4-PS3-2 lessons
Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.
The Next Generation Science Standards code 4-PS3-2 asks students to: “Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and electric currents.” These Fieldbook lessons teach it hands-on, with everyday materials, a printable teacher guide and a student sheet.
Keep It Cool: Ice, Insulation and Staying Comfortable Grades 3–5
- 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.
- How do animals stay warm in the sea and cool in the desert? 50–60 min
Students put a hand into ice water inside a 'blubber glove' made of fat between two bags, then cool a thermometer with a wet cloth in front of a fan. They use both results to argue how fur, blubber, big ears and panting help animals keep a steady body temperature.
- 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.
Simple Circuits: Make It Light Up Grade 4
- Can you light a bulb with one wire? 45–60 min
Teams get one AA battery, one wire and one small bulb, and keep trying until the bulb lights, drawing every setup that works and every one that doesn't. Then they explain why a bulb only lights when electricity can travel in a complete loop.
- What lets electricity through? 45–60 min
Teams build a circuit tester with a gap in it, then bridge the gap with coins, foil, pencil graphite, an eraser, paper clips and plastic. They sort the results into conductors and insulators and explain why electrical wires are metal on the inside and plastic on the outside.
- Why do some string lights all go out at once? 45–60 min
Teams wire two bulbs in a single loop, then in two separate loops, unscrew one bulb each time and compare brightness. They explain why one loose bulb can darken a whole string of lights, and why a house is wired so it doesn't.
Winter Science: Ice, Snow and Staying Warm Grades 3–5
- 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.
- How do animals stay warm in winter? 50–60 min
Students put a hand into ice water inside a 'blubber glove' made of shortening between two zip bags, measure the difference with thermometers, and compare a lone cup of warm water with a huddle. Then they argue how blubber, fur, feathers and huddling help animals survive the cold.
- 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.
Steppe Science: Staying Warm on the Kazakh Steppe Grades 5–6
- 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.
NGSS is used as written in Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, so the code 4-PS3-2 matches there. Other states word and number their own versions: see curriculum alignment for your state's codes.
More NGSS standards for Grade 4
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