NYS Science Core Curriculum

Key Idea 4:

Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms change energy is conserved.

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Introduction: An underlying principle of all energy use is the Law of Conservation of Energy. Simply stated, energy cannot be
created or destroyed.

Energy can be transformed, one form to another. These transformations produce heat energy. Heat is a calculated value which
includes the temperature of the material, the mass of the material, and the type of the material. Temperature is a direct
measurement of the average kinetic energy of the particles in a sample of material. It should be noted that temperature is not a
measurement of heat.

 

PERFORMANCE       Describe the sources and identify the transformations of energy observed in
INDICATOR 4.1           everyday life.

 

Major Understandings:

                    4.1a The Sun is a major source of energy for Earth. Other sources of energy include nuclear and geothermal energy.

                    4.1b Fossil fuels contain stored solar energy and are considered nonrenewable resources. They are a major source of
                    energy in the United States. Solar energy, wind, moving water, and biomass are some examples of renewable energy
                    resources.

                    4.1c Most activities in everyday life involve one form of energy being transformed into another. For example, the chemical
                    energy in gasoline is transformed into mechanical energy in an automobile engine. Energy, in the form of heat, is almost
                    always one of the products of energy transformations.

                    4.1d Different forms of energy include heat, light, electrical, mechanical, sound, nuclear, and chemical. Energy is
                    transformed in many ways.

                    4.1e Energy can be considered to be either kinetic energy, which is the energy of motion, or potential energy, which
                    depends on relative position.

 

PERFORMANCE        Observe and describe heating and cooling events.
INDICATOR 4.2

 

Major Understandings:

                    4.2a Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing from warmer objects to cooler ones, until both reach the same temperature.

                    4.2b Heat can be transferred through matter by the collisions of atoms and/or molecules (conduction) or through space
                    (radiation). In a liquid or gas, currents will facilitate the transfer of heat (convection).

                    4.2c During a phase change, heat energy is absorbed or released. Energy is absorbed  when a solid changes to a liquid
                    and when a liquid changes to a gas. Energy is released when a gas changes to a liquid and when a liquid changes to a
                    solid.

                    4.2d Most substances expand when heated and contract when cooled. Water is an  exception, expanding when changing
                    to ice.

                    4.2e  Temperature affects the solubility of some substances in water.

 

PERFORMANCE        Observe and describe energy changes as related to chemical reactions.
INDICATOR 4.3

 

Major Understandings:

                    4.3a In chemical reactions, energy is transferred into or out of a system. Light, electricity, or mechanical motion may be
                    involved in such transfers in addition to heat.

 

PERFORMANCE        Observe and describe the properties of sound, light, magnetism, and electricity.
INDICATOR 4.4

 

Major Understandings:

                    4.4a Different forms of electromagnetic energy have different wavelengths. Some examples of electromagnetic energy are
                    microwaves, infrared light, visible light, ultraviolet light, X-rays, and gamma rays.

                    4.4b Light passes through some materials, sometimes refracting in the process. Materials absorb and reflect light, and
                    may transmit light. To see an object, light from that object, emitted by or reflected from it, must enter the eye.

                    4.4c Vibrations in materials set up wave-like disturbances that spread away from the source. Sound waves are an example.
                    Vibrational waves move at different speeds in different materials. Sound cannot travel in a vacuum.

                    4.4d Electrical energy can be produced from a variety of energy sources and can be transformed into almost any other form
                    of energy.

                    4.4e  Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy.

                    4.4f Without touching them, material that has been electrically charged attracts uncharged material, and may either attract
                    or repel other charged material.

                    4.4g Without direct contact, a magnet attracts certain materials and either attracts or repels other magnets. The attractive
                    force of a magnet is greatest at its poles.

 

PERFORMANCE        Describe situations that support the principle of conservation of energy.
INDICATOR 4.5

 

Major Understandings:

                    4.5a Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but only changed from one form into another.

                    4.5b Energy can change from one form to another, although in the process some energy is always converted to heat.
                    Some systems transform energy with less loss of heat than others.

 

 

NYS Learning Standards for English Language Arts

Standard 1:   Students will read, write, listen, and speak for information and understanding.
                        As listeners and readers, students will collect data, facts, and ideas; discover relationships, concepts,
                        and generalizations; and use knowledge generated from oral, written, and electronically produced
                        texts. As speakers and writers, they will use oral and written language to acquire, interpret, apply,
                        and transmit information.

Standard 2:   Students will read, write, listen, and speak for literary response and expression.
                        Students will read and listen to oral, written, and electronically produced texts and performances,
                        relate texts and performances to their own lives, and develop an understanding of the diverse social,
                        historical, and cultural dimensions the texts and performances represent. As speakers and writers,
                        students will use oral and written language for self-expression and artistic creation.

Standard 3:   Students will read, write, listen, and speak for critical analysis and evaluation.
                        As listeners and readers, students will analyze experiences, ideas, information, and issues presented
                        by others using a variety of established criteria. As speakers and writers, they will present, in oral and
                        written language and from a variety of perspectives, their opinions and judgments on experiences,
                        ideas, information and issues.

Standard 4:   Students will read, write, listen, and speak for social interaction.
                        Students will use oral and written language for effective social communication with a wide variety of
                        people. As readers and listeners, they will use the social communications of others to enrich their
                        understanding of people and their views.