Heat and Temperature: a full term of science

Ten ready-to-teach lessons for Year 3 Physical sciences. Print this pack and the term is prepared: every lesson comes with a step-by-step plan, the questions to ask, student worksheets, cut-out cards, an assessment kit and every answer.

Start here: five minutes to Monday

1. Skim the term at a glance on the next page.
2. Print the lesson you need. Each lesson is three A4 sheets: plan, worksheet, cards or tickets.
3. Gather the few everyday items under “You need” on the plan. Nothing needs a science cupboard.
4. Open the free interactive unit on your board or projector. Every plan tells you which picture to show and when.
5. Teach straight from the plan. Timings, talk prompts, misconceptions and answers are all on the one page.

No science background needed

This pack is written for the busy generalist teacher. Each plan explains the science idea in plain words, lists the misconceptions children bring, and gives model answers, so you can walk in and teach it even if physics was never your subject.

Two ways to run each lesson

Every lesson works as one 60-minute block, or as two 30-minute sessions. The split point is marked in every plan. Ten lessons fill a weekly science slot for a whole term, or up to twenty shorter sessions if your timetable runs small blocks.

Safety in one look

No open flames, hotplates, boiling water or unsupervised kettles in this pack. Heat means warm water poured by an adult, a sunny windowsill, rubbing hands, or a warm sealed bottle. Cold means a fridge, ice brick or ice cube on a tray. Children never heat things themselves.

The term at a glance

One lesson a week for a term. Each lesson stands on the ones before it, so run them in order where you can.

How the sequence builds

Lessons 1 to 3 name heat sources and temperature: where heat comes from, how a thermometer reads hot and cold, and what happens when we add or take heat away. Lessons 4 to 6 show that heat moves from hot to cold and that two things keep sharing heat until they meet in the middle. Lessons 7 to 9 put the idea into measuring, a fair test, and people’s work. Lesson 10 is the making task and final check.

Curriculum links (Australian Curriculum V9)

The whole term teaches the Science Understanding descriptor AC9S3U03 quoted on the cover. The lessons also work these Science Inquiry and Human Endeavour descriptors:

Assessment in this pack

• Every plan ends with “Answers and look-fors”: what meeting the idea sounds like in a Year 3 voice.
• The assessment sheet near the front has a class observation checklist and a three-level rubric.
• Lesson 10 is the summative pair: a model-and-explain task plus the “Show what we know” check sheet.

Materials for the whole term

One gathering session covers all ten lessons. Everything on this page is an everyday item; nothing needs a science cupboard. Heat is always warm water, sun or hands, never open flame.

The one-trip list

• From the classroom: trays, paper towels, a clock or timer, markers, scissors, a sealed mug.
• From the staffroom: warm water poured by an adult, fridge or ice bricks, ice cubes.
• From home donations: empty clean drink bottles with lids, optional spare ice-cube trays.
• Optional look-only: a classroom wall thermometer (children read from a safe distance).

Safety in one look

• No open flames, hotplates, candles or boiling water.
• Adult pours warm water; children do not handle kettles.
• “Warm” means comfortable to touch for a few seconds, never scalding.
• Ice cubes stay on trays; wipe spills so floors stay safe.
• Nothing goes in mouths unless it is a planned food taste you have cleared with families.
• Food allergy check before any soup or drink stations.

Assessment without extra work

The term assesses itself. Every lesson plan ends with answers and look-fors, and Lesson 10 is the summative pair: the model-and-explain task plus the check sheet. This sheet is the place to jot down what you notice along the way.

The three levels

Class observation checklist

A tick a lesson is plenty; the Lesson 10 check sheet fills the gaps.

Word wall cards

Cut out the cards and build the wall as the words arrive. Lesson 1 starts the wall with heat and heat source; add temperature, thermometer and transfer as the lessons land.

Dear families

This term in science, Year 3 investigates heat and temperature. We name everyday sources of heat energy, learn that temperature is a number that tells how hot something is, and examine how heat moves from a hotter object to a cooler one.

