Grade 7 · Heat in the Environment · Heat in the Environment
Trace Heat Through a Home
Heat is energy transferred because of a temperature difference. Particle motion and electromagnetic radiation help explain how that transfer occurs.
Visual model
See how the ideas connect
Connect heat to particle motion
Compare three transfer mechanisms
Apply heat transfer to climate and design
Heat in the Environment
For students
Notice, predict, explain
Choose one part of the model. Predict how it connects to another part, then use the lesson evidence to explain your thinking.
For teachers
Pause for science talk
Show the model before the explanation. Ask “What do you notice?” and “What might change?” Then revisit student ideas after the worked example.
The big idea
Heat moves by different mechanisms in one connected system
Conduction transfers energy through particle collisions, convection moves energy with fluids, and radiation transfers energy by electromagnetic waves. Real situations often involve all three.
Work it through
Analyse a sunny room in winter
- Step 1 Sunlight enters through a window by radiation and is absorbed by surfaces, warming them.
- Step 2 Warm surfaces transfer energy by conduction to touching materials and by radiation to other surfaces.
- Step 3 Heated air becomes less dense, rises, and circulates through convection while cooler air replaces it.
- Step 4 Insulation, sealed gaps, efficient windows, and well-managed solar gain can reduce unwanted transfer while meeting cost and environmental goals.