Young engineers are instructed to design and build their own solar water heaters. Then, they calculate the efficiency and cost and compare them to commercially available models. This is a full unit for pupils to apply their knowledge.

Study heat transfer with activities that focus on how heat energy works. Using a solar cooker, ice cubes, and heat transfer bracelets, kids experiment and record what they find by keeping ice cubes cold and vegetables hot.

Make those microbes warm up water. Pupils first investigate water pumps, then design a water circulation system that uses solar energy. A bioreactor in the system takes energy from compost and helps heat water.

If changing one variable can improve a design, why not try changing more? Using the results from the previous activity, scholars decide on the variables that caused the most improvement in the effectiveness of the solar heater. They take...

Always strive to make things better. The second of three activities in the Experimenting with Solar Heaters unit has learners design new solar heaters that are more effective compared to the simple models they used in the previous lesson...

Heat up a lesson on solar energy. The first of three parts in the Experimenting with Solar Heaters unit has scholars construct solar heaters. They then use them to heat up a container of water and calculate the amount of heat energy...

Don't melt away! Pairs investigate different insulation materials to determine which one is better than the others. Using a low-temp heat plate, the teams insulate an ice cube from the heat source with a variety of substances. They...

Learn about conduction, convection, and radiation with an illustrative presentation. It includes slides about atmospheric movement and how it affects the climate, solar radiation, and how latent heat can form storms. 

The laws of thermodynamics raise the temperature in your classroom when physics pupils complete this worksheet! They demonstrate their understanding by calculating specific heat capacity, final temperature, amount of work done, and more....

This simple activity is ideal for upper elementary learners when studying physical science. Using their sense of touch to describe how hot something feels, and then comparing their observations to thermometer measurements, they discover...

Questions that can be used in a lesson on Earth's radiation balance are suggested in this resource. It is not a lesson plan, per se, but it is a list of questions for stations within a "Gallery Walk" lesson. The link to how Gallery Walks...

Students observe a demonstration on the role of thermal conductivity in heat transfer.  For this thermal conductivity lesson, students design and conduct an experiment to compare the thermal conductivity of four substances....

Students use the Internet to research the ancient practices of building structures and to help them recognize what building materials serve as good conductors and insulators of heat. They build a structure using straw bale walls.

Students differentiate heat and temperature. In this chemistry activity, students explain how heat moves between objects with different temperatures. They draw a picture to demonstrate the direction of heat movement.

Learners complete a science experiment to study insulation, heat transfer, and permafrost. In this permafrost study instructional activity, students design and test a soda insulator. Learners graph their class data and discuss the...

Students create and develop a travel mug. They create visuals and a three dimensional infomercial. They apply an engineering design and demonstrate knowledge of thermodynamics involved in heat transfer. They illustrate Newton's Law of...

Students participate in a variety of experiments designed to illustrate types of heat transfer including conduction, convection and radiation. They complete worksheets as an assessment of the experiments.

Students investigate the effect of different container materials on heat transfer; draws a conclusion about the best insulator; and applies concept to a new, seemingly quite different problem.

Student teams design insulated beverage bottles in this challenge, and test them to determine which materials work best at insulating hot water to keep it warm for as long as possible.

Photos, diagrams, and other images related to climate and climate change.

Can you design a handle for Hot Stuff's new skillet?

An indexing page for the HyperPhysics site. The page contains a concept map of links to a variety of other pages which discuss concepts related to heat engines. All pages contain informative graphics and excellent explanations.

This site has information on specific heat,the amount of heat required to change a unit mass of a substance by one degree in temperature. Included are many links and formulas.

PBS offers an experiment that kids can do at home to learn more about heat conduction and how it works.