Lessons
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Opening

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Can a jacket keep something cold?

Learning intention

Use evidence to explain thermal conduction and select insulation for a cold container.

A cold drink must arrive cool.

Your job: choose a jacket and defend it with evidence.

Today: notice → explain → test the claim.

Success looks like

  • Show the direction of energy transfer between warmer and cooler objects.
  • Explain why a thermal conductor transfers energy more readily than an insulator.
  • Choose an insulation jacket using two numbers and identify one test limitation.
Retrieval

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

What do we already know?

R1. Name the material in a metal spoon.

R2. Which is warmer: 8 °C or 20 °C?

R3. Name a tool that measures temperature.

I do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Feeling is not a thermometer

The samples both start at 20 °C.

A warmer hand loses energy to both.

Metal transfers that energy more quickly.

Same temperature; different feelingA warmer hand transfers energy to metal and wood at the same room temperature. A thicker arrow represents faster transfer into metal, not a lower starting temperature.Both samples start at 20 °CHandabout 32 °CMetal: 20 °CWood: 20 °CFaster transferSlower transferArrow width is a model, not measured data.
Same temperature; different feeling
Diagram description

A warmer hand transfers energy to metal and wood at the same room temperature. A thicker arrow represents faster transfer into metal, not a lower starting temperature.

I do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Why can ice melt faster on metal?

Energy transfers from warmer to cooler objects.

A metal tray can transfer energy towards ice quickly.

Melting does not mean the tray started hotter.

Energy can melt iceAt room temperature, energy transfers from the warmer surroundings through the warmer tray towards the ice. Faster melting is evidence of faster energy transfer in this set-up; sizes are not to scale.Ice is cooler than the tray and roomRoom-temperature metal trayIceabout 0 °CEnergytowards the iceIce gains energyand can meltModel: other energy routes and sizes are simplified.
Energy can melt ice
Diagram description

At room temperature, energy transfers from the warmer surroundings through the warmer tray towards the ice. Faster melting is evidence of faster energy transfer in this set-up; sizes are not to scale.

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

I do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Insulation changes the rate

Thermal insulators slow transfer by conduction.

A jacket can slow cooling or warming.

It does not create heat or stop transfer forever.

An insulator slows transfer in either directionTwo insulated containers: energy moves out from warm contents to a cooler room; energy moves in from a warmer room to cool contents. Insulation slows both transfers. Arrows show net energy transfer only.Insulation slows energy transferWarm contents40 °CCooler room: 20 °CCool contents8 °CWarmer room: 20 °CThe green jacket adds insulation. It makes no heat.
An insulator slows transfer in either direction
Diagram description

Two insulated containers: energy moves out from warm contents to a cooler room; energy moves in from a warmer room to cool contents. Insulation slows both transfers. Arrows show net energy transfer only.

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

We do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Evidence detectives: feeling versus measurement

D1. Both blocks measured 20 °C. Metal felt colder.

D2. In an ice test, more ice melted on metal.

Use page 1: reject, keep or improve each claim.

We do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Which bottle warmed least?

Constructed sample data: identical sealed bottles.

All start at 8 °C in a 20 °C room.

Read the 20-minute temperature; justify one choice.

Constructed sample data; equal bottles, fill, start temperature and room.
JacketStart / °C20 min / °C
None814
Cotton sleeve812
Foam sleeve810

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

We do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Improve the delivery claim

Claim: “Foam makes cold and is always best.”

Replace it with a sentence the evidence supports.

Name one extra check before a bigger decision.

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

Hinge

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

A cold bottle wears an insulating jacket

The room is warmer than the bottle. What happens?

You do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Your design brief

Choose one response page: supported, standard or stretch.

Recommend a jacket using the common evidence.

Explain where energy moves and why.

You do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Make the evidence do the work

Name the two objects at different temperatures.

Use at least one pair of values.

Finish: “This shows … in this test.”

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

You do

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Check before you submit

Have I used “slows” rather than “stops”?

Does my arrow go from warmer to cooler?

Have I separated evidence from a guess?

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

Review

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Compare and improve

Show one sentence or arrow you improved.

Check a partner’s evidence without judging their first idea.

What would make our conclusion stronger?

Review

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Our evidence has a boundary

We compared three particular jackets.

Thickness, fit and repeat results still matter.

Pupil choice: which jacket variable should be tested next?

Continue within this stage’s shared time.

Exit

GROW · SCIENCE · Lesson 1 of 11

Three things to leave with

E1. Draw energy’s direction: room 20 °C, bottle 8 °C.

E2. Explain what a thermal insulator does.

E3. Give one number that supports the foam choice.

My science task sheets

Choose one route with your teacher. Shared evidence and the exit sheet appear in every route. Your work stays here while the page is open; save it before closing.

1 • Shared evidence: the cold case

Keep this page beside your chosen response route. All numerical examples below are constructed sample data, not observations from your class.

D1 • Same room

Smooth metal and wood blocks both measured 20 °C. A warmer hand felt the metal as colder.

D2 • Melting clue

Equal 20 g ice pieces, both starting at about 0 °C, sat on room-temperature trays. After 5 minutes: metal set-up 9 g melted; plastic set-up 3 g melted. Tray dimensions matched; masses differed.

C1 • First claim

“The metal must have started colder because it felt colder.”

C2 • Second claim

“The metal set-up transferred energy to the ice faster in this test.”

C3 • Delivery claim

“A foam jacket makes cold and is always the best jacket.”

Delivery test: constructed sample data. Identical sealed bottles, equal fill, same 20 °C room, all starting at 8 °C. Jackets fitted fully; jacket thickness was not matched.

