Summary

In this activity, students will watch a video and answer questions about how both the thermometer and the concept of temperature evolved over time.

Grade Level

Elementary, Middle, and High School

Objectives

By the end of this activity, students should be able to

• Identify the three different temperature scales.
• Explain the basic concept of how a thermometer works.
• Distinguish between the temperature scales: Fahrenheit, Celsius and Kelvin.
• Understand that temperature values can be converted from one unit to another.

Chemistry Topics

This activity supports students’ understanding of

• Temperature
• Measurements
• SI units
• Accuracy
• Physical properties
• History of Chemistry

Time

Teacher Preparation: minimal

Lesson: 10 minutes

Materials

• The Temperature Guys Video
• Student Handout
• Projector with Volume
• AACT Student Pass (optional)

Safety

• No specific safety precautions need to be observed for this activity.

Teacher Notes

• The Temperature Guys video was developed as a part of the AACT original video series, Founders of Chemistry. The entire series can be found here.
• The running time of this video is five minutes and forty seconds.
• This video is intended for students to watch, and for teachers to integrate into their curriculum.
• The student questions/answers are presented in sequential order in the video.
• An answer key has also been provided for teacher reference.
• Videos can be shown with the use of a classroom projector, or teachers can generate a Student Pass through their AACT membership to allow students to independently access the video.