Oklahoma Science PS.PS3.2
The Standard
Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as either motions of particles or energy stored in fields.
Oklahoma Academic Standards for Science (2026)
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students draw models that track energy as an object moves or changes shape. They show energy in moving particles or stored in fields, such as the gravitational field between Earth and a raised ball.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can mark energy stored in the gravitational field at the top of a pendulum’s swing and energy in the moving bob at the bottom. They can explain where that energy goes as the swing slows.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may say energy disappears when a moving object stops. They may treat warmth as a separate kind of energy rather than faster particle motion, or say a raised object stores energy by itself.
How to Assess It
- Ask students to sketch a pendulum at its highest and lowest points. Have them label where energy is stored, what is moving, and where energy goes as the pendulum slows.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Swing a washer on a string, then have students label field energy and particle motion at three points in its path.
Ask students to write two sentences explaining why a pendulum slows, naming the air and the string’s contact point.
Give pairs cards showing a raised ball, moving cart, and stretched rubber band; have them sort by motion, stored field energy, or both.
Show a photo of bicycle brakes and ask students to trace the bike’s motion into faster particle motion in the brake pads.
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Printable PS.PS3.2 Worksheet
A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to PS.PS3.2, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.
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Related Standards
- 7.PS3.2
Develop or modify a model to describe that when objects interacting at a distance change their arrangement, different amounts of potential energy are stored in ...
- PH.PS3.2
Develop and use models to illustrate that energy at the macroscopic scale can be accounted for as either motions of particles or energy stored in fields.
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