This motion activity helps 2nd to 5th grade students sort everyday actions into pushes and pulls, with 14 sorting cards, a practice page, and an answer key included.
This magnet activity has kindergarten to 3rd grade students sort picture cards into things a magnet will pull and things it will not, with a sorting mat, practice page and answer key.
This drawing light objects worksheet has 2nd graders read six clues, draw each light source, and circle whether it needs electricity. An answer key is included for quick checking.
A things that give light activity for kindergarten to 2nd grade: a board game with 12 picture cards about light sources, a practice page and an answer key included.
This Some Like it Hot Heat Worksheet has 2nd graders read a felt-square temperature chart and answer three bubble questions about how color affects heat. An answer key is included for quick checking.
Light, heat and things that go!
Second graders learn that energy is what makes things happen: it makes things move, light up, heat up and make sound. They find sources of light like the sun, lamps and flashlights, and sources of heat like the sun, a stove and even rubbing their hands together. They see that pushes and pulls give objects energy to move, and that a bigger push makes a ball roll farther. Magnets show another kind of push and pull. The click moment is when kids rub their hands fast and feel them warm up, making energy themselves.
Energy is invisible, so we help kids notice what it does.
Roll balls down a ramp from different heights and measure how far each goes. Kids discover that more height means more energy and a longer roll. Recording the results in a simple chart adds the math.
Why it works: going from real objects to pictures to symbols is a core recommendation of the U.S. Department of Education's elementary math guide.
Try it withMotion ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Kids walk the room and school and draw every source of light they find. Then they sort their drawings into natural and made by people.
Why it works: pairing a picture with each word gives kids two ways to remember it, a well-tested principle of how people learn (Mayer, 2009).
Try it withThings That Give Light ActivityActivitiesOpen it →Show pictures of objects and kids quickly vote: does this give off heat? Then they explain why. A quick daily round helps them remember heat sources.
Why it works: a big review of study methods ranked quick self-quizzing among the most powerful ways to remember (Dunlosky and colleagues, 2013).
Try it withSome Like it Hot Heat WorksheetWorksheetsOpen it →Energy you can feel, see and play with.
Teacher favorites right now: Motion Activity, Magnet Activity and Drawing Light Objects Worksheet.
Energy is what makes things move, light up, heat up or make noise. Food gives our bodies energy and the sun gives Earth energy.
The sun is the biggest source of both. Others include fire, light bulbs, stoves and flashlights.
Roll balls down ramps, rub your hands together to feel heat or test what gets warm in the sun. Simple and safe.
When you push a ball, you give it energy to move. A harder push gives more energy, so the ball goes farther.
Loved by 2 million teachers & families
Printables, songs and games for every subject, Preschool through 6th. Ready to teach today, and kids beg for more.
