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In grades 6–8, students examine the ways in which energy is transferred: conduction, convection, and radiation. This transfer of energy can be associated with thermal energy transfers in the ocean and atmosphere and with processes that result in winter storms, cold temperatures, and so on.

Lessons and Activities

Plugging in to the Sun (ORC #6550)
Students work as engineers as they learn about solar energy and heat transfer. In the lesson, their task is to build a solar cooker that can successfully cook an egg. For the topic of keeping warm, change the task to building a shelter heated with solar energy. The remainder of the lesson can be conducted as written.

Atmospheric Processes—Convection
In this lesson, students observe convection currents in water. Note that the second half of the lesson deals with the idea that air is a fluid and may not be relevant to a focus on the process of convection.

Atmospheric Processes—Conduction
Students observe the process of conduction while investigating how different materials conduct heat.

Atmospheric Processes—Radiation
Students observe the process of radiation while investigating how different surfaces absorb heat.

The Heat Is On (ORC #12846)
Students, watching interactive video segments, discover how heat is transferred by conduction.

Interactives

Heat Transfer (ORC #13759)
This interactive content resource demonstrates how heat is transferred by conduction, convection, and radiation in the environment.

Energy Transfer and Storage: Thermal Energy Transfer
This web page from the BBC Schools site includes animations of conduction, convection, and radiation.


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Hyperphysics: Heat and Thermodynamics (ORC #3700)
This portion of the HyperPhysics website provides information about topics related to heat and thermodynamics. Topics include internal energy, temperature, heat transfer, laws of thermodynamics, and related topics.

Connections to Ohio's Revised Science Standards

Grade 7
Energy can be transferred through a variety of ways.
Energy can be transformed or transferred but is never lost.