This lesson plan is for a grade 2/3 class on hot and cold temperatures. The 50-minute lesson will introduce students to relative temperature terms like hotter than and colder than through videos, an image sorting activity, and worksheets comparing different items' temperatures. Students will then create a temperature timeline and test their sense of hot and cold by feeling different water temperatures. The goal is for students to understand relative temperature descriptions and that thermometers can precisely measure temperature.

1. Teacher: Michele Martyn
Grade Level: 2/3
Class Length: 50 minutes
Lesson: Introduction/Relative Terms
Subject/Topic: Hot/Cold
Date: November 29, 2012
GLOs: Students will:
(2-9) Recognize the effects of heating and cooling, and identify methods for heating and
cooling.
SLOs: Students will:
 Describe temperature in relative terms, using expressions, such as hotter than,
colder than.
Learning Objectives: Students will:
 Differentiate between things that are hot and cold
 Use relative terms (than) to describe different temperatures
Assessments:
Formative:
Sort (1)
Participation in TimeLine (1,2)
Hotter Than/Colder Than sheets (1,2)
Materials:
SmartBoard Sort Slide
Masking Tape
Index Cards
Hotter Than/Colder Than Worksheets
3 bowls of water (1 warm, 1 room temp, 1 cold)
Resources:
Google Image Search
Popcorn video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXDstfD9eJ0
Water droplet video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSZiUzGy2GA
Procedure:
Introduction (6min)
Key Question: What do we know about temperature?
We’re starting a new unit in science called Hot and Cold.
Hot and Cold are opposites – Ask class if anyone can define “opposite”
“Opposite” means completely different: black and white are opposites, north and south
are opposites (relate to Social Studies – compass), up and down are opposites, rough
and smooth are opposites, boys and girls are opposites
Brainstorm things we might talk about in this unit – things that are hot, things that are
cold, how we measure temperature, how temperature changes things, safety, how
things stay hot or cold, etc.

2. I’m going to show you some videos of how temperature changes things
The first video is of a water droplet being made colder. What do you think is going to
happen to the water droplet? (Show video)
The second video is of a popcorn kernel being heated up. What do you think is going to
happen to the popcorn kernel? (Show video)
Image Sort (9min)
Key Question: What things do I know are hot? What things do I know are cold?
Pull up image sort side
Call up students one by one using popsicle sticks
Hotter Than/Colder Than (8min)
Key Question: Can I use relative terms to describe the temperatures of things?
Hand out Hotter Than/Colder Than Worksheets
Pull up next few slides
Students fill out first four lines
Fill out the next three lines on their own
Temperature Time Line (13min)
Key Question: Can I compare different temperatures to each other?
Advanced Organizer: Masking Tape backwards on whiteboard, recipe cards
Place 0°C at middle, and describe difference between temperatures above zero and
below zero, using hotter than and colder than
Draw students names (popsicle sticks) and have them draw a card and decide where
on the timeline it should go
Ask questions about the different temperatures
Fooling Your Senses (9min)
Key Question: Can we use our bodies to figure out relative temperatures?
Advanced Organizer: 3 different temperatures of water
I’ve got three different temperatures of water, and we’re going to see which ones are
warmer and which ones are colder.
Call up remaining 4 students using popsicle sticks, have them put hands in water 2 at a
time (one hand in hot water, one hand in cold water)
Count to 30 as a class
Put both hands in lukewarm water
Is the water warmer or colder?
Repeat with other pair of students
Closure (5min)
Was the water warm or cold? How can we tell?
If we can’t use our bodies to figure out how hot or cold something is, what can we use?
Next time, we are going to be learning about thermometers, which are something that
we can use to figure out the temperature of things!

3. Modifications:
Sponge:
Pull up interactive thermometer on SmartBoard and begin talking about how to read a
thermometer (next lesson)
Reflection: