Virginia SOL PS.5.b

ScienceGrades 7–8Physical Science

The Standard

energy is transferred and transformed

Virginia Standards of Learning for Science · The student will investigate and understand that energy is conserved. Key ideas include

Teacher's field guide

What Students Need to Do: Students identify energy forms in a system and trace where the energy goes. They distinguish energy changing form from energy moving between objects or places.
What Mastery Looks Like: Students can draw and explain an energy chain for a device or event. They account for less obvious outputs, such as heat and sound, rather than claiming energy disappeared.
Common Misconceptions: Students often say energy is used up, lost, or created by a device. They may confuse an energy source, such as a battery, with an energy form.
How to Assess It: Give students this prompt: “A flashlight battery runs down. Draw and label where the battery’s stored energy goes when the flashlight is on.”

Lesson moves

Build a battery, wire, and bulb circuit, then label the energy forms and where energy moves at each part.
Write an energy chain for a bouncing ball, including what happens to its energy as each bounce gets lower.
Play an energy chain card sort by matching source, transfer pathway, useful output, and unintended output cards for common devices.
Examine a toaster and trace energy from the wall outlet to the bread, heating elements, air, light, and sound.

Free download

A ready-to-print activity worksheet aligned to PS.5.b, with an answer key for the teacher on its own page. No account needed.

PDF, US Letter, prints cleanly in black and white.

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