PS.6.2.3: Carry out investigations to compare the transfer of thermal energy in…

Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable Grades 3–5

Why salt makes ice melt faster, which wrap keeps a drink coldest, how a seal and a fennec fox each keep their body temperature steady, and how to build a cool box that beats the heat. Four hands-on lessons that start from a freezer and work in any climate.

• Which wrap keeps a drink coldest? 50–60 min

  Teams wrap jars of chilled water in wool, cotton, foil or nothing, and read a thermometer every 5 minutes to see which lets heat in slowest. Then they explain what a wrap really does, and why 'cold' doesn't leak in or out.

• Can you build a cool box that beats the heat? 75–90 min, or build in one session and test in the next

  Teams design and build a cool box from recycled materials, test it against a plain tub with the same ice, and measure the meltwater after 40 minutes. They find the weak spots, explain how insulation slows heat, and plan one improvement.

Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm Grades 3–5

Why roads get salted, which mitten really works, how a seal stays warm in icy water, and why a mouse is cosier under the snow than on top of it. Four hands-on lessons on ice, heat and insulation.

• Which mitten keeps a hand warmest? 50–60 min

  Teams wrap jars of warm water in wool, cotton, foil or nothing, and read a thermometer every 5 minutes to see which loses heat slowest. Then they explain what a mitten really does, and why it doesn't make any heat of its own.

• Can snow keep things warm? 60–75 min, including about 40 min outdoors

  Teams build a 'den' for a jar of warm water, leave one on top of the snow and bury one underneath, and compare temperatures after 30 minutes. They also probe the snow with thermometers, then explain why voles, grouse and bears spend winter under the snow. A no-snow version uses a freezer and a snow stand-in.

Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move Grade 6

Why tires go soft in winter, why sidewalks have gaps, and how a thermometer knows. Five lessons on what heating and cooling do to the particles in everything around us.

• Can you keep an ice cube frozen the longest? 60 min, plus a 40-minute wait (teach something else while the ice sits)

  A design challenge with insulation, a budget and a class leaderboard. Teams build an ice cube keeper, measure how much melted, and explain why the best designs slow down heat moving in.

Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe Grades 5–6

Science and English together, for English learners (CEFR A2–B1). How does a felt yurt keep a family warm when it's −30 °C outside? Students test insulators around jars of warm water, graph the results and design a winter wall, using the real science of the Kazakh kiiz üy.

• How does a felt yurt keep a family warm at −30 °C? 60 min, or two 35-minute periods

  Science and English together, for English learners at CEFR A2–B1. Teams wrap jars of warm water in felt, cotton, foil and paper, measure how fast each one cools, and graph the class results. Then they use the evidence to design a winter wall for a kiiz üy.

Printable practice for PS.6.2.3

• Hot and Cold: Particles on the Move workbook included with the unit

  3 readings, 2 practice pages, 1 English-support page, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe workbook included with the unit

  2 readings, 1 word wall, 1 practice page, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

• Hot Stuff: Heat, Temperature and Cooling workbook included with the unit

  1 word wall, 1 English-support page, 1 practice page, 1 reading, 1 unit review, 1 unit test, with answer keys.

Need just this outcome? Build a custom pack from these pages, with its answer key, in about a minute. Custom packs come with All-access and school licences.