Science.5.8.A

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The student is expected to investigate and describe the transformation of energy in systems such as energy in a flashlight battery that changes from chemical energy to electrical energy to light energy;
1666 TEKS header image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that energy is everywhere and can be observed in cycles, patterns, and systems.

a phenomenon where energy is contained in the bonds of chemical compounds and can be released or stored in chemical processes

interval of time during which a sequence of a recurring succession of events or phenomena is completed; a course or series of events or operations that recur regularly and usually lead back to the starting point

energy transmitted by electric currents, caused by the flow of electrons

a measurable quantity that describes how much change can occur within a system

a phenomenon of energy that involves electric and magnetic fields; can be given off or absorbed by objects  

regular sequences that can be found throughout nature

a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole

Research

Wise, Kevin, and Monica Haake. “Coffee Can Speakers: Amazing Energy Transformers.” Science and Children 44, no. 7 (March 2007):36–40. https://www.proquest.com/docview/236910180?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals.

Summary:  Many students understand that some electronics, like cell phones, use electrical energy to make sound but do not understand how the process works. Students in this article create coffee can speakers to show how electrical energy can be turned into sound energy. This activity requires various supplies, such as radios, magnets, coffee cans, and cables. Students should also have journals to record new vocabulary words, make observations, and draw illustrations of their process. It is important for teachers to create a coffee can speaker before having students create them. The class discussed the best sound devices and began creating their speakers in small groups. Students attach the coffee cans to their speakers and hear the sound coming through the can. Students can feel the vibrations made from the sound. After completing the activity, the class discussed why this worked and traced the energy flow through the system.