Modeling Energy: Stations to Support Fourth-Grade Students' Learning of Energy Concepts

This lesson focuses specifically on teaching concepts of speed and its impact on energy, as well as providing a basic introduction to potential and kinetic energy to fourth-grade students. "Next Generation Science Standards" ("NGSS") 4-PS3-1 states that students should be able "to use evidence to construct an explanation relating the speed of an object to the energy of that object" (NGSS Lead States 2013). This lesson connects to the "NGSS" crosscutting concept energy and matter, which states that the transfer of energy can be tracked as energy flows through a designed or natural system. Energy comes in many forms, including motion, light, sound, electricity, magnetic fields, and heat (thermal energy). In this lesson, the authors chose to focus on motion, or kinetic energy. This lesson starts off with an introduction and discussion to get students thinking about energy. Starting with discussion questions can also help students build from their prior knowledge and connect personal experiences to their learning. Students may present misconceptions where they believe that energy is a magical element that forms from air or electrical currents. It is easy to come up with real-life examples where energy is demonstrated; however, people cannot see energy and students may have a hard time comprehending it.