All lessons › Sun, shade and hot surfaces › Lesson 3
Australian primary science · Year 3 · Lesson 3 of 3
Design a cool corner
Inquiry question: How can we use science to make a hot playground corner cooler?
Marked no materials needed
Problem solving
What students learn
People use science ideas to solve problems. Because the Sun is the heat source, blocking or reflecting sunlight, and adding plants, keeps surfaces and people cooler.
Success criteria
- I can choose ways to cool a hot place and say how each one works.
- I can use evidence from lessons 1 and 2 to back up my choices.
- I can describe how we could test whether our design works.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students know the Sun heats surfaces, dark surfaces get hotter, and shade keeps things cooler (lessons 1 and 2).
- iPads with Bottlebrush Education open (nothing else needed) — 13 (one per pair)
- Projector or big screen — 1
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the cooling ideas source) on your screen to demonstrate.
- Check the iPads are charged.
Safety and adaptations
Follow school science and equipment risk assessment procedures for the materials used.
Review your school policies and curriculum requirements before teaching.
How to investigate
The lesson sequence should leave pupils with evidence to interpret, not only an activity to finish.
- Pairs read the source about ways people keep places cool.
- Choose a hot spot from lesson 1 (or one at your school).
- Pick two or three cooling ideas and draw them on a plan of the spot.
- Label each idea with how it stops heat moving in, and the evidence for it.
- Write how you could test whether the design works (what would you measure?).
Teacher modelling prompt
Read the source’s first idea aloud. Think aloud: “A shade sail blocks sunlight. In lesson 1, every surface in the shade was cooler, so I have evidence it works. I’ll draw it over the swings and label: blocks sunlight, so less heat goes into the rubber.”
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: How can we use science to make a hot playground corner cooler?
| Hot spot | Why it gets hot | Our cooling idea | How the idea stops heat moving in | How we could test it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which design uses the evidence?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Name two ways to keep a playground cooler.
Explain with evidence: Explain how a shade sail keeps the ground under it cooler.
Apply the idea: A new bench will be made of dark metal and put in full sun. What would you tell the school, and why?
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.