JacketStart / °CAfter 20 min / °C
None814
Cotton sleeve812
Foam sleeve810

2 • Supported route: choose and explain

Use page 1. Point, circle, draw or dictate; the science goal is the same.

S1. The bottle starts at 8 °C. The room is 20 °C. Which is warmer?
S3. Which final temperature shows the coldest bottle after 20 minutes?

3 • Standard route: delivery recommendation

Use page 1. The table repeats constructed sample data from page 1. Complete one evidence-backed decision for the delivery team.

JacketStart / °C20 min / °CRise / °C
None814
Cotton812
Foam810

4 • Stretch route: challenge the claim

Use page 1. Your task is to justify a useful decision without claiming more than the data show.

5 • Exit and scientific reflection

Answer independently. A drawing or spoken response recorded by an adult is welcome.

Slide 1

TA Brief

Current stage

Objective

Use evidence to explain thermal conduction and select insulation for a cold container.

Preparation

Method precautions

Practical alternative

The default route uses supplied diagrams and constructed evidence. It teaches the complete objective without handling hot or cold materials.

Access and regulation

Supported: Use page 2 with arrow choices, the two most relevant table rows and a sentence frame. Adult reads the same science aloud. Pointing, drawing or dictated answers are valid.

Standard: Use page 3 to calculate temperature rises and justify a design decision using comparative evidence.

Stretch: Use page 4 to evaluate an unfair comparison and transfer the explanation to a warm container. Same thermal objective, deeper reasoning.

Regulation: Offer silent think time, a seated evidence role, optional partner talk and a short pause. No speed contest or public reading requirement. Pupils may change route after the hinge.

Teacher answers

R1–R3

R1: steel/stainless steel or another suitable metal. R2: 20 °C. R3: a thermometer. Re-teach reading temperature values if needed.

W1 / C1

Reject C1. Both samples measured 20 °C. The warmer hand transfers energy to the metal faster, so feeling alone does not establish lower temperature.

W1 / C2

Keep the bounded claim C2: more ice melted in the metal set-up in the same time (9 g versus 3 g), consistent with faster net energy transfer into the ice in this set-up. It does not isolate conductivity alone; tray masses differed and other energy routes exist.

W1 / C3

Improve C3: the foam jacket slowed warming most in this test. It does not make cold and the test does not prove superiority under all conditions.

W2

Foam: final 10 °C and rise 2 °C, versus no jacket 14 °C and rise 6 °C. Useful checks include repeated trials; matched thickness if comparing material properties; matched jacket fit; a longer journey test.

Hinge A–D

A incorrect: a passive insulator makes no cold. B correct: net transfer is into the colder bottle and is slower with insulation. C incorrect: it does not stop transfer forever. D incorrect: direction is warmer room to cooler bottle. Use the cold-container diagram if A, C or D persist.

S1–S3

S1 room. S2 arrow from ROOM (20 °C, warmer) towards BOTTLE (8 °C, cooler). S3 foam at 10 °C.

S4–S6

S4 foam; 10; 14; slows. S5 the warmer hand loses energy faster to metal although both blocks begin at the same temperature. S6 repeat the test, to check whether the pattern happens again. Colour alone does not establish this performance.

N1–N2

N1 room to bottle. N2 none: 14−8=6 °C; cotton: 12−8=4 °C; foam: 10−8=2 °C. Foam warmed 4 °C less than no jacket over the same interval.

N3–N5

N3 recommend this foam sleeve: it slowed energy transfer in from the warmer room, with only a 2 °C rise compared with 6 °C unwrapped. N4 both are 20 °C; metal conducts energy away from the warmer hand faster. N5 one set of results lacks repeat confidence; repeat each test. Thickness was not matched; match it to compare material properties. Check and report fit carefully too. Accept other specific, relevant control improvements.

T1–T2

T1 rises 6, 4 and 2 °C. Recommend foam for this brief; energy enters from the warmer room, more slowly with the jacket. T2 no: thickness changed as well as material. Compare equal-thickness, equal-coverage jackets with identical bottles, starting values and conditions; repeat. This tests those equal-thickness samples, not every possible design.

T3–T4

T3 arrow from 40 °C contents to 20 °C room; insulation slows energy loss so the contents cool more slowly. No physical hot-water method is requested. T4 the evidence compares full tray set-ups, not conductivity alone. Tray masses differed; use matching dimensions, control initial temperatures and contact, document masses and repeat. Even then, heat capacity and other transfer routes require care before attributing the effect solely to conductivity.

E1–E4

E1 room to bottle. E2 slows energy transfer by conduction; accept a correctly explained broader slows heat transfer. E3 foam 10 °C or 2 °C rise; stronger evidence compares 14 °C or 6 °C unwrapped. E4 a testable suggestion such as same material at two thicknesses, repeated trials, or a longer fixed duration. Reflection has no prescribed opinion; assess connection to evidence.

Assessment / re-teach

Secure objective: correct warmer-to-cooler arrow, explains an insulator slows transfer, and numerical recommendation bounded to this test. A correct choice without an explanation is emerging evidence. For cold moves or jackets make heat, narrate the two-temperature diagram, then ask a new cold-lunchbox example. For overclaiming, underline in this test and ask for one missing control.

Sources checked for this lesson

Word help

thermal
Related to heating and temperature.
conduction
Energy transfer through a material, or between touching materials, because of a temperature difference.
thermal conductor
A material that transfers energy by conduction readily.
thermal insulator
A material that transfers energy by conduction less readily.
evidence
Observations or measurements that help us judge a claim.

Cold Call

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