Melting Rates

This is a good discrepit event to start a conversation on heat energy. Ice cubes are placed on blocks made of different materials (although students aren't aware of that). One ice cube melts at a much faster rate than the other. The block that melted the ice cube faster feels colder than the other. Students are quick to predict/assume that the warmer block would have melted the ice cube faster. This leads to a critical thinking discussion of how heat energy flows and the ability of materials to conduct heat better or worse than others. 

Comments

[Larry]

What a great way to get students engaged in a heat energy lesson! I am a graduate student at the University of South Alabama working on my Alternative Masters in Secondary Education (General Science). I am currently enrolled in EDM 510 and I have chosen your blog to follow, comment, and summarize on my own blog . I believe that it is important as a science teacher to get students excited and engaged by performing quick introductory experiments. I completely agree that this quick demonstration will likely lead to a great class discussion. Thank you for sharing!

[Darren Fix]

Thanks for the kind feedback. It's very much appreciated!