Eighth+Grade+-+Forces,+Motion+&+Energy+Discussions

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Physics Games: []



The attachment above is something I have created to summarize for students the forms of energy that can be understood by middle schoolers. When I researched "forms of energy" years ago, I found that there are many ways to skin the cat. What is shown in the attachment is the compromise that I use. The good news is that--with enough in-class experiences--students can understand this stuff! Even though such treatment of energy forms/transformations has not been an "official" part of the middle school curriculum, I find that it makes many other subjects more comprehensible to students. I use this attachment as an overhead transparency and as a handout for students to use as a reference page (kind of like the Periodic Table, only it's mainly about energy instead of matter). (Byrnes at Hiatt)



The attachment above is a worksheet that I made using ClipArt.com, which is free to DMPS teachers through Heartland AEA 11. If you haven't been to ClipArt.com yet, you are in for a treat. Using the "Forms of energy table" (see the post above), students write into each box all of the forms of energy they feel are represented in the picture. These are not "grade-able" per se, but make for great in-class discussions of what students "see" once they have learned about forms of energy. (Byrnes at Hiatt)



The attachment above is an article that elaborates on the "Forms of energy table" that is two posts above this one. (Byrnes at Hiatt)



The attachment above is a worksheet about how one form of energy can transform into another. (Byrnes at Hiatt)