Heat Lamp Helpers
Ana Harms, Justin Wardyn, and Heather Hauder, Science Teachers, 2023-2024 School Year
Description & Need:
We would like to use this project to purchase stands for our heat lamps. Science experiments and explorations are a large way in which we meet our district goal of "engaging all learners to achieve success," and these heat lamp stands would help our experiments to be more accurate, run more smoothly, and be safer. We currently clamp the heat lamps to tables, chairs, or counters where they will grab on and then must pile items under whatever we may be heating so that they are approximately the correct distance from the heat lamp.
How project meets Instruction Goals and Mission Statement:
Experimentation with heat lamps play a major role in our 6th grade science state standards regarding thermal energy, energy transfer, weather, climate, global warming, and ocean currents. These topics align with the following 6th grade state standards: 6.4.1c, 6.4.1dc 6.12.4a, 6.12.4b, 6.12.4c. Using heat lamps with more accuracy and with more safety will strengthen students' knowledge in these concepts and allow experiment days to flow more smoothly, thus saving instructional time.
Major Objectives:
With stands for our heat lamps, the students will be able to:
-accurately measure and change the distance between the heat lamp and object to be heated
-collect and compare accurate data regarding the standards taught over thermal energy, energy transfer, weather, climate, global warming and ocean currents
-conduct experiments involving heat lamps in a safe classroom environment where heat lamps are all on tables and clamped securely to the stands
Teaching Methods:
Students will use the heat lamp stands in lab groups of four students or less. They will be used for various experiments to do things such as see whether water, air, or dirt heats up at a faster rate, learn more about radiation, discover the differences in heating and cooling of water (the ocean) vs. air, and gain a deeper understanding on what greenhouse gasses are and how they work. Students will also use the heat lamp stand to practice certain math concepts such as using a ruler to measure distance.
The teacher will also work one-on-one with students to ensure that they are using them correctly and to have deeper discussions about the topics they are learning when using the heat lamps and stands.
Grade Level Impacted:
6th graders will be directly affected by this project. Their knowledge of 7th and 8th-grade physical and earth science and space science will also be improved as the science content will build in future grades. Approximately 300 6th graders will benefit from this project each year and the heat lamp stands will be used from year to year. Other grade levels and contents (i.e. STEM) could also borrow these heat lamp stands to be used as needed.
Additional Materials:
There are no additional materials.
Project Evaluation:
At the end of each lab experiment, informal evaluations will take place where the teachers will determine if students understood the takeaway from the experiment. The evaluations will cover whether water, air, or dirt heats up at a faster rate, the concept of radiation, the differences in heating and cooling of water (the ocean) vs. air, and what greenhouse gasses are and how they work. Students will use the knowledge gained when it comes to chapter tests as well. The teachers will know that the objectives have been achieved when students can place objects the correct distance away from the heat lamp and when the classroom is a safer environment, with heat lamps on the proper stands instead of in different locations around the room.
