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Year 7

Energy and substance

I can describe differences between the energy of different substances at the same temperature.

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New
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Year 7

Energy and substance

I can describe differences between the energy of different substances at the same temperature.

Download all resources
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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. It is easier to increase the temperature of some materials than others.
  2. The mass of particles and the attractive forces between particles are different in different substances.
  3. Different substances need different amounts of heating to reach the same temperature.
  4. The same amount of different materials at the same temperature can cause different amounts of heating.
  5. The higher the specific heat capacity, the more energy 1 kg of a substance has, at a temperature, in the thermal store.

Keywords

  • Heating - when energy transfers from high to low temperature

  • Specific heat capacity - the property of a material that determines how much energy needs to be transferred to it to increase its temperature

  • Thermal store - the energy a substance has because of the random motion of its particles

Common misconception

Pupils rarely develop an intuitive understanding of what specific heat capacity means when it is introduced through an equation.

Use this lesson to develop a qualitative understanding of the specific heat capacity of objects, without introducing the equation for specific heat capacity.


To help you plan your year 7 science lesson on: Energy and substance, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Density kits have metal blocks of equal mass that can be used for practical investigations. These can be used to demonstate the second task so that pupils can observe the outcomes they are asked to explain.
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Teacher tip
equipment-required

Equipment

Bunsen burner, tripod, gauze, glass beaker (250 ml), balance, cooking oil, 0–100°C thermometer

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Content guidance

  • Risk assessment required - equipment
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Supervision

Adult supervision required

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Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is the basic particle theory?
Matter is made of continuous matter.
Matter is made of invisible substances.
Correct answer: Matter is made of particles that are in constant motion.
Matter is made of tiny, unmovable particles.
Q2.
What is a thermal energy store?
Correct answer: the energy an object has due to its temperature
the energy transferred by light
the energy stored in chemical bonds
the energy transferred by sound waves
Q3.
Which of these cause the energy in the thermal energy store to decrease?
energy transferred by light
increase in temperature
increase in mass
Correct answer: energy transferred to surroundings
Q4.
What happens to the particles a liquid is made of when it is cooled down to a lower temperature?
Correct answer: The particles vibrate backwards and forwards more slowly.
The particles vibrate backwards and forwards faster.
The particles vibrate backwards and forwards at the same speed.
The particles decrease in size.
Q5.
Starting with the least energy, put these in order of the energy in their thermal energy store.
1 - 1 g of water at 20°C
2 - 150 g of water at 20°C
3 - 1 kg of water at 20°C
4 - 1500 g of water at 20°C
Q6.
What happens to the energy a cup of tea has in the thermal store as it cools down?
It is slowly used up.
Correct answer: It is transferred to cooler objects in contact with it.
Correct answer: It is transferred to the surroundings.
It evaporates.

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a pure substance?
a mixture of different particles
Correct answer: a substance made out of identical particles with the same mass
a substance that cannot be heated
a substance that changes state easily
Q2.
How does heating transfer energy?
Correct answer: from high to low temperature
from low to high temperature
it does not transfer energy
Q3.
Specific heat capacity is the property of a material that determines how much...
energy a substance has.
Correct answer: energy needs to be transferred to a substance to increase its temperature.
a substance heats up.
a substance melts.
Q4.
Why do particles in mixtures move at different speeds?
because they are identical
because they are the same mass
because they do not move
Correct answer: because they have different masses
Q5.
Starting with the least energy, put these in order of the energy in their thermal energy store:
1 - ice at -10°C
2 - water at 0°C
3 - water at 50°C
4 - steam at 100°C
Q6.
Three metals balls of equal mass are heated in the oven for the same amount of time. Which metal has the lowest specific heat capacity?
An image in a quiz
iron
aluminium
Correct answer: copper

Additional material

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