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Physical Science Assessment Probes 15

Objects and
Temperature
Taz and Kyle are comparing the temperature readings of four different objects:
• block of wood
• metal tray
• wool hat
• glass plate
They place the ob-
jects on a table in
their science class-
room and leave
them overnight. A
thermometer is attached to each object. The next day they record the
temperature of each object at the same time.
Put an X next to the statement that best describes your prediction about the objects’
temperature.
____ None of the objects will have the same temperature.
____ Two of the objects will have the same temperature.
____ Three of the objects will have the same temperature.
____ All of the objects will have the same temperature.

Describe your thinking. Provide an explanation for your answer.

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

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15 Physical Science Assessment Probes

Objects and
Temperature
Teacher Notes

Purpose
The purpose of this assessment probe is to ally a measure of the average kinetic energy of
elicit students’ ideas about temperature. The the molecules. In this example all the objects
task specifically probes to find out whether are exposed to the same ambient conditions.
students recognize that non-heat-producing There is no detectable transfer of energy result-
objects exposed to the same ambient condi- ing in additional energy being absorbed or lost
tions will have the same temperature, regard- by the material that would change the average
less of the material they are made of. motion of their atoms or molecules and thus
change the temperature. Therefore, since the
Related Concepts average motion of the atoms or molecules does
heat, energy, temperature not change, the temperature remains the same.
What is confusing is that when these objects
Explanation are touched, some may appear to be “colder” or
The best response is that all of the objects will “warmer” than others. For example, the metal
be at the same temperature. Heat is generally tray feels colder than the wool hat. Energy
a measure of the total kinetic energy of the flows from warmer objects to cooler ones. Your
molecules in a system. Temperature is gener- hand at body temperature, which is warmer

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Physical Science Assessment Probes 15

than room temperature, will transfer heat to heat and temperature and fail to recognize the
the object touched. An object like metal is a heat transfer involved when heat-conducting
better heat conductor than an object like the objects are touched. The idea that heat results
wool hat. Therefore, it will conduct heat from from the motion of molecules and that a trans-
your hand faster. As a result, the metal feels fer of energy is involved when there is a change
cooler to you than the hat. They are at the same in heat is a grade-level expectation in the mid-
temperature, however, because the average ki- dle and high school standards. However, this
netic energy of their particles is the same. is still an abstract notion. The probe is useful
in determining if students still persist in their
Curricular and Instructional intuitive notions about heat and temperature.
Considerations
High School Students
Elementary Students Heat and temperature ideas become more
Students’ experiences with materials in their complex at this age. Yet, students may still
environment may intuitively affect their idea hold onto similar ideas they had in elemen-
that the temperatures will be different. Any tary grades. High school students build on
young student who has touched metal on a cold their experiences with energy transfer in the
day and touched wood exposed to the same middle grades to investigate heat quantitative-
conditions would infer that the metal has a ly by measuring variables such as temperature
colder temperature. Younger students will also change and kinetic energy (NRC 1996). How-
believe some materials appear to be inherently ever, misconceptions about energy transfer and
cold, such as metals, or warm, such as hats. the distinction between heat and temperature
Students at this level do not conceptually dis- may still persist and be uncovered through use
tinguish between heat and temperature. How- of this probe.
ever, it is a grade-level expectation in the na-
tional standards that students will understand Administering the Probe
that heat moves by conduction. Yet, linking Be sure students understand that the objects
this idea to what happens when you touch dif- on the table are all experiencing the same con-
ferent objects and they feel warmer or colder ditions, including the same room temperature.
is a more sophisticated idea that develops later You may wish to model the probe scenario and
in middle school. This probe is useful in deter- have students touch the objects before answer-
mining the intuitive ideas students have about ing the probe or show them the objects to re-
the temperature of everyday objects. mind them what the materials are. This probe
can be combined with “The Mitten Problem”
Middle School Students (p. 103) to assess ideas about heat energy and
Students at this level will continue to confuse temperature in a different context.

