The Next Generation Science Standards lay out a model of energy that locates energy within objects and fields, and tracks energy as it transfers between these objects and transforms between forms of energy while always being conserved. This model of energy pervades much of modern science and represents a foundational, cross-cutting concept for students. However, because it is abstract, energy is a very difficult topic for most students to learn. We have developed Energy Cubes to help make energy more concrete for students. Energy Cubes allow groups of learners to represent the dynamic energy changes in real-world scenarios by moving and flipping cubes on a horizontal shared workspace (see Fig. 1.) While Energy Cubes are accessible for elementary students, with carefully chosen scenarios we have found that Energy Cubes promote sophisticated and rigorous reasoning and argumentation among learners at all grade levels. The rules of Energy Cubes are presented in Fig. 2.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
February 2021
PAPERS|
February 01 2021
Energy Cubes Available to Purchase
Lane Seeley;
Lane Seeley
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Kara Gray;
Kara Gray
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Amy D. Robertson
Amy D. Robertson
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]
Search for other works by this author on:
Lane Seeley
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]
Kara Gray
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]
Amy D. Robertson
Seattle Pacific University
, Seattle WA, 98119; [email protected]Phys. Teach. 59, 89–93 (2021)
Citation
Lane Seeley, Kara Gray, Amy D. Robertson; Energy Cubes. Phys. Teach. 1 February 2021; 59 (2): 89–93. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0003457
Download citation file:
Pay-Per-View Access
$40.00
Sign In
You could not be signed in. Please check your credentials and make sure you have an active account and try again.
Citing articles via
A “Perpetual Motion Machine” Powered by Electromagnetism
Hollis Williams
Values Reflected in Energy-Related Physics Concepts
Kara E. Gray, Rachel E. Scherr
Related Content
Where does energy go when it's “Gone”? Promoting understanding of energy dissipation
Am. J. Phys. (July 2019)
Development of GeoGebra-based mathematics learning media integrated with investigative questions on cubes material
AIP Conf. Proc. (March 2025)
The identification of students’ mistakes on mathematical communication ability in three-dimensional shapes of geometry: Cube and cuboid
AIP Conf. Proc. (April 2021)
A Gauss’s Law Computer Simulation in GlowScript
Phys. Teach. (May 2022)
A Low-Cost 3D Printed Meterstick Caliper Jaw
Phys. Teach. (September 2020)