Keywords: energy or forces?
This starter or learning check is designed to help KS3-4 students who confuse energy types with forces, and to reinforce students' understanding of forces and energy keywords.
It works well as a starter activity or quick learning check, and includes an extension activity to develop students' vocabulary and literary skills, and a set of keyword cards for revision activities.
The keywords covered in this classroom resource include:
gravity heat push light |
weight magnetic pull sound |
electrical kinetic friction mass |
elastic gravitational potential nuclear chemical |
air resistance electrostatic gravitational field strength compression |
upthrust thermal tension pressure |
Teaching notes from the classroom resource:
This simple sorting activity will help improve students’ understanding of the differences between energy types and forces.
Suitable for KS3 and KS4 students, it can be used to show misconceptions and gauge progress, and help students to revise.
Students can use the resource in different ways:
- Working individually or in pairs, students write each keyword in one of the three circles.
- Prior to the lesson, give each circle a different colour. Students simply underline a word with the correct colour.
- Students draw an arrow from word to circle.
- Working in small groups, draw enlarged circles on the floor or whiteboard, and students place or stick the cards in the right circles.