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15 Physical Science Assessment Probes

Related Ideas in National  When warmer things are put with cooler
Science Education Standards ones, the warm ones lose heat and the cool
(NRC 1996) ones gain it until they are all at the same
temperature.
K–4 Light, Heat, Electricity, and • Poor conductors can reduce heat loss.
Magnetism
• Heat can be produced in many ways, such 6–8 Energy Transformation
as burning, rubbing, or mixing one sub- • Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but
stance with another. Heat can move from only changed from one form into another.
one object to another by conduction. • Energy appears in different forms. Heat
energy is in the disorderly motion of mol-
5–8 Transfer of Energy ecules.
• Energy is a property of many substances
and is associated with heat, light, electric- 9–12 Energy Transformation
ity, mechanical motion, sound, nuclei, and • Heat energy in a material consists of the
the nature of a chemical. Energy is trans- disordered motions of its atoms or mol-
ferred in many ways. ecules.
 Heat moves in predictable ways, flowing • Transformations of energy usually produce
from warmer objects to cooler ones, until some energy in the form of heat, which
both reach the same temperature. spreads around by radiation or conduction
into cooler places.
9–12 Conservation of Energy and the
Increase in Disorder Related Research
 Heat consists of random motion and the • Students in the age range of 8–12 are able
vibrations of atoms, molecules, and ions. to use and read a thermometer to take tem-
The higher the temperature, the greater the perature readings. They tend to make judg-
atomic or molecular motion. ments about the temperature of an object
based more on the nature of the material
Related Ideas in Benchmarks than the temperature of the surrounding
for Science Literacy (AAAS medium (Erickson 1985).
1993) • Students are likely to think that objects of
different materials in the same room will
3–5 Energy Transformation be at different temperatures even if they
• Heat is produced by mechanical and elec- are told that the objects are kept at room
trical machines and any time one thing temperature (Erickson 1985).
rubs up against another. • One place students would be expected

 Indicates a strong match between the ideas elicited by the probe and a national standard’s learning goal.

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Physical Science Assessment Probes 15

to understand the distinction between them use ideas about conduc-

heat and temperature is in chemistry tion and transfer of energy in
classes. However, most of the chemistry this context to explain why it
Topic: Heat/Temperature
problems assigned to students in intro- feels as if they are at different Go to: www.scilinks.org
ductory chemistry classes do not require temperatures. Code: USIS107

students to make the distinction, so stu- • Use everyday examples such

dents have little opportunity to acquire as why you would rather stand on a rug
the distinction. Chemistry teachers may in your bathroom on a cold morning
be unaware that students lack this skill if you are in your bare feet than stand
and may have the expectation that they on the bathroom tiles. Use multiple ex-
do understand the difference (Gabel and amples like this to relate the idea that
Bunce 1994). objects may feel warmer or colder even
• The concept of thermal equilibrium when though the temperature is the same.
several objects are in prolonged contact • Be careful how you use terms such as
with the same air in the same room is often heat and temperature and alert students to
missing. Students have difficulty recogniz- examples.
ing the equality of temperatures at thermal • Instruction about heat, temperature, and
equilibrium (Tiberghien 1985). heat exchange should be carried out over
a long period and not in one single in-
Suggestions for Instruction and structional unit. These are difficult ideas
Assessment that take time and multiple experiences to
• This probe can be followed up as an in- develop.
quiry-based investigation. Ask the ques-
tion, encourage students to commit to a Related NSTA Science Store
prediction, and then test it. The dissonance Publications and NSTA Journal
involved in discovering that the tempera- Articles
tures are the same should be followed with Driver, R., A. Squires, P. Rushworth, and V. Wood-
opportunities for students to discuss their Robinson. 1994. Making sense of secondary sci-
ideas and resolve the dissonance. ence: Research into children’s ideas. London and
• Provide opportunities for students to New York: RoutledgeFalmer.
investigate the temperature of different Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculum topic study:
materials in the same warm and cold sur- Bridging the gap between standards and practice.
roundings. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
• Help students understand what is happen- Robertson, W. 2002. Energy: Stop faking it! Finally
ing when you touch metal versus when you understanding science so you can teach it. Arling-
touch a wool hat or block of wood. Help ton, VA: NSTA Press.

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15 Physical Science Assessment Probes

Gabel, D., and D. Bunce. 1994. Research on prob-

Related Curriculum Topic Study Guide lem solving in chemistry. In Handbook of re-

(Keeley 2005) search on science teaching and learning, ed. D.

“Heat and Temperature” Gabel. New York: Simon and Schuster.

Keeley, P. 2005. Science curriculum topic study:
Bridging the gap between standards and practice.
References Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
American Association for the Advancement of Sci- National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National
ence (AAAS). 1993. Benchmarks for science lit- science education standards. Washington, DC:
eracy. New York: Oxford University Press. National Academy Press.
Erickson, G. 1985. Heat and temperature: An over- Tiberghien, A. 1985. Heat and temperature: The
view of children’s ideas. In Children’s ideas in development of ideas with teaching. In Chil-
science, eds. R. Driver, E. Guesne, and A. Ti- dren’s ideas in science, eds. R. Driver, E. Guesne,
berghien. Milton Keynes, UK: Open Univer- and A. Tiberghien. Milton Keynes, UK: Open
sity Press. University Press.

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