Teacher Script: Zoom! Speed & Energy

Day 1: What is Speed?

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! Today, we're going to start an exciting journey into how things move. Look around you. What do you see moving right now?"

Teacher: "Great observations! We see things moving all the time. When we talk about how fast or slow something is moving, we're talking about its speed!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 1). "Can anyone tell me what it means if something is fast? What about slow?"

Teacher: "Excellent ideas! Now, let's become scientists and observe speed in action. We're going to have a 'Race Car Rally'!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 2). "In your small groups, you'll have some toy cars and a track. Your job is to race the cars and figure out which one is faster. How will you know? Talk about it in your group before you start." (Give 1-2 minutes for discussion, then distribute materials and allow 15 minutes for the activity).

Teacher: (After the activity) "Alright, scientists, let's bring it back together. What did you notice? How did you know which car was faster?"

Teacher: "Fantastic! You've just experienced speed! Speed tells us how quickly an object is moving. Think about a cheetah running – super fast! (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 3). Or a snail crawling – super slow! Speed is all about how much distance an object covers in a certain amount of time. For our cool-down today, think about this: What's one way you could make your toy car go faster or slower?" (Allow a few students to share or have them jot it down briefly).

Day 2: Energy Makes it Go!

Teacher: "Welcome back, explorers! Yesterday, we learned all about speed. Today, we're going to think about why things move." (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 4). "Look at these pictures: someone running, a car moving, a ball flying. What do all these things have in common? What makes them move?"

Teacher: "You're on the right track! All these things need energy to move! Energy is like the 'oomph' or the power that makes things happen." (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 5). "I'm going to show you some ways to make this toy car move, and I want you to tell me what gives the car its power each time." (Demonstrate: pushing the car, letting it roll down a ramp, pulling it back with a rubber band and releasing). "What did you observe?"

Teacher: "Great observations! Each time, something gave the car the ability to move. That 'something' is energy!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 6). "Energy is the ability to do work or cause movement. Your body has energy to play and learn! The wind has energy to move leaves! For our cool-down, can you share one example of energy you saw or felt today?"

Day 3: Speeding Up, Powering On

Teacher: "Hello scientists! We've talked about speed, and we've talked about energy. Today, we're going to see how they are connected!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 7). "If you have a fast car and a slow car, which one do you think has more 'oomph' or power? Why?"

Teacher: "Interesting ideas! Let's test it out! We're going to do a 'Ramp Race & Impact' activity." (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 8). "You'll use your toy cars and ramps. First, release a car from a low spot on the ramp. Watch its speed and see how far it pushes a small block at the end. Then, release the same car from a high spot on the ramp. Observe its speed and how far it pushes the block this time. Record your observations on your Speed Explorers Worksheet." (Distribute worksheets and materials, allow 15 minutes).

Teacher: (After activity) "Alright, what did you discover? When the car went faster, what happened to the block?" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 9). "Yes! The faster the car went, the further it pushed the block! This tells us that more speed means more energy! The car had more energy when it was moving faster, which allowed it to push the block a greater distance. For our cool-down: If a car is moving really fast, does it have a lot of energy or a little? How do you know?"

Day 4: Kinetic Energy in Motion

Teacher: "Welcome back, future physicists! Yesterday, we saw how speed and energy are connected. Today, we're going to learn a special name for the energy of movement: kinetic energy!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 10). "Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because it's moving. Anything in motion has kinetic energy!"

Teacher: "Let's do another experiment to really feel kinetic energy. We're going to do a 'Rubber Band Launch'!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 11). "You'll have a rubber band and a small ball. First, pull the rubber band back just a little bit and launch the ball. Watch how fast it goes and how far it travels. Then, pull the rubber band back much further – give it more 'stretch' – and launch the ball again. What did you observe about the ball's speed and how far it traveled this time?" (Distribute materials, allow 15 minutes).

Teacher: (After activity) "What did you notice? When you pulled the rubber band back more, what happened to the ball?"

Teacher: "That's right! When you pulled the rubber band back more, it gave the ball more 'push,' making it go faster and travel further. This is because the faster something moves, the more kinetic energy it has!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 12). "A runner sprinting has more kinetic energy than someone walking. A fast-moving car has more kinetic energy than a slow truck. For our cool-down, I'll show you two pictures: a slow-moving train and a fast-moving car. Which one do you think has more kinetic energy and why?"

Day 5: Zoom! Speed & Energy Review

Teacher: "Good morning, everyone! This is our last day of exploring speed and energy! Let's quickly remember: What is speed? What is energy? What is kinetic energy?"

Teacher: "Excellent job remembering! Today, we're going to put all our knowledge together and become 'Energy Detectives'!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 13). "You'll complete your Energy Detectives Worksheet where you'll identify situations with high or low kinetic energy. Remember what we learned about speed and energy!" (Allow 10 minutes for the worksheet).

