Energy | Substitute Teacher
Students explore energy as the ability to make things move, work, or change. Through simple demonstrations, class discussion, and a hands-on sorting activity, students learn to identify energy in everyday life and explain how it helps objects move or change.
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| energy | The ability to make things move, work, or change. |
| motion | Movement from one place to another. |
| source | Something that gives energy. |
| heat | Warmth energy. |
| light | Energy we can see that helps us see. |
Show a ball, toy car, or picture of someone running. Ask: 'What is happening? What made it move?' Introduce the idea that energy helps things move and change.
Share ideas, make predictions, and describe what they notice.
Define energy in kid-friendly terms. Give examples of energy we use or see: sunlight, batteries, food, a fan, a lamp. Emphasize that energy can make things move, give light, make heat, or make sound.
Repeat key vocabulary, answer quick questions, and give examples from their own lives.
Demonstrate with a simple object if available, such as rolling a ball or turning on a flashlight. Ask: 'Where is the energy coming from?' and 'What changed?' Model complete answers.
Observe, answer questions, and explain cause and effect using sentence frames if needed.
Give pairs or small groups picture cards. Ask students to sort cards into groups such as 'shows energy,' 'energy source,' and 'not a clear example.' Circulate, prompt thinking, and correct misconceptions.
Work together to sort cards, justify choices, and listen to classmates' reasoning.
Call on a few groups to share one card and explain why they placed it in a group. Clarify that many things use energy and that energy can be seen through movement, light, heat, or sound.
Present one example and explain their thinking.
Give a short exit task: students draw one example of energy and write or dictate one sentence starting with 'Energy helps...'
Complete the exit task independently.
Review the key idea: energy helps things move, work, or change. Ask students to share one new thing they learned. End by naming examples together: sunlight, food, batteries, and movement.
Formative assessment will be based on student responses during discussion, accuracy in the card-sorting activity, and the exit task drawing/sentence showing one example of energy.