Amanda Mello's Physical Science Class

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Thermal and Electrical Conductivity

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This lesson is for an 8th grade physical science class. This is an introduction to thermal and electrical conductivity and how that relates to the 3 major regions of the periodic table.

Materials: Thermal and Electrical Conductivity worksheet File:Worksheet.pdf

-Thermal conductivity lab: 1 beaker per group, access to warm/hot water, plastic spoon, metal spoon, pencil, and glass stirring rod.

-Electrical conductivity lab: 1 battery, battery holder, 3 wires with alligator clips and a light bulb.

  1. Complete the first page of the worksheet together as a class.

  2. Have students complete the two labs in groups.

  3. Review the conclusion as a class.

Thermal Conductivity:

Hypothesis (Write how warm you think each item will feel from warmest to coolest below):

Procedure:

1.CEO get a beaker of hot water from Mrs. Mello

2.Place the items in the water (plastic spoon, metal spoon, pencil, and glass stirring rod).

3.After one minute, take each item out of the water.

Results:

4.Record how warm each item feels in order from warmest to coolest below.

5.What do you think determined how warm or cool each item felt to the touch?

Electrical Conductivity:

Hypothesis: I think ______________________________ will conduct electricity but _____________________ will not conduct electricity.

Procedure:

1.Construct your electric circuit to make sure it lights the light bulb (it is faint!)

2.Now place an object in between the alligator clips to see if it completes the circuit and the light bulb still lights.

Results:

3.Why did some things complete the circuit (allow the light to still light up) and others did not?

4.Can you make a rule about what which materials seem to be the best conductors of electricity?

Conclusion: Complete the sentence frames below:

__________________ was a _______________________ electrical conductor.

__________________ was a _______________________ electrical conductor.

__________________ was a _______________________ thermal conductor.

__________________ was a _______________________ thermal conductor.

Explain what you learned today using the word conductivity (or conduct, conductor) in a complete sentence.