Effortlessly Understanding the Forms of Energy

Teaching the types of energy is a huge topic! Students have to know about potential energy and kinetic energy, but they also need to know light energy, electrical energy, nuclear energy, chemical energy etc…

There are also so many science topics connected to energy. Students can think about energy in terms of work for a physical science lesson, or they can think about energy from the sun for a life science lesson. Energy is all around us, so it is a big topic.

Starting with Potential and Kinetic Energy

I recommend starting any energy unit by talking about potential and kinetic energy. You want students to understand that potential energy is the energy available to do work, and kinetic energy is the energy of motion. Once students understand this basic concept, you can introduce other types of energy and have students classify them as potential or kinetic energies. You will want to make sure they know that mechanical energy can be both potential and kinetic energy, but other energies are either one or the other. For example, chemical energy is always potential energy. The chemical energy can be converted into another form of energy that is kinetic, such as electrical energy.

The Law of Conservation of Energy

Speaking of converting between types of energy, you will want your students to know that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Help them understand the law of conservation of energy by tracking energy as it becomes the different types of energy as it moves through the environment.

Electromagnetic energy from the sun is transformed into chemical energy by plants. The chemical energy is consumed by animals and then converted into mechanical energy as the animal moves around. Mechanical energy from moving becomes thermal energy. A great small group activity would be to track energy through a given system.

Forms of Energy

My favorite way to teach types of energy is with a jigsaw activity. I would actually do this before the law of conservation of energy activity because students need to know about the different types of energy before they can confidently convert between them. To begin the jigsaw activity, model taking notes on one types of energy. Students will want to record a definition of the type of energy, examples, and any characteristics that make the energy unique. They will also want to list ways the energy is transformed into other types of energy. You can provide a recording sheet for them or have them take notes in their notebooks.

Do you love this idea but need the resources to teach your students about different types of energy? I got you! Click on any of the covers to get the resource at Teachers Pay Teachers. You can buy individual reading passages or the entire energy unit that includes everything your students need to know about energy and activities to move the information into their long-term memories.

Videos for Teaching Types of Energy

I love using videos to build up background knowledge. Our reading levels are affected by our background knowledge. When we know about a topic, we have the vocabulary to comprehend what we read about it. Science has a ton of content-specific vocabulary, so making sure students are prepared to learn about a new topic means giving them the vocabulary to understand it. Videos are a fun, low-stress way to build our students’ vocabularies. Check out these videos to teach about the types of energy.

Are You Teaching Another Science Topic?

I can help you teach topics beyond the types of energy! I am working on creating more science units so that every science teacher can get exactly what he or she needs for her students. You can also read about how I use brain science to teach other science topics on my blog. Click the pictures below to learn more.

Coming soon!

#energy #middleschoolscience #physicalscience