PR-0552UK Primary Science - Book 2
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Measuring temperature<br />
Heat ~ Activity 2<br />
Objectives<br />
• learn that temperature is a<br />
measurement of how hot<br />
something is<br />
• measure and compare<br />
temperatures in different places<br />
in the classroom, school and<br />
environment<br />
Working scientifically<br />
• Questioning<br />
• Observing<br />
• Predicting<br />
• Investigating and experimenting<br />
• Analysing (sorting and<br />
classifying)<br />
• Recording and communicating<br />
Designing and making<br />
• Exploring<br />
Background information<br />
The sun heats and warms the air, land<br />
and water that sustain our lives; it is<br />
our primary source of warmth.<br />
Temperature is the amount of heat<br />
in the air or how hot or cold it is.<br />
Temperature is measured in degrees<br />
Celsius (ºC) or Fahrenheit (ºF).<br />
Before the lesson<br />
Materials needed<br />
• A sunny day!<br />
• Three identical bowls, water, thermometer, weather section of the newspaper,<br />
cloths to wipe any spills.<br />
Preparation<br />
• Fill three identical bowls with water. Place one in the sun, one in the shade and<br />
one inside the building.<br />
The lesson<br />
Stimulus<br />
• With the pupils, place the bowls of water inside, outside in the shade and outside<br />
in the sun. Ask the class what they think is going to happen to the water. This<br />
experiment will work best if the lesson is in the afternoon and the water can<br />
sit in the sun during the hottest time of the day.<br />
What to do<br />
• Ask the class the following questions:<br />
– What helps you to stay warm when you are inside?<br />
– What helps you to stay warm when you are outside?<br />
• Ask the pupils to consider what the earth would be like without the sun. Stress<br />
the importance of the sun for keeping us warm and helping plants to grow<br />
etc.<br />
• Ask the class if they know what the ‘temperature’ is today. Hold a discussion<br />
about what the temperature measures and what it is measured in. Look at<br />
the current newspaper for today’s temperature and tomorrow’s forecasted<br />
temperature. Talk about the temperature difference in summer and winter.<br />
• Ask the class what they think the temperature is in the classroom. Show the<br />
class a thermometer. Ask the pupils if they have ever had their temperature<br />
measured before. What type of thermometer was used?<br />
• In groups, or as a whole class (with adult helpers), go to each of the bowls of<br />
water and use the thermometers to measure the temperature of each.<br />
• Discuss how the sun heated up the water outside the classroom. Discuss the<br />
difference in temperatures among the bowls. Pupils return to the classroom<br />
and complete Question 6 on the worksheet. Pupils can use the four words from<br />
Question 5 to describe the water in the bowl.<br />
Note: So that every pupil is able to feel the water, more than one bowl in each<br />
area may be necessary.<br />
Viewing Sample<br />
After the lesson<br />
Answers<br />
1. Temperature. 2. Use a thermometer, measured in ºC or ºF.<br />
3. Answers will vary. 4. Newspaper, thermometer, on television.<br />
5. Answers will vary. 6. Teacher check.<br />
Additional activities<br />
• Look at different types of thermometers: for example, an ear thermometer,<br />
an oral thermometer, a thermometer that is used to measure the temperature<br />
of the water in a pool.<br />
• Pupils keep a record of the day and night temperatures for one week.<br />
Display ideas<br />
• Display photographs or pictures of different types of weather.<br />
• Display the weather section of the newspaper each day for one week for the<br />
pupils to observe and use to record the daily temperatures.<br />
58 <strong>PR</strong>IMARY SCIENCE ~ Prim-Ed Publishing ~ www.prim-ed.com
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