Lesson 3: Energy Transformations and Conservation in Systems
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
Students will be able to analyze and model energy transformations within complex systems using quantitative and conceptual representations
Students will apply the Law of Conservation of Energy to explain energy flow in open and closed systems
Students will evaluate how energy is redistributed through motion, collisions, and frictional interactions
How does energy transform between multiple forms within a single system?
How do open and closed systems differ in energy exchange with the environment?
What happens to energy during collisions and interactions at the system level?
How can energy flow be tracked and quantified using models?
Why does energy appear to “decrease” in mechanical systems with friction?
How do system boundaries affect our interpretation of energy conservation?
System
Closed system
Open system
Energy transformation
Mechanical energy
Kinetic energy
Potential energy
Thermal energy
Friction
Work
Energy transfer
Energy dissipation
Efficiency
System boundary
HS-PS3-1
Develop and use computational or conceptual models to analyze energy transfer and transformation within systems
HS-PS3-2
Use the principle of conservation of energy to explain how energy changes form within systems while total energy remains constant
NGSS Crosscutting Concepts
Energy and Matter
Systems and System Models
Cause and Effect
Stability and Change
Interpret energy bar charts and system diagrams to track energy transformations
Analyze motion graphs and collision systems to determine energy changes
Evaluate energy flow models to identify transfers between system components
Construct CER explanations supported by modeled or simulated evidence
Students will investigate how energy transforms and moves through systems while remaining conserved overall. Through modeling, simulation, and data analysis, students will track energy changes in mechanical systems and evaluate how friction and interactions redistribute energy into less usable forms.
Students will extend understanding by distinguishing between energy loss from a system and energy transformation within a system.
Activities may include:
Roller coaster energy modeling with system boundary analysis
Collision simulations showing energy redistribution
Energy bar chart construction and interpretation
Friction analysis in motion-based systems
Tracking energy transformations in multi-step systems
CER explanations supported by quantitative or modeled data
Purpose: Strengthen students’ ability to analyze energy conservation across complex systems using models, data interpretation, and systems thinking.
DOK Level: 3–4 (Strategic Thinking to Extended Reasoning)
Transportation systems and vehicle safety design
Sports science and motion efficiency
Amusement park engineering and ride safety
Renewable energy systems and energy loss minimization
Everyday appliances and mechanical efficiency
Energy is destroyed when objects slow down
Friction “uses up” energy rather than transforming it
Objects at rest have no energy
Energy disappears in real-world systems
Open systems violate conservation of energy
Scaffolded energy flow diagrams
Multi-representation system tracking (graphs, charts, models)
Guided simulation investigations
Structured CER writing supports
Partner system analysis tasks
Step-by-step energy transformation mapping
- Energy system diagrams with justification
- Quizzes on conservation and transformation concepts
- CER explanations of system behavior
- Simulation data analysis tasks
- Exit tickets identifying energy changes in systems
- Energy bar chart interpretation and construction
- Energy simulation platforms (collision and motion systems)
- Roller coaster and motion modeling tools
- Energy bar chart worksheets
- System boundary analysis templates
- Graphing tools for energy tracking
- CER writing organizers