Energy: Heat

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

You may have said you feel hot when you sit next to a fire.

A fire is a natural source of heat energy. Energy is just another way to say how something is powered.

The sun, fire, and stars create natural energy. Man-made energy is created by people.

• Can you think of some hot things?

Many heat sources exist on the earth and in space. The sun, friction, body heat, and fire are examples of places heat energy comes from.

Friction occurs when two things rub together quickly to create heat. You can create friction by rubbing your hands together quickly, like on a cold day. Try it!

Think about a time you touched something hot.

• How did it feel?

When you touch something hot, your body reacts by pulling itself away from the heat. Touching something hot can burn you.

For example, a hot mug filled with hot chocolate, a cookie tray in an oven, and a tea kettle boiling on the stove are all sources of heat that can burn your skin.

You need to be careful when you are working with heat so you do not get burned!

• Can you think of three ways people use heat?

Maybe you mentioned one of these ways.

• A wood-burning stove can keep a house warm.
• An oven can be used to cook food.
• A toaster can be used to heat bread.
• A campfire can be used to stay warm while camping.
• A grill can be used to cook food outside.

There are many more ways to use heat!

• Do you know what tool you can use to tell how hot something is?

You can use a thermometer to tell the temperature of something. There are many purposes for a thermometer.

You can use a thermometer to check the temperature outside. You can also use a thermometer to check your temperature or measure the heat of an object.

You've just learned about different forms of heat energy.

Move on to the Got It? section, where you will learn about how heat particles move and about different forms of heat energy.