Alaska Science Performance Standard L2/A8b

Alaska Science
Key Element A8b

A student who meets the content standard should understand the scientific principles and models that state whenever energy is reduced in one place, it is increased somewhere else by the same amount (Energy Transformations).

Performance Standard Level 2, Ages 8–10

Students observe and describe heat flow from one object to another.

Sample Assessment Ideas

Students examine traditional ways of heating water—putting hot rocks into a birch basket—and determine which heats water the fastest—many small rocks or a few large rocks.
Students place a metal container with cold water in another larger insulated container containing hot water; measure temperature changes in both containers; explain the transfer of thermal energy from hot to cold object.
Students design mittens to wear outside when they go to recess; discuss the qualities of a “good” mitten; choose the material to use to make the mittens; make a list of words that describe the material for the mittens; describe how their mitten design is better than the mittens they have right now; make an advertisement that they could use to “sell” their mittens.

Expanded Sample Assessment Idea

Expanded Sample Assessment Idea

Students design ways to keep an ice cube from melting.

Procedure Students will: Create a container to hold an ice cube. (Have a variety of materials available for the students to choose from, including, paper, cotton, cups, sticks, fur, feathers, foil, styrofoam, tape, glue, and other materials.) Put an ice cube inside the container; place it in the designated spot. Check the ice cubes as necessary; record observations in a journal. Compare results with other students in class. Discuss the properties of insulators and conductors. Reflection and Revision Which containers worked best as insulators? Describe one change you would make to your container to make it work better. How will this change make the container better?	Levels of Performance
	Stage 4	Student work is complete and shows detailed evidence of the transfer and extension of knowledge related to heat flow. Journal contains evidence of the transfer or extension of knowledge related to heat flow. Journal contains observations of the melting ice cube. Student designs and constructs a container that slows the progress of melting, and describes changes that would improve the container.
	Stage 3	Student work is mostly complete and shows detailed observations of the melting ice cube. Student designs and constructs a box that prevents the ice cube from melting, and describes and explains in detail changes that would improve the container.
	Stage 2	Student work may be incomplete and shows limited evidence of knowledge related to heat flow. Journal contains incomplete observations of the melting ice cube. Student work may show evidence of skilled craftsmanship but the box design does little to slow the progress of melting. Student may describe changes to the container that would not alter its insulating capabilities.
	Stage 1	Student work is mostly incomplete, inappropriate, shows little evidence of craftsmanship or knowledge related to insulating abilities of materials.

Standards Cross-References
( Alaska Department of Education & Early Development Standards)

National Science Education Standards

Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature. (Page 155)

Benchmarks

When warmer things are put with cooler ones, the warm ones lose heat and the cool ones gain it until they are at the same temperature. A warmer object can warm a cooler one by contact or at a distance. (Page 84)

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