Every investigation points to one big idea: heat energy comes from sources, and when heat is transferred the temperature changes. Your child will practise saying this in their own words all term, and will use simple thermometers and fair tests to check their ideas.

Try this at home

• Feel a sunny windowsill and a shady corner. Ask: where is the heat source?
• Rub hands together for ten seconds. Ask: what made your hands warmer?
• Look at a fridge thermometer or weather app number. Ask: is that hot or cold for us?
• Hold a warm (not hot) mug carefully. Ask: which way is the heat moving?

What to ask your scientist

• Where does that heat come from?
• What does the thermometer number tell us?
• Which way does heat move when hot and cold things touch?
• What happens when two things reach the same temperature?

A small safety note: at school we never use open flames or boiling water. Heat means warm water, sun or hands. At home, an adult handles anything hot.

Warm regards,

The Year 3 team

Printed from the free seegongsik Heat and Temperature teaching pack · seegongsik.com/au/y3/physical/AC9S3U03/pack

Where does heat come from?

Children name everyday sources of heat energy. Before the class can talk about temperature or heat moving, they need a clear picture of things that give off heat. This lesson opens the term with the first board picture and a sorting talk.

We are learning to

• name things that give off heat energy (heat sources),
• say how a source gives off heat in plain words,
• sort cards into heat source / not a heat source.

Success criteria

• I can name two sources of heat energy.
• I can say how one source gives off heat.

You need

• the source cards (third sheet), one set per table, cut out ahead or by fast finishers,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• optional photos: Sun, campfire, stove (look-only, not real flame).

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions instead? End Session A after Source hunt. Start Session B by tapping the four board buttons again, then go on to Draw and tell.

Watch for these ideas

• “Only fire is heat.” The Sun and rubbing hands also give off heat without a classroom flame.
• “Cold things give heat too.” Ice is not a heat source; it has less heat energy than warm things.
• “Light and heat are the same.” A campfire makes both, but today we only name heat energy.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: sort only Sun, campfire, ice, shadow with the whole class first.
• Bigger: hunt the room (look only) for two more heat sources and add them to the worksheet.

Answers and look-fors

• Heat sources on the list: Sun, campfire, stove, rubbing hands, warm car in the sun, hair dryer (adult). Not sources: ice, shadow, a cold metal spoon.
• Meeting the idea sounds like “a heat source gives off heat energy”.
• Drawings show a clear source; the sentence names how it warms something nearby.

Heat source check

Is each thing a source of heat energy? Circle yes or no. Then draw one heat source and finish the sentence.

Heat source or not?

Cut out the cards. Sort them into two piles: heat source / not a heat source.

Teacher note: keep talk about stoves and fires look-only. No real flames in the classroom.

A thermometer reads the temperature

Children learn that temperature is a number that tells how hot or cold something is, and that a thermometer is the tool we use to measure it. The board picture links a rising column to a rising reading.

We are learning to

• say that temperature tells how hot something is,
• read a simple thermometer scale and say the number,
• use words like cold, warm, hot with the number on the scale.

Success criteria

• I can say what a thermometer measures.
• I can read a simple temperature number and say if it is cold, warm or hot.

You need

• the interactive unit open on the thermometer picture,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• paper thermometer strips (third sheet), one per child,
• optional classroom wall thermometer for look-only comparison.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Running two half-sessions? End Session A after On the board. Start Session B with one Add heat press, then paper thermometer work.

Watch for these ideas

• “Thermometers measure time.” Clocks measure time; thermometers measure temperature.
• “A bigger number always means more of something good.” Here a bigger number only means warmer.
• “Zero means no temperature.” Zero degrees still has a temperature; it is a cold number on our scale.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: only two readings (cold 10, hot 80) and colour together as a class.
• Bigger: estimate the room temperature, then check a wall thermometer if you have one.

Answers and look-fors

• Meeting the idea: “A thermometer measures temperature, how hot or cold something is.”
• Around 0 to 10: cold; around 20 to 35: warm; around 60 and up: hot (classroom talk, not precise science lab).
• Children link Add heat to a rising reading on the board picture.

