A Solar Energy Cycle

I chose to put this article in my collection because it teaches sixth-grade students to discover how light converts to heat. I learned about how the Earth gets visible light from the Sun. Wh... See More

I chose to put this article in my collection because it teaches sixth-grade students to discover how light converts to heat. I learned about how the Earth gets visible light from the Sun. When light strikes an object, it can be reflected or absorbed. Absorbed light usually increases the energy in an object, which causes the object to heat up. TEK §112.18. Science, Grade 6, Adopted 2017. (9) Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that the Law of Conservation of Energy states that energy can neither be created nor destroyed, it just changes form. The student is expected to: (A) investigate methods of thermal energy transfer, including conduction, convection, and radiation; (B) verify through investigations that thermal energy moves in a predictable pattern from warmer to cooler until all the substances attain the same temperature such as an ice cube melting; and (C) demonstrate energy transformations such as energy in a flashlight battery changes from chemical energy to electrical energy to light energy. I could use this information in the classroom to teach students about light energy. I agree with the article because its beneficial information on how light converts to heat.

solar energy cycle

I loved this article because it went in depth on how to conduct a successful experiment over the solar energy cycle. It was well organized and I really enjoyed how the author broke down each... See More

I loved this article because it went in depth on how to conduct a successful experiment over the solar energy cycle. It was well organized and I really enjoyed how the author broke down each day for the “we do”, “I do”, and “you do” part of a lesson. Now, even in sixth grade there are still many students that are confused on how energy heat works on Earth. Many students still believe that we receive direct heat from the sun, but with this article a sixth grade teacher will be able to correct her students and might even spark a new interest in solar energy. One great TEK for this article could be 6.2.B. Since the students can expect to implement the experiment, make observations, and ask well defined questions, which is exactly what the author recommends the teacher to expect their students to do. Another great TEK is 6.2.E because students are expected to communicate their conclusions and explanations with data. On day six, students are doing their final conclusion and answering any questions by using the data they collected. Lastly, I completely agree with the idea of allowing each person in each group to have a job, this keeps the work equal and keeps all the students focused everyday of the experiment and during the final stages of the group work.