How Does a Flashlight Work β Reading Comprehension
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Grades
3
4
5
Standards
NGSS 4-PS3-2
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This learning resource is available in interactive and printable formats. The interactive worksheet can be played online and assigned to students. The Printable PDF version can be downloaded and printed for completion by hand.
This 250-word informational reading passage helps Grade 4 students understand energy transformation through the familiar example of a flashlight. Aligned with NGSS standards PS3.A, PS3.B, and PS3.D, the passage walks students through each step of energy conversion: from chemical energy stored in batteries to electrical energy flowing through circuits to light energy and thermal energy produced by the bulb. Students learn how pressing a switch closes a circuit and how a reflector directs light into a beam. The passage uses simple, age-appropriate language and concrete examples to build foundational understanding of energy chains and transformations. Audio-integrated features support diverse learners, including English language learners and students with reading challenges. The passage includes bolded vocabulary terms with immediate definitions, helping students master key concepts like chemical energy, electrical energy, circuit, and thermal energy. Supplementary activities include multiple-choice comprehension questions, writing prompts that ask students to explain and apply concepts, and graphic organizers that help visualize the sequence of energy transformations. This resource provides teachers with a complete instructional package for introducing energy conversion concepts in an engaging, accessible way that meets NGSS disciplinary core ideas for elementary physical science education.
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A flashlight is a useful tool that changes one form of energy into another through a process called energy transformation. Image credit stux / Pixabay.
A flashlight is a useful tool that changes one form of energy into another. This process is called energy transformation, which means energy changes from one type to a different type. Understanding how a flashlight works helps us see how energy moves and changes in many devices we use every day.
Inside a flashlight are batteries that store chemical energy. Chemical energy is energy stored in materials that can be released. When you press the flashlight's switch, you close a circuit, which is a complete path that lets electricity flow. The chemical energy in the batteries then converts to electrical energy, which is energy that moves through wires.
The electrical energy travels through wires to reach the bulb. At the bulb, another energy transformation happens. The electrical energy converts to light energy, which is energy we can see, and some thermal energy, which is heat energy. This is why a flashlight bulb feels warm after it has been on for a while.
Behind the bulb is a curved piece of shiny metal called a reflector. The reflector directs the light forward in a beam, making the flashlight more useful. This one small device shows a chain of energy transformations: chemical energy to electrical energy to light energy and thermal energy. Each step is important for the flashlight to work properly.
What type of energy do batteries store?
Chemical energyLight energySound energyWind energy
What happens when you press the switch?
The batteries fall outThe circuit closesThe bulb breaksThe reflector moves
What does the reflector do in flashlight?
Stores the batteriesMakes the switch workDirects light forward in beamCools down the bulb
Why does a flashlight bulb feel warm?
It produces thermal energyThe batteries are hotThe switch creates heatThe reflector heats it up
What energy travels through the wires?
Chemical energyElectrical energyLight energyThermal energy
What energy types does bulb produce?
Only light energyOnly thermal energyLight and thermal energyChemical and electrical energy
A circuit is a complete path.
TrueFalse
What does energy transformation mean?
Energy disappears completelyEnergy changes from one type to anotherEnergy stays exactly the sameEnergy only moves to different places