Read the temperature

Answer each question. Use cold, warm or hot with the number.

My paper thermometer

Cut out the strip. Colour the column up to the mark your teacher calls. Write the number next to the top of the colour.

Teacher note: call three readings such as 10, 40 and 80. Children colour only up to each mark in turn, or use three strips.

Add heat, take heat away

Children connect adding heat energy to a rising temperature reading, and removing heat to a falling reading. The thermometer picture from Lesson 2 becomes the proof tool.

We are learning to

• say that adding heat makes the temperature go up,
• say that taking heat away makes the temperature go down,
• predict what happens to a reading in a simple story.

Success criteria

• I can say what happens to the thermometer when we add heat.
• I can say what happens when we take heat away.

You need

• interactive unit open on the thermometer picture,
• the worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• exit tickets (third sheet), cut out ahead.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: end Session A after Board practice. Session B starts with one Add heat and one Take heat away demo, then the story table.

Watch for these ideas

• “Taking heat away adds cold.” Prefer: heat energy leaves the object, so it cools.
• “Temperature and heat are the same word.” Heat is the energy; temperature is the reading.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: only two stories, whole-class chorus of “up” or “down”.
• Bigger: invent one new story about a fridge or a sunny car and predict the reading.

Answers and look-fors

• Add heat / sunny ice: reading up. Take heat away / fridge: reading down.
• Meeting the idea: “Add heat and temperature goes up; take heat away and it goes down.”

Up or down?

For each story, does the temperature reading go up or down? Circle your answer. Draw a small arrow.

Exit tickets

Cut out. One ticket per child at the end of the lesson.

Look-for: both sentences name up/down (or rises/falls) correctly.

Heat moves from hot to cold

Children learn the one-way rule: when a hot object touches a cooler object, heat energy travels from the hotter one to the cooler one, never the other way around.

We are learning to

• say that heat moves from hot to cold,
• draw an arrow to show which way heat travels,
• use the rule on new pairs of objects.

Success criteria

• I can point which way heat moves when hot and cold things touch.
• I can explain why cold hands get warmer on a warm cup.

You need

• interactive unit open on Heat moves from hot to cold,
• optional teacher demo: warm sealed bottle and cool spoon (adult only),
• worksheet and pair cards from this pack.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after On the board. Session B starts with Hold the cup once more, then arrows.

Watch for these ideas

• “Cold moves into the cup.” Prefer: heat leaves the cup; cold is less heat, not a thing that flows.
• “Heat goes both ways at once.” Net heat flow is hot to cold until temperatures match (Lesson 6).

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: only the cup-and-hands pair, arrow drawn together on the board.
• Bigger: invent a kitchen pair and explain the arrow to another table.

Answers and look-fors

• Every arrow points from the hotter object to the cooler one.
• Ice pack to sore knee: heat moves from the warmer knee into the colder pack (knee cools).
• Meeting the idea: “Heat moves from hot to cold.”

Draw the heat arrow

For each pair, draw an arrow to show which way heat moves. The first object is listed first.

Hot and cold pairs

Cut out. Hold up a pair. Point which way heat moves. Say the rule.

Ice pack card: heat still moves hot to cold -- from the warmer body into the colder pack.

Warm hands from a warm cup

Children feel (safely) that a warm cup warms cooler hands, and they record the change with words and drawings. This is Lesson 4’s rule in the hands, still with no flames.

We are learning to

• feel and describe hands getting warmer from a warm cup,
• link the feeling to heat moving from hot to cold,
• draw before and after for hands and cup.

Success criteria

• I can say why my hands felt warmer on the cup.
• I can draw the heat arrow from cup to hands.

You need

• warm (not hot) water poured by an adult into mugs or sealed bottles, one per pair or small group,
• paper towels, trays,
• interactive unit open on Heat moves from hot to cold,
• worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• reflection tickets (third sheet).

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after Board link. Session B is the feel-and-record half. Skip real cups if your site rules prefer board-only; use the picture as the demo.

