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Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource

Insulators & Conductors: Which Materials Transfer Heat? — 5E Lesson Plan

Physical Science · 40 minutes

Grade 2

5E lesson flow

  1. 01

    Engage

    5 min

    Teacher Does

    Show metal, wood, and plastic samples and ask whether thermal energy will move through all of them at the same rate.

    Students Do

    Predict and name what should be kept the same.

    Ask

    • How could we test instead of guess?

    Look For

    A fair comparison using the same ice and time.

  2. 02

    Explore

    12 min

    Teacher Does

    Place equal-size ice cubes on equal-size material samples.

    Students Do

    Observe for a set time and record relative melting.

    Ask

    • Which cube changes fastest?
    • What is your evidence?

    Look For

    Students use visible melt amount, not how shiny a material looks.

  3. 03

    Explain

    7 min

    Teacher Does

    Introduce conductor, insulator, and heat transfer using the class result.

    Students Do

    Use picture evidence to classify the tested materials.

    Ask

    • Which material transferred thermal energy faster in our test?

    Look For

    Evidence-based comparison language.

  4. 04

    Elaborate

    9 min

    Teacher Does

    Present a cold-snack design problem.

    Students Do

    Choose a material property and justify it.

    Ask

    • Do we want heat transfer faster or slower for this job?

    Look For

    Insulator for slowing warming.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    7 min

    Teacher Does

    Show an anonymous new test result.

    Students Do

    Identify the faster-transfer sample and explain from evidence.

    Ask

    • Which observation supports your claim?

    Look For

    Same-time melt evidence.

Student goal

I can compare how quickly heat moves through materials and use evidence to choose a material for a job.

Learning objectives

  • Observe that different materials can transfer thermal energy at different rates.
  • Use evidence from a fair ice-melt test to compare a conductor with an insulator.
  • Choose a material for a simple problem and explain the choice with test evidence.

Materials

  • Equal-size metal, wood, and plastic samples
  • Three equal-size ice cubes
  • Tray
  • Timer
  • Paper towels
  • Observation sheet

Before class

  • Let material samples reach the same room conditions before testing.
  • Prepare equal-size ice cubes as closely as practical.
  • Use a tray for water.
  • Do not ask students to judge temperature by prolonged touching.
  • Open Teach Mode.

Prior knowledge

  • Students know objects can be warmer or cooler.
  • Students know objects are made from different materials.

Vocabulary

heat transfer
Thermal energy moving from a warmer place to a cooler place.
conductor
A material that lets thermal energy move through it more quickly.
insulator
A material that slows thermal energy transfer.
material
What an object is made from.
evidence
An observation or result that supports an idea.

Differentiation

  • Read all prompts aloud.
  • Use picture cards for conductor/insulator.
  • Allow pointing plus an oral because-statement.
  • For extension, ask why a material can be useful for one heat-transfer job but not another.

Assessment

  • Check fair-test planning.
  • Check that students use melt evidence.
  • Check conductor/insulator vocabulary in context.
  • Check the design choice matches the goal.

Exit ticket

Point to the sample that transferred thermal energy faster and give one piece of evidence.

Extension

Compare another safe material sample using the same ice-melt procedure.