Grade 3 · Science · Unit 4 of 6
Thermal Energy
Heat on the move
What your child practises
Where heat comes from (the sun, fire, friction, food), how heat moves from warmer things to cooler things, and which materials are conductors or insulators, including reading simple experiment graphs.
BC Curriculum learning standard: Sources of thermal energy; thermal energy transfer; heat conductors and insulators
Sample questions
A taste of this unit. In the app, questions change every time and get easier or harder to match your child.
Question 1
Where do our bodies get the energy to stay warm?
- 🍎from the food we eat
- 🌙from the moon
- 👟from our shoes
Show answer
🍎 from the food we eat
Hint: Food gives our bodies energy. Some of that energy becomes heat that keeps us warm.
Question 2
Why do birds fluff up their feathers when it is cold?
🐦- feathers make heat by themselves
- trapped air keeps their body heat in
- it lets more cold air reach their skin
Show answer
trapped air keeps their body heat in
Hint: Fluffy feathers trap air, and air is a good insulator.
Question 3
Conductor or insulator? Tap an item, then tap its basket.
Sort into: 🥄 conductor (heat moves easily) · 🧤 insulator (slows heat)
- 🍳frying pan
- 🧣wool scarf
- 🥄metal spoon
- 🔑metal key
- 🧥winter coat
- 🧤oven mitt
Show answer
🥄 conductor (heat moves easily): frying pan, metal spoon, metal key · 🧤 insulator (slows heat): wool scarf, winter coat, oven mitt
Hint: Conductors, like metals, let heat move through them easily. Insulators, like wool, wood and foam, slow heat down.
Question 4
Which is a good insulator that keeps you warm?
- 🍽️a metal tray
- 👕a wet T-shirt
- 🧶a wool sweater
Show answer
🧶 a wool sweater
Hint: Wool traps air, which slows heat from leaving your body.
Question 5
Ice cubes were put on three plates. Which plate is the best conductor of heat?
Minutes for an ice cube to melt - foam plate
- metal plate
- plastic plate
Show answer
metal plate
Hint: Heat moved from the room, through the plate, into the ice. The best conductor let heat through fastest, so its ice melted first.
Question 6
Why do many pots have handles made of plastic or wood?
🍲- they are conductors, so heat moves fast
- they make the food cook faster
- they are insulators, so the handle stays cool enough to hold
Show answer
they are insulators, so the handle stays cool enough to hold
Hint: Plastic and wood slow heat down. That keeps your hand safe while the metal pot heats the food.