Science: Thermal Insulation

1
Science Thermal Insulation
2
Science Thermal Insulation
Key Use the symbols below to quick reference
areas of the unit. ?Activity outline ?Resources ?
Differentiation ?Helpers/ Learning
Support ?Curriculum and Objectives
Resources ? Quick links to lesson resources. ?
Unit Overview Discover how Ice from Norway was
once transported to London without melting,
looking at the thermal insulation of ice but
focussing on science investigation skills
surrounding variables and carrying out a fair
investigation. This unit as a whole should give
students a good simple picture of how to carry
out a complete investigation from the problem
question to using results to present data and
make conclusions.
Curriculum and Objectives ?
Objectives Learn what variables are and some the
different types of them. Plan an investigation
where one variable is changes and the others are
kept the same. Carry out in investigation where
only one variable is changed. Carry out and
investigation with ice, changing only the type of
insulation used Record the results of the
investigation alongside other groups add a bar to
the mega bar chart. Discover the history of ice
transport on the canals and how the Victorians
insulated their ice. Suggest ways to improve the
experiment by using better control variables.
Outcomes
3
Science Thermal Insulation
Lesson 1 - Before Your Trip.

Starters Units and measuring (10 mins) To get
their brains working this settler/ starter gets
students to complete a table showing the units
and measuring equipment needed for each type of
measurement.
Main Activities Mystery Hunters (20 mins) ? Put
the students into groups and give them a mystery
hunters worksheet as a team. Each group has to
come up with a way of finding out the answer to
the question or mystery presented and make a list
of equipment needed and a short explanation of
what they will do. This should be done as quickly
as possible with students then feeding back to
the class ? Resources - Worksheet decode
message Canal Cargo (15 mins) ? Students
complete the worksheet different types of canal
cargo in small groups (2 or 3). They must say
where they think it comes from, what it is used
for and where it might be going to. Teacher then
compares this with an answered version while
students improve their work by adding to it and
correcting it. ? Resources - Worksheet
different types of canal cargo How Long Did it
Take? (20 mins) Some distances are given between
towns and a description of the speed of the
boats. Students try to calculate how long it
takes the boats to travel to and from different
locations. ? This activity is quite advance and
will require a the class to read and think
carefully. To simplify the activity, either add
the working out stages for the students or work
through the exercise in groups or as a whole
class. ? Resources - How long did it take?
answers
4
Science Thermal Insulation
Lesson 1 - Before Your Trip.

Plenaries Changes (5 mins) ? Ask the students
why canals arent used to carry cargo today. Draw
out the idea that they are slow and the long
distances involved cant be covered very fast. New
forms of transport like trains and proper tarmac
roads are faster. ? Students who understand
that the cargo travels a long way and very slowly
will have understood how long canals are and will
be some way to understanding that canals
change. Short Story (5mins) Students plan a
short story by writing brief paragraph plan s.
The story is about a make believe journey on a
narrow boat travelling from London to Birmingham
with a load of cargo.
Homework's Short Story (25mins) Students write a
short story from their brief paragraph plans
which they have already made. The story is about
a make believe journey on a narrow boat
travelling from London to Birmingham with a load
of cargo.
5
Geography Canals and Rivers
Lesson 2 - During Your Trip.

Starters Safety and Clap and Brace Games (10
mins) ? Students are given a brief list of safety
rules and play a couple of simple games to
practice being quiet and sitting down game for
emergencies. Observation (20 mins) ? Students go
out on the deck and look for things that are old
(50 years) and things that are new. ?
Resources- Clipboards pencils and paper.
Main Activities Spot the Difference (20 mins)
? Students get given two pictures in groups and
are asked to look at them. The pictures show the
same place today and in Victorian times. The
students are asked to spot the similarities and
differences and write them down. They use dry
wipe pens and post its to stick to the sheets.
They then feed back to the group. They then feed
back to the group. ? Resources - Laminated Spot
the difference sheets, dry wipe markers, post it
notes, pencil. ? Helpers/LSAs will need to
work with students to make sure they think about
how the canal has changed beyond physical
factors. The way the canal is used differently is
clearly depicted in most of the photos. Try to
get the students to tell you this. What is a
canal? (10 mins) ? Students answer true or false
using red and green cards to a series of
questions ? Resources - Red and green
cards Canals and Rivers Game (10 mins) ? A
brief chat about the difference between canals
and rivers is had. Students listen to short I
statement sand stand up if it describes a canal,
sit down if its a river and kneel if its
both. Locks PowerPoint (5 mins) ? Students watch
a PowerPoint presentation and discuss the lock
and how it works. ? Resources - Locks PowerPoint

