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Australian primary science · Year 6 · Lesson 3 of 3
Energy detectives at school
Inquiry question: Where does our school transform electrical energy, and where is energy wasted?
Marked no materials needed
Observing
What students learn
Electrical devices transform energy into useful forms, and all of them waste some as heat. By surveying devices at school, we can identify where energy is wasted and use our knowledge to recommend changes.
Success criteria
- I can plan a fair and safe energy survey of part of the school.
- I can record the energy transformations and wasted energy for each device.
- I can make a recommendation backed by our data.
Preparation and materials
Before this lesson: Students can describe energy transformations in devices and the roles of switches and insulators (lessons 1 and 2).
- One screen or projector to show this lesson’s student view (the audit table) (or print one student view per pair) — 1
- Workbooks or scrap paper, and pencils — 26
Teacher setup
- Open this lesson’s student view (the audit table) on your screen, or print the student view if the internet is unreliable.
- No other preparation is needed.
Safety and adaptations
- Look only: never touch powerpoints, plugs, cords or switches during the survey; only the teacher switches anything.
- Report damaged cords or plugs to the teacher; don’t touch them.
- Stay with your group and walk in corridors.
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.
- As a class, plan the survey: which rooms or areas (for example our classroom, the library and the staffroom), which group surveys where, and the safety rules.
- Groups survey their area (or the classroom only), recording every device they can see without touching it.
- For each device, record energy in, useful energy out, wasted energy, and whether it is on when not needed.
- Back in class, combine results and find the three biggest sources of waste.
- Write a recommendation to the principal or student council, with evidence from the survey.
Teacher modelling prompt
Point to the classroom lights. Think aloud: “Device: ceiling lights. Energy in: electrical. Useful out: light. Wasted: heat (I can feel some warmth near old tubes). Is it on when not needed? The sun is bright and we have the blinds open, so maybe some could be switched off. That’s one row of our audit.”
Record and explain evidence
Recording question: Where does our school transform electrical energy, and where is energy wasted?
| Device and where | Energy in | Useful energy out | Wasted energy | On when not needed? | Our idea to save energy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ | ________________ |
Example recording headings; record actual observations, including inconclusive results.
Discussion prompt
Which recommendation uses our evidence and is realistic?
Check understanding
What should pupils know? Name one device from the survey and its useful and wasted energy transformations.
Explain with evidence: Why does replacing old globes with LEDs save energy?
Apply the idea: Write one recommendation for our school and the evidence for it. Stretch (older students): how could we measure whether the change worked?
Teacher answer guidance and saved classroom work are available through the main lesson experience where supported.