Science Fenns K-5Grades K to 5
A girl with a magnifying glass and a clipboard in a kitchen looking at a toaster, a lamp, a radio and a pot.

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Energy Detective

Find the energy in a room, a yard, a kitchen.

Lesson 22 of 41

Try this first

Before we start

Today’s story

Energy Detective

Ava is the detective today. She walks through the kitchen with a clipboard. A lamp gives light. A radio plays a song. A toaster gets hot.

She finds a fan that spins. It has motion. Some things have more than one kind. A toaster makes heat and a little light.

Her job is to name the energy and how she knows. The steps show how to be an energy detective.

See it

Five steps. Every time.

    Hands on

    Energy detective

    30 minutes · Do this with a grown-up nearby

    You need

    • Clipboard or paper
    • Pencil
    • Flashlight
    • A room at home or school
    • A partner

    Do this

    1. Walk through your room slowly.
    2. List six things that use or show energy.
    3. Beside each, write the kind of energy.
    4. Write how you know.
    5. Compare lists with a partner.
    6. Find something with two kinds.
    7. Share your best find.
    Write or draw: A table with the object, the energy and the evidence.

    Watch for: Notice things that look still but may have hidden energy, like a warm fridge motor.

    Safety: Do not touch hot or plugged-in things. Ask an adult before touching a machine.

    Same every time

    Three rules

    Rule 1Name the energy.

    Use the right word.

    Rule 2Give your evidence.

    Say what you saw, heard or felt.

    Rule 3Some things have more than one.

    A fan moves and makes sound.

    Grandpa Fenn’s notebook

    Say it like a scientist

    energy
    The power that lets things move, glow, sound or get hot.
    evidence
    What you saw, heard or felt that tells you something.
    thermal energy
    The energy of heat.

    Poppy’s quiz

    Six questions

    Tap an answer. Green means right. You will see why.

    Talk about it

    Say it out loud

    • What energy did you find? How do you know it was that kind?
    • What energy do you use on the farm, in the car or in the kitchen?
    Did you know

    A refrigerator makes your food cool, yet its back gets warm.

    Someone who does this

    An electrician checks energy in buildings so people stay safe.

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