Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
Exploring Thermometers
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NGSS Science Standard:
3-ESS2-1
Represent data in tables and
graphical displays to describe
typical weather conditions
expected during a particular
season.
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Lesson
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Student Learning Objectives:
Student will be able to read and interpret the temperature on a thermometer. Students will measure temperature in Fahrenheit and Celsius. Students will explain why temperature may be different at two
locations near each other.
Disciplinary Core Idea:
ESS2.D: Weather and Climate
Scientists record patterns of the
weather across different times
and areas so that they can make
predictions about what kind
of weather might happen next.
(3‑ESS2‑1)
Crosscutting Concepts:
Patterns: Patterns of change can
be used to make predictions. (3ESS2-2)
MISCONCEPTION: Test Form 881, Question #6: Jane and Katherine have identical thermometers next door to each other. Katherine’s thermometer usually registers a higher temperature than
Jane’s. What would mostly likely explain this difference?
Possible Preconceptions/Misconceptions:
● Thermometers located in different places that are near
each other will read the exact same temperature.
● Temperature is a property of a particular material or object.
(For example, students may believe that metal is naturally
cooler than plastic.)
BRIEF LESSON DESCRIPTION:
Concept statement - Temperature varies and can be measured. Temperature is a measure of
how hot or cold (lacking in heat) something is (thermal energy). Temperature is measured in degrees using a thermometer. The liquid is trapped in a thermometer, and when temperature increases or decreases the liquid in the thermometer expands or contracts. The level of the liquid in the
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
thermometer indicates the temperature around it’s bulb (The little red ball at the bottom of the
thermometer). Temperature on a given day or in different locations may vary due to the conditions
(variables such as seasons or shade) on that day or location. Air temperature can be measured
using the Fahrenheit or Celsius scales.
Vocabulary
Tier 2:
● increase- to become larger or greater in size, amount, number, etc.
● decrease- to become smaller in size, amount, number, etc.
● direct- to point in a particular way, with nothing in between
● indirect- not directly aimed or pointed at someone or something
● degree- a unit for measuring temperature
Tier 3: ● temperature- how warm or cold something is
● cold (cool)- having a relatively low temperature
● thermometer- A weather instrument used to measure temperature.
● hot (warm)- having a relatively high temperature
● boiling point- the temperature at which pure water boils and turns to vapor (212°F (100°C))
● freezing point- the temperature at which a pure water freezes (32°F, 0°C.)
● expand- To get larger or increase in volume
● contract- To get smaller or decrease in volume
Background Information:
Temperature tells how hot or cold (devoid of heat) something is. The temperature of the air can be
measured with a thermometer. It is measured in degrees Celsius or Fahrenheit. Weather occurs
every day everywhere and is the condition of the atmosphere (air) at a given time. Many factors
contribute to weather such as temperature (how hot or cold), wet or dry, calm or stormy, or clear or
cloudy it is. Depending on the time of year or seasons and where you are, you may see different
weather conditions. Weather changes over time and its various aspects can be measured including
temperature, air pressure, wind speed etc... Meteorologists are scientists who study the weather.
Just like a meteorologist, you can collect data, use tools to measure temperature and weather conditions and make predictions about temperature and weather. STEM Earth Systems Lesson 1 Page 2
Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
Materials
Per class:
● Large demonstration thermometer (1)
● Bowl of warm water
● Bowl of room temperature water
● Bowl of ice water
● Lamp (with a filament bulb, IE. Not compact fluorescent or LED)
Per group:
● Students thermometers
Per student:
● Temperature recording and analysis data sheet
Engage (7-10 minutes):
•
Place a thermometer in a bag where students can’t see it.
•
Pull it out and ask the students if they know what it is. Ask them to describe what they see on the thermometer (Students may notice the red liquid, the glass housing, the white plastic, temperature scales) Ask them what they think the different parts are used for or what their purpose might be.
•Ask them where they have seen a thermometer before? (Activate/build on prior knowledge) Ask them probing question such as why do you think there was a thermometer there? What was the thermometer doing there? (Potentially address misconceptions of what thermometers do)
•Ask students to explain what else they know about thermometers? Some potential questions to ask that have not been addressed in prior steps are: What is it? How is it used? How is it made? Who uses it?
This activity activates prior knowledge and builds background knowledge. This strategy should help
learners connect and make more sense of objects and provides an opportunity for more student
talk. If the students just respond with descriptors for example by saying “it tells you if something is
hot or cold”, tell them they are correct but probe the students to see if you can get them to tell you
that hot and cold relate to temperature, and why it is important to know temperature (In an oven,
fridge, outside). Record students’ answers on a chart. Show a large classroom thermometer if one is
available.
Say: “Temperature is measured using a thermometer. There are different scales and standards
for measuring temperature including Celsius, Fahrenheit.” On a chart or on the board, write “A
thermometer is an instrument used to measure temperature.” Ask the students to think about how
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
a thermometer measures temperature, what changes in the thermometer to indicate that temperature
is changing. Direct them to share their thinking with a partner. Have students share out their thoughts
with the class.
Say: “Look at the thermometer. What do you see? How do you think you use the thermometer?” Tell
students to talk to their table partners.
If it is helpful for your students, give them sentence frames to help guide their inquiry process (located
at end of lesson plan.
Explore/Lesson Procedures (30 minutes)
Inquiry questions:
•
•
•
What happens to the liquid in the thermometer in different conditions?
What is the temperature in different conditions of liquids and in the air?
How closely can you predict temperature changes?
Preparation:
Set up stations for the students to explore with thermometers. (A bowl of ice at one station, very
warm water at another station, and a bowl of room temperature water in one bowl. Divide the class
into groups of 4-5 students), (Number of bowls and group size varies according to class size.). This
activity has 2 parts, the first part students examine the temperatures of liquids and air indoors, they
then predict and measure the temperature outside.
