Twelve materials go into a two-column chart on this 3-page 5th grade sheet, headed Heat Conductors and Heat Insulators. A word bank holds copper, aluminum, iron, steel, silver, gold, wool, foam, plastic, wood, cork and still air. Part 2 gives six jobs with three material choices each, from an oven mitt to a mug for hot cocoa. A last question asks why air is a good insulator. The answer key shows the sorted chart and the checked choices.
5-PS1-3
“Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.”
The chart sorts twelve materials by how well they pass on heat, and Part 2 applies that property to six real uses.
Short definitions of heat conductor and heat insulator, a 12-word bank and a two-column chart to fill in.
Six boxes, each with a job and three checkbox choices: oven mitt, cooking pot, cooler box, winter coat, pot handle and mug for hot cocoa.
Question 7 asks how trapped air helps wool, down and foam slow heat transfer, with four lines to write on.
The sorted chart, the best choice for each job and a model answer about trapped air.
Two spoons
Put a metal spoon and a plastic spoon in warm water for a minute before Part 2. Students feel the difference, and the cooking pot and pot handle items then read as the same idea in reverse.
Still air
Still air sits in the insulator column next to wool and foam. Ask students what those three have in common and lead them to trapped air before question 7.
Choose before you look
Have pairs cover the printed choices and name their own best material for the cooler box, then compare with foam, iron and glass.
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