In teaching energy the BEST resources have adopted a framework based on ‘energy stores’ and ‘energy pathways’ which is advocated by, amongst others, (Boohan, 2014), (Millar, 2014) and (Tracy, 2014). As Millar (2014) says, this approach “is not perfect - but it is adequate and significantly better than [approaches] based on lists of ‘forms of energy’.” A clear guide to this approach can be found on the Institute of Physics’ website (Institute of Physics).

When talking about energy, language is important and practising using the language in an accurate and consistent way helps develop students’ understanding over time (Rogers, 2018).

This practical activity gives students the opportunity to think carefully about the energy stores at the start and end points of an event. Later in their studies, these are the points at which useful calculations can be made about the amount of energy in each store. Millar (2014) reminds us that in any transfer, some energy almost inevitably ends up in a heat store of energy, even when this is not the aim. Identifying transfers of energy into the heat store will support understanding of the idea of conservation of energy.

Energy transfers can be represented with box and arrow diagrams that clearly show the different energy stores and the ways in which the energy is transferred (these energy diagrams are also used in the second progression toolkit for this key concept).

A summary of the BEST approach to teaching energy can be found on the Best Evidence Science Teaching home page which is on the STEM Learning website (Fairhurst, 2018).

This practical activity gives students the opportunity to practise applying their understanding and to clarify their thinking through discussion. To support this, students should complete the practical circus in pairs or small groups.

Listening to individual groups as they work often highlights any difficulties they might have. These can often be overcome, through a whole class clarification or redirection part way through the activity.

Asking students to report their findings at end of the practical work is a useful check. After a group has fed back, it might be helpful to model an even better answer. You could do this, for example, by asking another group to add to, or clarify, the first observation. Then ask another group to sum up the important part of the observation, and so on.

Differentiation

Using the recording sheets can help some students organise their observations so they can more easily focus on the science. If some students are working with a teaching assistant, then a list of prompt questions for the TA could help to make this activity more purposeful.

Some students may benefit from being challenged to draw a Sankey diagram for each energy transfer.

Equipment

For the class, one or two sets of:

• Wind-up toy
  
• Ball
  
• Toy car
  
• Ramp (x2)
  
• Bar magnet (x2)
  
• Battery powered fan (or similar)
  
• Kettle
  
• 250 cm3 plastic beaker
  
• 0-100 oC thermometer
  
• Set of work-station instruction cards
  

Technician notes

This is the same practical circus as the one used in the response activity: Energy transfer circus in the second progression toolkit for this key concept. The difference is in how the students engage with each practical station.

There are six practical stations that students move between. For large classes it may be helpful to have two of each one. Similar equipment may be substituted to achieve the same learning outcomes.

1. Wind-up toy: a wind-up toy that moves
   
2. Ball rolling down a slope: a wooden ramp and a ball to roll down it (helpful if the ramp has sides), possibly with something at the end to catch the ball
   
3. Pushing magnets together: pair of bar magnets that are fairly strong and with clearly marked north seeking poles
   
4. Battery powered fan: a battery powered fan – or other battery operated device that produces movement
   
5. Pushing a toy car up a slope: a toy car and a wooden ramp – with something at the top to stop the car shooting off
   
6. Hot water cooling: 250 cm3 plastic beaker, thermometer and a kettle. These are best situated near a sink. (Helpful to provide a few spare beakers, so hot water can be left to cool before pouring away)
   

Health and safety

Because students will be moving between each practical station extra care needs to be taken about these relatively low risk activities:

Pushing and pulling objects can make people move in unexpected ways and some students may have a tendency to become boisterous when interacting with equipment in this way.

The practical station with hot water should have a kettle for heating water and a sink. Using a plastic beaker filled half-full means that it is safer to lift and pour out, in comparison to a glass beaker.

Practical work should be carried out in accordance with local health and safety requirements, guidance from manufacturers and suppliers, and guidance available from CLEAPSS.

1. Wind-up toy: elastic store → kinetic store of car + heat store of car + heat store of surroundings
   
2. Ball rolling down a slope: gravitational store → kinetic store of ball + heat store of ball + heat store of surroundings
   
3. Pushing magnets together: chemical store of person pushing → electromagnetic store + heat store of person pushing (heat store of surroundings has been left out because this is negligible – although some students will correctly want to add this on)
   
4. Battery powered fan: chemical energy of the battery → kinetic store of fan + heat store of fan + kinetic store of the air (some students will spot that they can also add in the heat energy of the surroundings, which is to be encouraged)
   
5. Pushing a toy car up a slope: chemical store of the person pushing → gravitational store of car + heat store of car + heat store of surroundings (the end point is when the car stops, so no kinetic store)
   
6. Hot water cooling: heat store of the water → heat store of the surroundings + kinetic store of the air (e.g. convection currents)

Boohan, R. (2014). Making sense of energy. School Science Review, 96(354), 11.

Fairhurst, P. (2018). Teaching Energy. [Online]. Available at: https://www.stem.org.uk/best-evidence-science-teaching.

Institute of Physics. Supporting Physics Teaching (SPT): Energy [Online]. Available at: http://supportingphysicsteaching.net/EnHome.html [Accessed July 2018].

Millar, R. (2011). Energy. In Sang, D. (ed.) Teaching Secondary Physics. London: Hodder Education.

Millar, R. (2014). Teaching about energy: from everyday to scientific understandings. School Science Review, 96(354), 6.

Rogers, B. (2018). The big ideas in physics and how to teach them, 1 edn Abingdon and New York: Routledge.

Tracy, C. (2014). Energy in the new curriculum: an opportunity for change. School Science Review, 96(354), 11.