6
Science Thermal Insulation
Lesson 2 - During Your Trip.

Main activities Using a Lock (10 mins) ?
Students help to operate the lock while others
watch ? Helpers are needed here. Two helpers and
the teacher take 3 students each. All 12 people
disembark before the lock. They walk up to the
lock and one team cross the bridge. The gates are
then opened by the students if they arent
already. Line the students up with their backs
resting on the gate and get them to push with
their legs to move the gate. The teams then close
the gates once the boat has entered the lock. The
team with the teacher take the windlass and take
turn opening and closing sluice gates. Once the
boat has levelled and the sluice gates closed the
helper teams can open the other gates to allow
exit of the boat. If at the top of a lock
students should board before the boat moves off.
If travelling down then students can disembark in
the lock but must return to the boat after it has
exited the lock. See Risk Assessment Before
Running this Activity Lock Diagrams (25 mins) ?
Students make a diagram of a lock from
instructions and must annotate it to explain how
it works. ? Lock diagram instructions, pencils,
paper ? Groups will need extensive help deciding
how to lay out their work. Encourage them to
leave titles and words until after their diagrams
are done and leave colouring until the last 5
mins. Looking at other peoples work (10 mins) ?
Using the lock levels sheet students work out how
good other students work is and write the best
thing about it on a post it note. Students then
look at another students work and say if they
agree with the post it level and if not why not.
Students then return to their own work and try to
give themselves a target to make it better. This
target can then be met by completing the activity
as a homework or extension. ? Lock levels sheet,
pencils, post it notes Litter Spotting (10
mins) ? Students look at a PowerPoint with photos
of litter problems on the canal. They then go and
see if they can spot some litter that may be
harmful. They must write down what it is and how
it could be harmful. Students then feedback by
suggesting ways in which they could help. ? As
an extension to this students could design Litter
posters or even TV adverts. ? Litter PowerPoint,
pencils, paper
7
Science Thermal Insulation
Lesson 2 - During Your Trip.

Plenaries Bang Box ? Students draw cards from a
box. The must read the word on the box and
explain what the word means or is. The words are
related to the canals. If the students draw a
bang card they can shout Bang. ?Resources -
Bang Box Cards
8
Science Thermal Insulation
Lesson 3 - After Your Trip.

Starters Recapping locks (10 mins) ? Recap how
locks work with the PowerPoint, asking questions
about what comes next and what things are
called. ?Resources - Locks PowerPoint
Main activities Lock Models (40 mins) ?
Students use card and boxes etc to make a lock
with gates that open and sluice. They can also
make a model canal boat to demonstrate their
model. Watertight models are obviously not an
option here but a good imagination will do. ?
Teachers should look out for models that show a
clear change in height between gates and sluice
gates that control the water level at the right
heights. These show a good understanding of how a
lock works. ?Resources - Card/boxes glue
scissors etc
Plenaries Prize winners (10 mins) ? Each team
gets a rosette from the prize-winner worksheet.
They must award it to the group that has done
best at what the rosette says. Rosettes say, Most
real looking lock, sturdy building award, best
moving parts. ?Resources - prize winner
worksheet
Homework's Improving your lock models diagrams
(20 mins) Either finish making the lock models or
attempt to make a new lock diagram with
improvements based on prior learning and
feedback.