Energy resources

Task: Plan a fair test to see which of two solar showers of different colours heats up more. Assessment focus: controlling variables.

Students answer five questions interpreting data on temperature decrease in three different types of cups.

Students are given stimulus material on the stopping distance of a toy car released from different heights. Students write an aim, the best way to present the results, identify the measurement required in order to calculate the average speed, and write a conclusion for the investigation.

Students complete tables of energy use.

This practical task requires students to plan, process, and evaluate an investigation on types of fruit and the voltage that each can produce.

Students are provided with information and data on different makes of soccer balls. Students answer questions on fair testing, and write conclusions from the given data.

Task: Identify patterns in a table and suggest ways to make a toy travel further. Assessment focus: interpreting data; energy; forces.

This practical task requires students to use a plastic comb and wool to generate static electricity. Students investigate different materials to find those that are attracted to the static charge.

Explain what affects the distance travelled by toy cars, and why they eventually stop. Assessment focus: science explanations using ideas about forces and energy.

For this practical task students investigate convection currents when tea leaves are placed into a beaker of water that is being heated. They are asked to make observations and to provide an explanation of what they have observed.

Students predict and investigate the way in which a concave and a convex lens distort the image of a pencil.

Students carry out a simple experiment to illustrate refraction. They then explain why this happened.

For this practical task students write a plan to find out if a microwave has a 'hot spot'. Students carry out their plan, collect, and interpret results.

This practical task is about heat absorption. From a given list students choose the equipment they would use to heat cold tap water as much as possible. Students complete the investigation, explain why each piece of equipment was selected, and record their results.

Task: Interpret data from tables. Assessment focus: data interpretation.

This practical task requires students to test a number of circuits and to give reasons why some of the circuits do not work while others do. Students also look at other circuits and explain what happens to the brightness of the bulb.

Students are given an outline of an investigation on heat loss from two different shaped objects (a cube and a sphere). They answer questions on variable control, repeat trialling, and they then graph data from this investigation.

Students answer two multiple choice questions about fair testing in the context of static electricity.