Energy Lesson 4 Energy Transfers: Making Boats Go

Materials Needed Everyday Energy Student Notebook Energy Family Links Pencil Assignment Book

Lesson Question How can a boat use and transfer energy to accomplish useful tasks?

Reflect and Discuss What is a machine Why do people make them? What are some examples of machines? What do these machines all have in common? Think back to the toys we learned about in lesson 3. Those toys were machines. Why were they machines?

Vocabulary machine

Solar Propeller Observation Think back to the Solar Powered Propeller Solar Powered Propeller We are going to map some of the energy transfers that we observe on the board.

Let’s Read Open your books to Chapter 3 We will read about these concepts together.

Session 2

Review the Question How can a boat use and transfer energy to accomplish useful tasks?

Directions Today we will prepare to make boats that use different kinds of energy. I will give your groups directions and materials. You will work as a group to make your boat. Next class period will be the cast off date.

Boat-building Guidelines Follow the directions. Test boats to make sure they float. Describe on science notebook page 14 any changes you needed to make to your boat. Describe on science notebook page 15 the energy transfers that propel your boat forward. Save your boats for the next class period.

Session 3

Review the Question How can a boat use and transfer energy to accomplish useful tasks?

Cast Off Day! One at a time each group will put their boats in the water and cast them off. Everyone will observe all the groups and how their boats did.

Reflect and Discuss How are these boats different from each other? What do all these boats have in common? Are the boats you built machines? Why or why not? What other energy transfers could have been used to power the boats? What are the limits of the boat designs? How are real boats powered? How are other forms of transportation powered? What forms of energy are transferred in the process?

Homework Family Link From Lesson 4 Due for next class.