal’ (i.e. are not releasing heat), warm or hot. Encourage them to explore the classroom and the school grounds. They might also list items at home and add the results of their investigation to the data table at a later stage.

Care should be taken when touching objects to avoid burns. You might also like to ask students to note what part of an object felt warm, or if it felt the same temperature all over. For example, a laptop screen may feel slightly warm to the touch, but underneath closer to the battery may feel warmer.

Estimated time

15 minutes

Lesson type

Collaborative team

Pedagogical tools

Collaboration

Working collaboratively benefits students in a multitude of ways.

Students engaged in collaborative learning observe and consider multiple perspectives, take on different roles in investigations, and contribute to rich evidence-based discussions. They are able to discuss, compare and build on one another's ideas, revise and rethink their reasoning and contribute to the creation of multi-model representations.

The Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER) reiterates that providing opportunities for students to work collaboratively can lead to enhance cognitive development, encourages more explicit articulation when asking questions and sharing ideas, enables students to practice justifying their reasoning, and increases student reflection and awareness of learning.

Developing effective collaboration skills requires time, opportunity, modelling and support.

Sources of heat

Each team shares the name of an object they have examined that released heat and whether they think it is a heat source, providing a reason for their thinking. As each team shares their object, it is added to the appropriate column of a modified T-chart in the class science journal. Check to see if other teams agree and why or why not.

Sample student responses

Heat source	Not a heat source	How do we know?
Hairdryer		The hairdryer only gets hot when you turn it on. There are metal bits inside that get hot when it’s turned on.
	Playground surface	The playground doesn’t have any way of making heat by itself—there’s no motor or heater. It is not plugged in. It gets its heat from the sun. On a cloudy day it is not hot.

Reflect on the lesson

You might:

review the list of questions in the class science journal. Determine which questions have been answered during the session and add any new questions that have arisen.
reflect on how this learning is relevant to learning about the impact of heat on a playground.
- What are the sources of heat in a playground?
- Do these things make their own heat, or are they heated by something else?
- What role does the sun play as a source of heat in a playground?
add to the class word wall of vocabulary related to heat.
re-examine the intended learning goals for the lesson and consider how they were achieved.
discuss how students were thinking and working like scientists during the lesson. Focus on how they collaborated to investigate sources of heat, how they recorded their data in tables, and how this made it easier for them to find patterns.

Estimated time

10 minutes

Lesson type

Class

Pedagogical tools

Representation—Modified T-chart

Adding a column titled ‘How do we know?’ to this T-chart supports students to begin expanding on their ideas and link them to evidence.

Adding a column titled ‘How do we know?’ to this T-chart supports students to begin expanding on their ideas and link them to evidence. By articulating, communicating and debating ideas and claims that are supported by the evidence they have collected, students are able to develop a deeper understanding of science and the way scientists think and work. This argumentation is at the heart of what scientists do.

Science content

Energy transformation

Some students may offer ideas about energy transformation, which is introduced in Year 6.

As is required in Year 3, this sequence focuses on the key idea that energy (in this case heat energy) can be transferred. Students might begin to notice that objects that release heat are typically connected to another energy source such as electricity or batteries. This is an example of the Year 6 concept of energy transformation.

It is not necessary for students to demonstrate an understanding of energy transformation at this year level. If students offer these ideas, they should be accepted and validated by being included in the explanation added to the class science journal. However, making energy transformation a focus may introduce concepts before students have the prior knowledge required to understand and integrate them. Instead, shift the focus back to how the heat being released is moving (being transferred) from one object/place/material to another.

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Our design decisions

Select a lens below to see the design decisions behind each step. Understanding our decisions can give you insight to teach, adapt, and differentiate this task.