Teacher: "Now, to help us review and think even more about speed and energy, we're going to read a short passage called Zoom! Speed & Energy Reading. As you read, think about the connections we've made this week. After you finish reading, please answer the three questions at the end of the passage." (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 14). (Distribute reading, allow 10 minutes).

Teacher: (After reading and questions) "Great work with the reading, detectives! What were some of the key ideas you read about today?"

Teacher: "Fantastic! Let's recap the big idea we've learned this week." (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 15). "The faster an object moves, the more mechanical energy it has, specifically kinetic energy! Think of a roller coaster speeding down a hill – lots of kinetic energy! A bouncy ball hitting the ground – lots of kinetic energy! This is why speed is so important when we talk about energy.

Teacher: "For our final cool-down, I want you to show me what you know!" (Point to Zoom! Speed & Energy Slide Deck - Slide 16). "You can either complete the Speed and Energy Connection Worksheet or draw a picture that illustrates how speed is connected to energy. Be creative!" (Collect materials).

Speed Explorers Worksheet: Ramp Race & Impact

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Part 1: Observing Speed and Impact

In our Ramp Race, we released a toy car from different heights. Let's see what we observed!

Experiment 1: Car from a LOW spot on the ramp

1. How fast did the car go?
   (Circle one):      Slow      Medium      Fast
   
   
   
   

2. How far did the block move after the car hit it?
   (Circle one):      A little bit      A medium amount      A lot
   
   
   
   

Experiment 2: Car from a HIGH spot on the ramp

1. How fast did the car go?
   (Circle one):      Slow      Medium      Fast
   
   
   
   

2. How far did the block move after the car hit it?
   (Circle one):      A little bit      A medium amount      A lot
   
   
   
   

Part 2: Thinking About Speed and Energy

1. When did the car go faster? (From the low spot or the high spot?)
   
   
   
   

2. When did the car push the block further? (When it went slower or faster?)
   
   
   
   

3. What did you learn about how the car's speed is connected to how much energy it has to push the block?
   *Hint: Think about which car had more

Energy Detectives Worksheet: Kinetic Energy Clues

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Be an Energy Detective!

Read each scenario. If the object has a lot of kinetic energy (because it's moving fast), circle HIGH. If it has a little kinetic energy (because it's moving slowly or not at all), circle LOW.

Scenario 1: A child riding a bicycle very fast down a hill.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Scenario 2: A turtle slowly walking across the grass.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Scenario 3: A bowling ball speeding down the lane towards the pins.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Scenario 4: A bird sitting still on a tree branch.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Scenario 5: A race car zooming around the track.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Scenario 6: A sleepy sloth slowly climbing a tree.

Kinetic Energy:      HIGH      LOW

Detective's Notes:

What is the most important clue to figure out if something has HIGH or LOW kinetic energy?

Speed and Energy Connection Worksheet

Name: ________________________

Date: ________________________

Show What You Know!

Question: How is an object's speed connected to its energy?

Draw a picture in the box below that shows an example of this connection. Then, write a sentence or two explaining your picture.

My Explanation:

The Speedy Science of Motion!

Have you ever wondered why some things go super fast and others go super slow? It all has to do with speed and energy!

Speed is how fast something is moving. If you're running a race, the person who finishes first has the most speed! A cheetah is very speedy, but a snail is not. We can see speed everywhere we look!

But what makes things move in the first place? That's energy! Energy is like the power or 'oomph' that makes things happen. Your body uses energy from the food you eat to help you run and play. A car uses energy from gasoline to drive.

Here's the exciting part: Speed and energy are connected! When an object moves, it has a special kind of energy called kinetic energy. The faster something moves, the more kinetic energy it has! Think about a toy car rolling down a ramp. If you let it go from a high spot, it goes faster, right? And when it goes faster, it has more energy to push things. That's why a fast-moving car can push a block further than a slow-moving car.

So, remember: More speed means more kinetic energy! It's the power of motion!

Reading Questions:

1. What is "speed"?
   
   
   

2. What is "energy"?
   
   
   

3. How are an object's speed and its kinetic energy connected? Give an example.
   
   
   
   
   

Speed and Energy Reading Answer Key

Reading Questions:

1. What is "speed"?

   • Thought Process: The reading states, "Speed is how fast something is moving." I should use this definition.
   • Answer: Speed is how fast an object is moving.
     
     
     
     

2. What is "energy"?

   • Thought Process: The reading explains, "Energy is like the power or 'oomph' that makes things happen." I will use this to define energy.
   • Answer: Energy is the power or "oomph" that makes things happen or move.
     
     
     
     

3. How are an object's speed and its kinetic energy connected? Give an example.

   • Thought Process: The reading explicitly states, "The faster something moves, the more kinetic energy it has!" It also provides the example of a toy car rolling down a ramp. I need to include both parts.
   • Answer: The faster an object moves, the more kinetic energy it has. For example, a toy car released from a high spot on a ramp goes faster and has more energy to push things, like a block.