Watch for these ideas

• “The cup made cold go away.” Prefer: heat moved into the hands.
• “My hands heated the cup.” Net flow is still from warmer cup to cooler hands while the cup is warmer.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: teacher-only demo cup; class watches and draws.
• Bigger: compare holding the cup for 5 seconds vs 20 seconds and describe the difference.

Answers and look-fors

• Drawings show hands warmer after holding; arrow from cup to hands.
• Sentence uses heat and from...to... in a Year 3 voice.

Cup and hands

Draw what you noticed. Then finish the science sentences.

Reflection tickets

Expected: from the warm cup to my hands; because my hands felt warmer / the rule says hot to cold.

They meet in the middle

Children watch a hot block and a cold block share heat until both reach the same temperature. Heat does not move forever; once the readings match, the sharing stops.

We are learning to

• say that a hot thing cools and a cold thing warms when they touch,
• say they keep sharing heat until both are the same temperature,
• read a simple story of numbers moving toward each other.

Success criteria

• I can say what happens to the hot block and the cold block over time.
• I can say when heat stops moving between them.

You need

• interactive unit open on They meet in the middle,
• worksheet and sequence cards from this pack,
• optional teacher demo: two sealed bags (warm water / cool water) held together briefly.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after On the board. Session B is the table and explain half.

Watch for these ideas

• “They both go to zero.” They meet at a shared temperature, not always zero.
• “Heat disappears.” Prefer: heat is shared until both have the same temperature.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: only start and end rows; teacher fills the middle together.
• Bigger: invent new start numbers and predict the meeting idea (same temperature, not a precise calc).

Answers and look-fors

• Board story: hot starts near 80, cold near 20, they meet at 50.
• Meeting the idea: “They share heat until both are the same temperature, then heat stops moving.”

Hot block, cold block

Use the board picture. Fill in what happens over time.

Order the story

Cut out. Put the four cards in order from start to end.

Correct order is the printed order (1-2-3-4). Shuffle before children sort.

Measure and compare

Children use a cold-to-hot scale to compare everyday things. Measuring gives a fair number so we can say which is warmer without only guessing by touch.

We are learning to

• read simple temperatures for everyday things,
• compare two readings and say which is warmer,
• say why measuring is fairer than only feeling.

Success criteria

• I can say which of two things is warmer using numbers.
• I can put four things in order from cold to hot.

You need

• interactive unit open on Measure and compare,
• optional safe samples: ice cube, cold drink from fridge, sealed warm (not hot) water,
• worksheet and thing cards from this pack.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after On the board. Session B is order table and sentences.

Watch for these ideas

• “My hand feels hotter than soup.” Hands can trick us; the measured number is the fair compare.
• “Soup is always 65.” The board number is a teaching example, not every bowl in the world.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: only ice and warm soup, whole-class order.
• Bigger: estimate room temperature, then check a wall thermometer if available.

Answers and look-fors

• Order cold to hot: ice 0, cold drink 8, hand 30, warm soup 65 (board examples).
• Meeting the idea: bigger thermometer number means warmer; measuring helps us compare fairly.

Cold to hot

Use the board readings. Fill the table. Then order the things.

Sort cold to hot

Cut out. Put the cards in order from coldest to hottest. Check with the board numbers.

Teacher note: numbers match the interactive unit examples for this lesson.

Which ice cube lasts longest?

Children plan a fair test: matching ice cubes sit in three safe places. The place that sends the least heat keeps ice longest. Only one thing changes (the place); the rest stays the same.

We are learning to

• plan a fair test with one thing changed and the rest kept the same,
• predict, observe and compare which ice lasts longest,
• link longer-lasting ice to less heat reaching it.

Success criteria

• I can say what we kept the same and what we changed.
• I can use our results to say where ice lasted longest and why.

You need

• identical ice cubes (same tray batch), three same-size dishes,
• three safe places: room desk, sunny sill, near fridge door or on an ice brick,
• a clock or timer, paper towels,
• worksheet and exit tickets from this pack,
• optional board link to heat sources / thermometer pictures.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after Predict. Session B is the test half (start ice at the start of Session B).