Science content

Pedagogical tools

Illustrations of practice

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Sub-strand	Content descriptor	AC code	Achievement Standard	How the sequence addresses this content
SHE: Use and influence of science	Investigate how scientific knowledge is used by individuals and communities to identify problems, consider responses and make decisions.	AC9S6H02	Describe how individuals and communities use scientific knowledge.	Design an electrical device that could be used in a blackout. (Lesson 7)
SU: Physical Sciences	Investigate the transfer and transformation of energy in electrical circuits, including the role of circuit components, insulators and conductors.	AC9S6U03	Identify the role of circuit components in the transfer and transformation of electrical energy.	Use scientific explanations, supported by data, to describe the equipment used and the transfer and transformation of electrical energy in a circuit. (Lessons 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
SI: Questioning and predicting	Pose investigable questions to identify patterns and test relationships and make reasoned predictions.	AC9S6I01	Describe how individuals and communities use scientific knowledge.	Pose investigable questions to identify patterns, such as: ‘what type of material is the best conductor and what is the best insulator?’ (Lesson 5)
SI: Planning and conducting	Plan and conduct repeatable investigations to answer questions including, as appropriate, deciding the variables to be changed, measured and controlled in fair tests; describing potential risks; planning for the safe use of equipment and materials; and identifying required permissions to conduct investigations on Country/Place.	AC9S6I02	Identify risks associated with investigations and key intercultural considerations when planning field work. Identify variables to be changed, measured and controlled.	Determine which is the variable being tested and which variable is being measured, and which other variables might affect their investigations and need to be kept the same. (Lessons 4, 5)
SI: Planning and Conducting	Use equipment to observe, measure and record data with reasonable precision, using digital tools as appropriate.	AC9S6I03	Use equipment to generate and record data with appropriate precision.	Select and use instruments with the correct scale for measuring data with appropriate accuracy, such as a light meter or multi-meter (high tech option). (Lessons 4, 5)
SI: Processing, modelling and analysing	Construct and use appropriate representations, including tables, graphs and visual or physical models, to organise and process data and information and describe patterns, trends and relationships.	AC9S6I04	Construct representations to organise and process data and information and describe patterns, trends and relationships.	Organise information in graphic organisers to describe patterns and trends. (Lessons 5, 6) Represent circuits using circuit diagrams and indicating the direction of electricity flow. (Lessons 2, 3)
SI: Evaluating	Compare methods and findings with those of others, recognise possible sources of error, pose questions for further investigation and select evidence to draw reasoned conclusions.	AC9S6I05	Identify possible sources of error in their own and others’ methods and findings, pose questions for further investigation and select evidence to support reasoned conclusions.	Work collaboratively to identify the strengths and weaknesses of their own and others’ investigations including where testing was not fair, and practices could be improved. (Lessons 4, 5)
SI: Communicating	Write and create texts to communicate ideas and findings for specific purposes and audiences, including selection of language features, using digital tools as appropriate.	AC9S6I06	Use language features that reflect their purpose and audience when communicating their ideas and findings.	Design a product that uses electrical circuits and presenting their product to an appropriate audience. (Lesson 7)

