Insulators and Conductors of Heat

Have students name what is moving the energy in each example before they write the word. On the graph sheet, use a different pencil color for each cup, then write the cup's name at the end of its line.

Graph how water cools in foam, paper, glass and metal cups, then pick the best insulator from the data. The directions on the page read: Read the text and the table. Make a line graph with one line for each cup, and write the cup's name at the end of its line. Then answer the questions on page 2. An answer key is included.

Yes, both. We made it for 6th Grade energy, and the page works the same whether it lands on a kitchen table or a center rotation. At home, most families go through it together and talk the answers out loud, and that talking is where most of the learning happens with heat transfer. In class it runs well as independent work while you pull a small group. Print one copy or thirty, whichever the day needs.

Conduction moves thermal energy by direct contact and works best in solids. Convection moves thermal energy through the movement of a liquid or a gas, as warm parts rise and cooler parts sink.

An insulator is a material that slows the transfer of thermal energy. A conductor lets thermal energy move through it quickly.

The foam cup. In the table on Insulators and Conductors of Heat, its water cools from 80 °C to 67 °C in 20 minutes, less than the paper, glass or metal cups.