Grade 4 · Physical Science · FireFlash pack
Investigate devices that change energy from one form to another.
A motor turns electrical energy into motion, and a crank generator turns motion back into electrical energy. Energy Conversions follows a small device from its goal to its test results, so students see how engineers use evidence to make a design better.
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What students investigate
Students start with the job: a device is a success when it does what it was designed to do. They see a battery supply stored energy, compare light and sound outputs, watch a motor make motion, and turn a crank generator to make electrical energy.
The second half is the engineering cycle. Students weigh a design against its limits, compare designs by their results and trade-offs, run a fair test that changes one thing, revise the design from evidence and retest it against the original goal.
Who it is for
Energy Conversions is written for Grade 4 physical science and engineering. It follows Energy Transfer and sets up the design-and-retest steps that come back in Light & Sound Signals.
The abstract words success criterion, constraint and trade-off are each taught with a concrete device example first.
What students learn
10 learning ideas, one at a time. Each one is a silent animated Learn card, then Review and Mastery questions.
- A device is successful when it does the job it was designed to do.
- A battery can supply stored energy to a working device.
- A device should produce the kind of output its job requires.
- A motor turns electrical energy into useful motion.
- A generator can change turning motion into electrical energy.
- A useful design must respect limits as well as its goal.
- Compare device designs using their measured results and the stated goal.
- A fair test helps show what one design change may do.
- Use evidence from a trial to plan a relevant design change.
- Retest a revised device against its original goal.
Science words in this pack
Each word is taught on its Learn card, then used again in Review and Mastery.
- success criterion
- stored energy
- conversion
- light output
- sound output
- motor
- generator
- constraint
- trade-off
- fair test
- revision
- retest
Inside the pack
How it works in class
- Learn. 10 silent whiteboard animations, one idea per card. No audio, so it works on a classroom screen or a quiet device.
- Review. 30 practice questions with feedback. Ideas a student misses come back.
- Mastery. 30 questions to show what each student knows on their own.
- Certificate. A student who finishes can print a certificate or save it as a PDF. It shows first-try Review and Mastery results and the ideas that needed a retry.
Standards connections
These cards support parts of the following NGSS performance expectations. They do not replace hands-on investigations.
- 4-PS3-4 — core ideas
Questions teachers ask
Which devices does it show?
A battery-powered device with light and sound outputs, a motor, and a hand-crank generator.
Is there an engineering design part?
Yes. Half of the pack follows the design cycle: goal, limits, compare designs, fair test, revise and retest.
How do I open it after buying?
Enter your unlock code on the Unlock page, then share the pack with students from Share with students.
Get Energy Conversions
Already have an unlock code? Unlock this pack, then open it in FireFlash.