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Year 7

Energy and temperature

I can describe the difference between the temperature and the energy of an object or substance.

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Year 7

Energy and temperature

I can describe the difference between the temperature and the energy of an object or substance.

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Share activities with pupils
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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. The directions in which particles in a substance move are random. This is true of solids, liquids and gases.
  2. The higher the temperature, the faster the particles vibrate in a solid or move past each other in a liquid or gas.
  3. Energy needs to be transferred to an object to raise its temperature.
  4. For two identical objects, the one at a higher temperature has more energy.
  5. For two objects made of the same substance at the same temperature, the one with more particles has more energy.

Keywords

  • Random - something that happens or is chosen without any specific pattern, reason, or plan, like whether a coin flip will land heads up or tails up

  • Temperature - a measure of how hot something is

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

Common misconception

Energy and temperature are the same thing.

Warm different amounts of water in identical kettles for the same time to show they reach different temperatures for the same energy transferred.


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

Sourcing two (or more) identical kettles speeds up demonstration times and allows direct comparisons of warming for different times and/or amounts of water.
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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 property do objects have if they have energy in the gravitational store?
they are moving
Correct answer: they are raised up
they are stretched
they contain chemicals that can react
Q2.
What property do objects have if they have energy in the chemical store?
they are moving
they are squashed
Correct answer: they contain chemicals that can react
they have a temperature
Q3.
Compare the energy in the thermal store of an ice cube and the equivalent volume of water at room temperature. Which statements are correct?
The ice cube has more energy in the thermal store than the water.
Correct answer: The water has more energy in the thermal store than the ice cube.
They both have the same amount of energy in their thermal store.
Correct answer: The ice cube has some energy in the thermal store.
The ice cube has zero energy in the thermal store.
Q4.
Which of these cause the energy in the chemical store to increase?
burning a candle
Correct answer: a person eating
a person walking upstairs
Correct answer: a mobile phone charging
Q5.
What happens to the particles a gas is made of when it is heated to a higher temperature?
they move around less quickly
they vibrate less quickly
Correct answer: they move around more quickly
they vibrate more quickly
Q6.
What happens to the particles a solid is made of when it is cooled down to a lower temperature?
they vibrate backwards and forwards less quickly
Correct answer: they vibrate in random directions less quickly
they vibrate backwards and forwards more quickly
they vibrate in random directions more quickly

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
In which state(s) of matter do particles move around in random directions?
solid state
Correct answer: liquid state
Correct answer: gas state
Q2.
What happens to particles of a gas if you decrease their temperature?
they get heavier
Correct answer: the get slower
they get smaller
Correct answer: they collide with less force
Q3.
Put the following in order of how much energy they have in the thermal store, starting with the least energy.
1 - 1 g of water at room temperature
2 - 1 kg of water at room temperature
3 - 10 000 g of water at room temperature
4 - 1 tonne of water at room temperature
Q4.
What happens to the energy a hot water bottle has in the thermal store as it cools down throughout the night?
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
Q5.
Which of these samples of water has the most energy in the thermal store?
one teaspoon of water taken from a small cup of hot water at 75°C
one teaspoon of water taken from a full kettle of water at 75°C
Correct answer: two teaspoons of water taken from a large cup of hot water at 75°C
two teaspoons of water taken from a bath full of water at 45°C
Q6.
Which of these samples of water has the most energy in the thermal store?
a teaspoon of water at 75°C
a cup of water at 70°C
a kettle of water at 90°C
a bath of water at 40°C
Correct answer: a swimming pool of water at 20°C