Energy In, Energy Out Lesson 1

This full-day lesson should be incorporated any day between the Step to It Exploration and the What’s the Story? Exploration.

Today, you will:

Guide students in viewing the Energy In and Energy Out animations. Students should begin thinking of energy balance as the balance of energy we take in to the energy we exert.
Give students printed Energy In, Energy Out Prediction Page for his or her writing activities.

Preparation

Download the Energy In, Energy Out Prediction Page, and print one for each student.
Set up computer with projector to show Energy In and Energy Out animations.
Familiarize yourself with the animations.
Review National Science Standards Met by Energy In and Energy Out.

Discuss the use of food nutrition labels to identify calories. You might consider bringing food boxes or packages from home for students to review.
Using the computer and projector, view the Energy In and Energy Out animations with your class.
Discuss serving sizes. Calories are based on an average serving size and many food packages have more than one serving size in a portion. Ask students to explain how to determine how many calories are in a package.
Have your students reflect on the animations in his or her journal.

Distribute Energy In, Energy Out Prediction Page.
Use the prediction page as a prompt for discussion on student experiences with this exploration. Encourage students to read through the questions before beginning.