Texas TEKS 7.8.B

Science7th GradeForce, motion, and energy

The Standard

investigate how thermal energy moves in a predictable pattern from warmer to cooler until all substances within the system reach thermal equilibrium

Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills for Science

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students measure and compare temperatures as objects interact. They use evidence to show that net thermal energy transfer goes from the warmer object to the cooler object until their temperatures match.
What Mastery Looks Like: Given two starting temperatures, students can draw the correct direction of net energy transfer. They can interpret temperature data and identify when the system has reached thermal equilibrium.
Common Misconceptions: Students may think cold moves into a warmer object or that temperature and thermal energy are the same thing. They may also assume the final temperature is always the simple average, regardless of mass or material.
How to Assess It: Give students diagrams of metal blocks at 80°C and 20°C. Ask them to draw the energy transfer arrow and describe when transfer stops.

Lesson moves

Place a sealed bag of warm water in a beaker of cool water, then graph both temperatures every minute.
Write a claim answering, “Does cold enter an object?” Support the claim with evidence from temperature data.
Play a card-sort relay matching pairs of objects with the correct energy transfer arrow and equilibrium outcome.
Explain why a metal spoon left in hot soup becomes warm from the submerged end toward the handle.

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