Lesson 1: Laws of Energy and Energy Forms
Duration of Days: 3
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to analyze and model the conservation of energy in physical systems using quantitative and conceptual representations
Students will compare multiple forms of energy and evaluate how energy transfers and transforms across system boundaries
Students will use evidence from models and simulations to explain energy conservation in real-world and engineered systems
How is energy defined as a measurable property of physical systems?
How do different energy forms relate to one another within a system?
What does the Law of Conservation of Energy mean in terms of system inputs and outputs?
How can energy transfer be tracked through multi-step transformations?
Why is energy never destroyed, only transformed or transferred?
How do models and simulations improve our ability to predict energy behavior in systems?
Energy
Kinetic energy
Potential energy
Thermal energy
Chemical energy
Electrical energy
Nuclear energy
Radiant energy
Mechanical energy
Conservation of energy
System
Energy transfer
Energy transformation
Work
System boundary
HS-PS3-1
Create and use computational or conceptual models to quantify and describe energy transfer and transformation within systems
HS-PS3-2
Develop and use models to show that energy is conserved in a closed system and changes form rather than being created or destroyed
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
Energy and Matter
Systems and System Models
Cause and Effect
Scale, Proportion, and Quantity
Stability and Change
Interpret energy flow diagrams to track transformations across system boundaries
Analyze multi-step energy systems (roller coasters, circuits, falling objects)
Apply proportional reasoning to compare energy inputs and outputs
Construct CER explanations supported by modeled or simulated evidence
Students will investigate energy as a conserved quantity that moves through and transforms within physical systems. Using models, simulations, and real-world examples, students will track how energy changes form across multiple stages while maintaining total system energy.
Students will extend beyond identification to analyzing energy pathways and predicting outcomes in unfamiliar systems.
Activities may include:
Analyzing multi-step energy transformation diagrams (roller coasters, pendulums, falling objects)
Modeling energy flow using system boundary diagrams
Using simulations to track real-time energy conversion
Classifying and comparing energy forms across systems
Constructing CER explanations using quantitative or modeled evidence
Purpose: Develop a systems-level understanding of energy conservation and transformation using modeling, reasoning, and data interpretation.
DOK Level: 3–4 (Strategic Thinking to Extended Reasoning)
Energy use in transportation systems, food production, and electrical grids
Efficiency of household appliances and public infrastructure
Global energy production, consumption, and sustainability challenges
Engineering systems designed to optimize energy transfer
Energy is consumed or destroyed during use
Motion is the only form of energy
Heat is not a form of energy transfer
Objects at rest have no energy
Energy disappears when systems stop moving
Scaffolded system boundary diagrams
Multi-level energy flow representations (visual ? symbolic ? quantitative)
Structured CER writing frames
Simulation-based guided investigations
Partner-based system tracing activities
Graphic organizers for energy transformation pathways
- Energy flow diagram analysis with justification
- Quizzes on energy forms and conservation principles
- CER explanations of multi-step energy transformations
- Exit tickets tracking energy through a system
- Simulation-based prediction tasks
- Diagram labeling of energy pathways in systems
- Energy transformation simulation tools (PhET-style or equivalent)
- System boundary diagram worksheets
- Multi-step energy transfer case studies
- Roller coaster, pendulum, and circuit models
- CER graphic organizers
- Visual energy flow charts