Part A:
1.
2.
3.
Discuss the proper handling of the thermometers. Caution students to hold the thermometer so they do not touch the glass bulb or tube. If they touch the tube it will read their body temperature.
Give each student a small child’s thermometer. Let the students look at their thermometers and discuss what they see on the thermometers. Have students identify the measurements on either side of the thermometer as either Fahrenheit or Celsius.
Explain to students how to read the thermometer. Say something like “When we read a thermometer we must ensure that it is in a vertical position. At the bottom of the thermometer, you will notice it is shaped like a bulb.”
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
4.
Hold up the small thermometer and ask for a volunteer to identify the bulb. Say something like “Do you see the dashes on the stem of the thermometer? The dashes represent degrees. Each dash usually represents 2 increments or 2 degrees.”
5.
Start a list of vocabulary words on butcher paper. Point out to the students that on the thermometer water freezes, or turns to a solid, at 32 degrees F, or 0 degrees C, and that water boils at 212 degrees F or 100 degrees C.
6.
Instruct the students to record temperatures with their thermometers and observe their thermometers as they rotate from station to station. They should record the temperature by coloring in the thermometer in their worksheet and writing the temperature down.
Also, remind the students to observe using their eyes.
7.
(Enrichment/Math cross-cutting or if time allows) Ask students to determine the difference in temperature between the ice water and the room temperature water, what do they find? Is that difference a lot? What is the difference in temperature between the cold water and warm water? Is that a lot?
Stations: ice, room temperature water, warm water, next to a projector, under a lamp, in a drawer, and
by a window. (You may add additional station where the temperature would vary.)
Station 1: Explore with the thermometers and bowls of ice.
Station 2: Explore with the thermometers and bowls of room temperature water.
Station 3: Explore with the thermometers and bowls of very warm water.
Station 4: Explore with the thermometers in a drawer.
Station 5: Explore with the thermometers by a window.
Station 6: Explore with the thermometers under a lamp.
Station 7: Explore with the thermometers on a surface next to a running projector.
As the students explore each station you can move between groups and address individual student
needs and group student needs, as well as probe and challenge student thinking. You can determine
how to best rotate students from each station, but about 2 minutes at each station should give students
enough time to measure and record temperatures. It works best if a group moves from a “cold” station
to a “warm” station or vice versa. Part B:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Let students know that they will now be going outside (weather permitting) and recording temperature in the shade and in direct sunlight.
Ask students to predict if it will be warmer in the shade or in direct sunlight and note it in their worksheet?
Ask students to predict what they think the temperature difference might be between the shaded and unshaded areas.
Take students outside and give them 2 minutes to observe and record the temperature in a shaded area, and then in a sunny area.
Bring students back to the class and collect thermometers.
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
Part C:
Ask students to share their observations. What changed on the thermometers? What temperatures
did they read? What caused temperature to increase? What caused temperature to decrease? Chart
student observations on the board or project them.
Ask: “Why did the thermometer change?” Students should write their findings/discoveries/claims in
their science notebooks.
Ask students to share out some of their findings, probe their thinking and how they arrived at their
conclusions. Were their predictions about the temperature outside correct? See if the students can
explain what these changes mean: for example, the red liquid or temperature decreases when the
temperature gets colder, and the red liquid moves up or temperature increases when the temperature
gets warmer or hotter. Record observations/evidence on class chart.
Use this opportunity to teach or review vocabulary. For example, if a student says, “The red liquid
went up,” the teacher might say, “Why did the red liquid go up?” and then the student might say, “The
temperature increased.”
Explain to students that the red liquid in the thermometer is trapped in the glass, and explain that
when the temperature increases, the liquid expands, and when it decreases, the liquid contracts.
• Have students use this sentence frame with a neighbor: “When the temperature ________ (increases), the red liquid _________(expands).”
• Have students use this sentence frame with a neighbor: “When the temperature__________ (decreases), the red liquid will _________ (contract).”
Teacher shows large class thermometer. Say: You have made some excellent observations about
thermometers, and measured some different temperatures. Now we are going to learn a little more
about how to read and interpret a thermometer. There are two main temperature scales: Celsius and
Fahrenheit.
(Background Knowledge :)
●
Celsius - The most common temperature scale in the world is Celsius. Celsius uses the unit “degrees” and is abbreviated as °C. The scale sets the freezing point of water at 0 °C and the boiling point of water at 100 °C.
●
Fahrenheit - The temperature scale most common in the United States is the Fahrenheit scale. Fahrenheit sets the freezing point of water at 32 °F and the boiling point at 212 °F.
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
Evaluate:
Add degree to the vocabulary chart using the “Mapping Words or Four Square” strategy.
Example of the Four Square/Mapping Words strategy”
Say: “Let’s practice.” Teacher use large classroom thermometer to display several different
temperatures and have students share out the temperatures by degree (F.)
Have students reflect on what they learned about thermometers today. What are they? What do they
measure? What do we use them for? What do they predict the temperature will be tomorrow? Why?
ELL Modification:
Students will need much practice to pronounce “thermometer”. Write it on the board and underline
or divide the syllables and mark the stressed syllable. Let the students count the number of syllables
on their fingers and rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
What’s the temperature worksheet:
What station was the coldest?_______________________________
What station was the warmest?_____________________________
Between what 2 stations is the biggest difference in termperature?______________________
How big of a difference is it? (Biggest temperature – Smallest temperature)
__________-__________=_______
Are you surprised by that?
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Earth Systems Grade 3 Direct & Indirect Light - STEM Lessons
Now let’s outside:
What do you predict the temperature in the shade will be? _________ °C
What do you predict the temperature in the sun will be? _________°C
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