Potential and Kinetic Energy

Potential and Kinetic Energy Worksheet (Grade 6 Science, TEKS 6.8A)

This one-page reading and activity sheet follows a coaster from the top of a hill, where it has the most gravitational potential energy, to the bottom, where most of that energy has become kinetic energy and some has been transferred to the surroundings as heat and sound.

What's Inside

• A Big Question box: "How does energy change as a roller coaster moves?"
• A roller coaster doodle with points A, B, and C, and a compare and contrast table for potential and kinetic energy
• Activity 1: Students write the letter of the point with the most potential energy, the most kinetic energy, and where energy is changing
• Activity 2: Four true or false sentences, including that energy is not created or destroyed
• A visual answer key with answers marked in red

How Teachers Use It

Use it to wrap up TEKS 6.8A and lead into 6.8B energy transformations. The sheet takes about 10 minutes, needs no prior knowledge, and prints clearly in black and white.

This worksheet is part of the Reading in Science series for grade 6. It supports TEKS 6.8A: compare and contrast gravitational, elastic, and chemical potential energies with kinetic energy. It is one of four connected TEKS 6.8A sheets: what energy is, gravitational potential energy, elastic and chemical potential energy, and comparing potential and kinetic energy. The unit big idea is that energy can be stored, transferred, and transformed, but it is not created or destroyed.

Why It Works

Each sheet opens with a Big Question, teaches the key terms in plain words with simple black-and-white doodles, and then asks students to use only what the page taught. The focus is on comparing kinds of energy, not formulas, and the visual answer key lets teachers check work fast.