Science Shorts: Heating Up, Cooling Down

Journal Article | June 2005

Have you ever stepped barefoot onto a sandy beach on a warm and sunny day? Chances are you started to move fast as the hot sand began to scorch your feet! When you return in the evening you'll find the sand has become…

Science 101: What Are the Earth's Heating and Cooling Mechanisms?

Journal Article | September 2015

This column provides background science information for elementary teachers. This month’s issue discusses some of the mechanisms of Earth that are related to global warming and climate change.

Teaching About Heat and Temperature Using an Investigative Demonstration

Journal Article | November 2011

This short and cost-effective lesson helps middle grade students learn about the transfer of thermal energy. The lesson comprises three activities: a predict-share-observe-explain sequence of instruction that elicits…

Tried and true: Heating up inquiry with solar ovens

Journal Article | December 2005

Melt away your students' fear of failure while igniting their scientific inquiry skills with this exciting and hands-on project using solar ovens. Students will design, build, and test a solar oven that is capable of…

Green Science: In the hot seat—Analyzing your heating options

Journal Article | January 2011

When winter rolls around, keeping yourself and your home warm is of the utmost importance. Heating your home seems like a simple subject to tackle, but there are many heating systems available, requiring different fuels…

Favorite Demonstration: One Hot Demonstration -- The Urban Heat Island Effect

Journal Article | June 2006

Demonstrations are most successful as a teaching tool when they can link a scientific principle to a real-life application of the knowledge. When posed as an inquiry activity, classroom demonstrations reinforce factual…

Tried and True: Save the penguins—Teaching the science of heat transfer through engineering design

Journal Article | October 2010

Engineers, scientists, and environmental groups around the globe are hard at work finding solutions to mitigate or halt global warming. One major goal of the curriculum described here, Save the Penguins, is to help…

The Sidewalk Project: Students work with their community to invent a heated sidewalk powered by an alternative energy source

Journal Article | March 2005

High school physics students from Littleton, New Hampshire, conducted experiments in an effort to use alternative energy to power a sidewalk heating system by participating in a program that provides grants to high…