Sub-strand	Content descriptor	AC code	Achievement Standard	How the sequence addresses this content
SHE: Use and influence of science	Consider how people use scientific explanations to meet a need or solve a problem.	AC9S3H02	Identify solutions that use scientific explanations.	Design an outdoor play area or piece of equipment that will still be safe to play in/on during the hottest days of summer. (Lesson 7)
SHE: Nature and development of science	Explain how people use data to develop scientific explanations.	ACS9S301	Describe how people use data to develop explanations.	Use scientific explanations, supported by data, to describe the materials chosen, and how they will minimise the transfer of heat. (Lesson 7)
SU: Physical sciences	Identify sources of heat energy and examine how temperature changes when heat energy is transferred from one object to another.	AC9S3U03	Identify sources of heat energy and examples of heat transfer and explain changes in the temperature of objects.	Find sources of heat in the school/home. (Lesson 2) Investigate and represent heat transfer using standard scientific conventions. (Lessons 2, 3, and 7) Explain how temperature changes as a result of heat transfer. (Lesson 6)
SI: Questioning and predicting	Pose questions to explore observed patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations.	AC9S3I01	Pose questions to explore patterns and relationships and make predictions based on observations.	Pose investigable questions, such as: ‘What happens to the temperature of a surface when it comes into contact with a heat source?’ in order to identify patterns. (Lessons 4, 5, and 6)
SI: Planning and conducting	Use provided scaffolds to plan and conduct investigations to answer questions or test predictions, including identifying the elements of fair tests, and considering the safe use of materials and equipment.	AC9S3I02	Use scaffolds to plan safe investigations and fair tests.	Collaboratively design a table to support the collection of numerical data. (Lesson 2, 3)
SI: Planning and Conducting	Follow procedures to make and record observations, including making formal measurements using familiar scaled instruments and using digital tools as appropriate.	AC9S3I03	Use familiar classroom instruments to make measurements.	Explore how to use equipment such as thermometers and taking accurate readings with guidance. (Lessons 3, 4, 5, and 6)
SI: Processing, modelling and analysing	Construct and use representations, including tables, simple column graphs and visual or physical models, to organise data and information, show simple relationships and identify patterns.	AC9S3I04	Organise data and information using provided scaffolds and identify patterns and relationships.	Use diagrammatic representation to model heat transfer. (Lessons 2, 3 and 7) Record and represent data showing temperature change. (Lessons 3, 4, 5 and 6)
SI: Evaluating	Compare findings with those of others, consider if investigations were fair, identify questions for further investigation and draw conclusions.	AC9S3I05	Compare their findings with those of others, explain how they kept their investigation fair, identify further questions and draw conclusions.	Compare findings of investigations, and identify further questions based on observations, differences, or new ideas. Discuss factors that make investigations fair and evaluating the fairness of an investigation. Draw conclusions based on their own and others’ findings. (Lessons, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7)
SI: Communicating	Write and create texts to communicate findings and ideas for identified purposes and audiences, using scientific vocabulary and digital tools as appropriate.	AC9S3I06	Communicate ideas and findings for an identified purpose, including using scientific vocabulary when appropriate.	Present play area/equipment solutions using explanations appropriate for audience and identifying the appropriate actions for that audience. e.g. Writing to local council about modifying existing playgrounds, presenting findings to the school’s parent association/principal encouraging the installation of new play equipment, creating a campaign to educate fellow students on ways to minimise exposure to excess heat when playing on sunny days. (Lesson 7)

External evaluation survey

Circuit breakers

'Circuit breakers' IS ONE OF OUR NEW TEACHING SEQUENCES FOR V9

Launch

Lesson 1 • Blackouts

Inquire

Lesson 2 • Making a torch

Lesson 3 • Modelling electrical circuits

Lesson 4 • Causing a blackout

Lesson 5 • Conductors and insulators

Lesson 6 • Making a switch

Act

Lesson 7 • Designing for blackouts

Curriculum and syllabus alignment

Achievement standards

Australian Curriculum V9 alignment

Science as a human endeavour

Use and influence of science

Science understanding

Physical sciences

Science inquiry

Questioning and predicting

Planning and conducting

Processing, modelling and analysing

Evaluating

Communicating

Science journals

Additional preparation

'Circuit breakers' IS ONE OF OUR NEW TEACHING SEQUENCES FOR V9

Lesson 7 • Designing a playground for the heat

Scorching swings and slides

Key learning goals

Assessment advice

List of materials

Whole class

Each student

Lesson

Re-orient

Why consider heat when designing playgrounds?

Design a playground

Define

Potential discussion prompts

Ideate

Prototype

Design briefs

Prototypes

Supporting critical thinking

Share our designs

Test and Share

Reflect on the sequence

Testing prototypes

Our design decisions

For you

Lesson 6 • How effective is shade at reducing heat transfer?

Scorching swings and slides

Key learning goals

Assessment advice

List of materials

Whole class

Each group

Each student

Lesson

Re-orient

Why do we seek shade in the heat?

Potential discussion prompts

Do we need shade?

Writing questions for investigation

Representation: Investigation planner

Does shade affect heat transfer?

What claims can we make about shade?

Potential discussion prompts

Reflect on the lesson

Our design decisions

For you

Materials

Lesson 5 • Which playground building material gets the hottest?

Scorching swings and slides

Key learning goals

Assessment advice

List of materials