Teacher sheet · Ages 10–11 · about 45–50 minutes
Energy: forms and changes
Lesson page: echoesof.science/school/energy/ages-10-11/ · Pupil worksheet: echoesof.science/school/energy/ages-10-11/print/
Learning aims
- Name forms of energy and sort them into stored (potential) and working (kinetic).
- Describe energy changes from one form to another.
- Know that the total energy stays the same, but some is 'wasted', usually as heat.
- Carry out a fair test with repeats and averages.
Lesson plan
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 5 min | Starter: rub hands, clap, switch on a torch. Which forms of energy can you spot? |
| 10 min | Read the text; draw a simple energy chain together. |
| 20 min | Bouncing-ball experiment in pairs. |
| 5 min | Play Where does the energy start? |
| 5 min | Quiz and compare class results. |
Materials for the experiment
- A bouncy ball, a tennis ball or a ping-pong ball
- A metre stick or measuring tape fixed to a wall
- A hard floor
- A partner to watch the bounce (a phone video helps)
Safety: Drop the ball, never throw it. Clear the floor around you. Don't stand on chairs; 100 cm is high enough.
Common misconceptions
| Pupils may think… | Actually… |
|---|---|
| Energy gets used up and disappears. | The total stays the same; it changes form, often into heat that spreads out. |
| Only moving things have energy. | Stored (potential) energy is in food, fuels, batteries, springs and things up high. |
| A battery stores electricity. | A battery stores chemical energy, which it turns into electrical energy. |
Worksheet answers
- Battery (chemical) → electrical → light (and some heat).
- In each bounce some energy changes into heat and sound, so less is left to lift the ball.
- Changed: drop height. Measured: bounce height. Kept the same: ball, floor, letting go without throwing.
- It uses at least 75% less energy and lasts up to 25 times longer; less energy is wasted as heat.
Quiz answers
- What are the two main groups of energy? Stored (potential) and working (kinetic). Energy is grouped into potential (stored) and kinetic (working) energy.[1]
- What kind of energy does food contain? Chemical energy. The food you eat contains chemical energy.[1]
- A cyclist rolls down a hill. Which change happens? Gravitational energy to motion energy. Going downhill converts gravitational energy into motion energy.[2]
- How much of its energy does an incandescent bulb give off as heat? About 90%. Incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat.[6]
- Compared with an incandescent bulb, an LED uses… at least 75% less energy. LEDs use at least 75% less energy.[6]
- What happens to the total amount of energy when it changes form? It stays the same. Total energy is constant in any process.[4]
Going further
Try the same drop height on carpet, a wooden floor and a stone floor. On which surface does the ball keep the most energy? Can you explain why?
Sources used in this lesson
- [1] What is energy? (U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Energy Explained): reliability High
- [2] Forms of energy (U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA), Energy Explained): reliability High
- [3] Physics, 9.2 Mechanical Energy and Conservation of Energy (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [4] College Physics 2e, 7.6 Conservation of Energy (OpenStax, Rice University): reliability High
- [6] LED Lighting (U.S. Department of Energy, Energy Saver): reliability High
Full list with links and a note on each source's reliability: echoesof.science/school/energy/sources/
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