Watch for these ideas

• “The fridge makes cold that freezes the air.” Prefer: the fridge place has less heat reaching the ice.
• “Sunny ice melts because light is wet.” Prefer: more heat reaches the ice on the sill.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: two places only (desk vs sill).
• Bigger: add a fourth place (shaded outdoor step) if safe and supervised.

Answers and look-fors

• Typical order: sunny sill melts first; near fridge lasts longest (site weather varies).
• Fair test: same ice size, same start time, same dish; only place changes.
• Meeting the idea: more heat to the ice means faster melting / shorter life.

Ice cube fair test

Predict first. Then record what you observe.

Exit tickets

Look-for: place changed; less heat reached the ice that lasted longest.

People who use heat and temperature

Children match everyday jobs to heat sources, thermometers and heat transfer. Science ideas from the term show up in real work and help people solve problems safely.

We are learning to

• match jobs to heat and temperature in real work,
• say how a thermometer or heat source helps that person,
• use term words: heat, temperature, thermometer, transfer.

Success criteria

• I can name a job that uses temperature and say how.
• I can explain one safety idea about heat in that job.

You need

• job cards from this pack, one set per table,
• worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• word wall cards for a quick review,
• optional interactive unit open for a 2-minute recap of any picture.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after Job card stations. Session B is worksheet and draw.

Watch for these ideas

• “Only scientists use thermometers.” Many jobs measure temperature every day.
• Keep firefighter talk about safety and heat awareness, not scary scenes.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: three jobs only (baker, nurse, weather presenter).
• Bigger: interview a staff member who cooks or uses a fridge thermometer at school.

Answers and look-fors

• Nurse and weather presenter clearly use temperature numbers; baker/chef use heat sources; firefighter links to heat moving and safety.
• Sentences use at least one term word correctly.

Jobs and heat

Pick three jobs. For each one, write how they use heat or temperature.

Job cards

Cut out. Read the job. Talk about heat sources, thermometers and heat moving.

Original classroom text; job descriptions are simplified for Year 3 talk.

Show what we know

The summative lesson, run as a celebration. Children plan a simple model or labelled diagram that teaches one big idea from the term, gallery-walk each other’s work, sit the final check alone, and close with the on-screen quiz as a class game.

We are learning to

• teach one big idea from the term with a model or labelled drawing,
• use the term’s words: heat, heat source, temperature, thermometer, transfer,
• show what we know on our own on the final check.

Success criteria

• I can explain one heat-and-temperature idea clearly to a partner.
• I can show on the check sheet that I know sources, thermometers and heat moving from hot to cold.

You need

• leftover cards from the term, paper, markers,
• the model-plan worksheet (next sheet), one per child,
• the final check sheet (third sheet), one per child,
• the interactive unit open for the closing quiz.

Lesson flow (about 60 minutes)

Split point: after Making time. Session B is gallery walk, check and quiz.

Watch for these ideas

• Models that only say “hot” without a source, transfer or thermometer -- prompt for the term word.
• Check sheet: look for hot-to-cold direction and source naming, not perfect spelling.

Make it easier, make it bigger

• Easier: provide a sentence starter card for each big idea.
• Bigger: record a 20-second verbal explanation to share with families (school policy permitting).

Answers and look-fors

• Check sheet answer key is on the teacher plan side of your mind: sources yes for Sun/fire; thermometer measures temperature; heat cup to hands; blocks meet; add heat reading up.
• Meeting the idea overall: heat comes from sources; temperature is measured; heat transfers from hot to cold until temperatures match.

My teaching model

Circle the big idea you will teach. Plan your model. Then make it.

Show what we know

Work on your own. Circle or write your best answer.

Teacher key: 1 yes. 2 temperature / how hot or cold. 3 from cup to hands. 4 they become the same / meet in the middle. 5 up. 6 arrow hot to cold with labels.