MS: NGSS Thermal Energy & Chemical Design Lab Bundle

Thermal Energy & Chemical Design Lab Bundle | NGSS MS-PS1-6 | Grades 6–8

Can a cheese puff boil water? Why does stronger vinegar make magnesium heat up faster? Why would a company put fertilizer in a cold pack? And why can a thick pour of epoxy glue get hot enough to smoke? This bundle of four hands-on labs gives students new phenomena that release or absorb thermal energy. Each one puts students in the role of engineers who test a design, look at the data, and make it better.

What's Included

Four complete labs, each in its own folder, with:

• Teacher Guide (4 pages): what the lab does, when to use it, materials and prep, lesson flow, "Listen for," misconceptions with quick fixes, a differentiation menu, a CER scoring guide, standards alignment, and "Staying Within the NGSS" notes
• Student Lab Sheet (6 pages): background, vocabulary, a prediction, a design rule and safety notes, the procedure with sketch boxes, data tables, reference data, analysis with an energy flow model, higher-order thinking, an optional challenge, a CER, and an exit ticket
• Answer Key (4 pages): sample data, model answers, and CER examples at three levels (Meets, Approaching, Needs Development), each with ready-to-use feedback for students

The Labs

1. Food Fuel: Burning Snacks to Heat Water. Students burn a cheese puff under a can of water and measure how much the water warms. Then they redesign the heater with a foil chimney and test it again. Key idea: combustion releases thermal energy, but most of it escapes unless the device is designed to capture it.
2. Magnesium in Vinegar: Does Concentration Matter? Students drop magnesium ribbon into 100%, 50%, and 25% vinegar, plus a water control. Key idea: the concentration of a reactant changes how much thermal energy is released and how fast. Students connect their results to the self-heating meal packs used by soldiers and campers.
3. Choosing the Best Cold Pack Chemical. Students test four new substances (urea, potassium chloride, Epsom salt, and sodium thiosulfate). Then they score each one for temperature, cost, and safety in a weighted decision matrix. Key idea: engineers weigh trade-offs, because no chemical is best on every criterion.
4. Epoxy Heat: Why Thick Pours Get Hot. Students mix small batches of 5-minute epoxy in cups and spread one batch thin, tracking the temperature with an infrared thermometer. Key idea: the amount of a substance controls how much energy is released, and the shape controls how fast it escapes. Students use their data to design a safer pour.

Each lab takes about 50 minutes. Each one uses a different chemical process and focuses on a different design factor, so the labs never repeat one another.

Differentiation for Every Learner

Every student works toward the same standard (MS-PS1-6). The supports change how students get there, not what they're held to. Every Teacher Guide includes a differentiation menu and a "How to Differentiate Within the NGSS" section.

• ELL / Multilingual Learners: word banks, picture cards, sentence frames, and color-coded materials. Students can show what they know with labeled sketches, graphs, and a completed decision matrix, and are scored on the science idea, not English grammar.
• Neurodivergent Learners: role cards (measurer, timer, reader, recorder), step cards with check boxes, pre-measured materials, pre-filled time columns, and the option to type or dictate the CER. Always follow IEPs and 504 plans.
• Advanced / Honors: go deeper, not further ahead. Students test a third design, compare graph slopes, test surface area, write their own decision-matrix weights, or plan an epoxy pour that stays under a set temperature, all without energy calculations.

Why Teachers Love It

• Fresh phenomena that don't repeat the cold packs, hand warmers, or insulation labs from the unit
• Real-world connections: camp stoves, self-heating meal packs, store-bought cold packs, and resin tables
• Stays within the NGSS: students measure amount, time, and temperature only
• Ready-to-use CER scoring guides and sample answers at three levels

Standards: MS-PS1-6; PS1.B; ETS1.B; ETS1.C; SEP Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions; CCC Energy and Matter

Pair It With the Full Unit!

These labs were designed to go with the Thermal & Chemical Energy Unit, a 7-lesson NGSS unit. The unit includes a 20-page Teacher Guide, Student Notes, Exit Tickets, a design performance task, a 60-point End-of-Unit Assessment, and full answer keys. Each lab's Teacher Guide shows where it fits:

• Food Fuel: after Lesson 2 (Energy-Releasing Processes) or Lesson 5 (Controlling Energy Transfer)
• Magnesium in Vinegar: after Lesson 4 (Changing the Temperature: Variables)
• Choosing the Best Cold Pack Chemical: after Lesson 3 (Energy-Absorbing Processes) or just before the Lesson 7 Performance Task
• Epoxy Heat: after Lesson 5 (Controlling Energy Transfer)

Together, the unit and the bundle give students a complete MS-PS1-6 experience with more chances to design, test, and improve.

Terms of Use

This purchase is for single-classroom use only. Please do not share, post, or distribute this resource. If colleagues would like to use it, additional licenses are available at a discount. See the included Terms of Use for full details.

Questions?

If you have questions or need support with this resource, please contact NextWave Science at nextwavescience@gmail.com. Thank you for bringing hands-on science into your classroom!