Where Does the Heat Go?

Where Does the Heat Go?: Grade 4 Science Worksheet

Does cold move into your knee from an ice pack? A short story shows that only heat moves, always from hot to cold. Students read a short story about Mia, who holds hot cocoa on a cold morning, puts an ice pack on her knee after soccer, and leaves her juice in the sun. Then they answer circle questions about which way heat moves and what gets warmer or cooler.

Key Science Vocabulary

• heat: energy that moves from hot to cold
• temperature: how hot or cold something is
• ice pack: a cold pack that takes heat from your body
• warmer: gaining heat
• cooler: losing heat

What Students Do

• Read a short story about Mia’s day with three doodles
• Part A: three circle questions on which way heat moves
• Part B: three circle questions on warmer or cooler
• Answer key with a red reason line

Standards

Florida SC.4.P.11.1: Recognize that heat flows from a hot object to a cold object and that heat flow may cause materials to change temperature. Builds toward NGSS MS-PS3-3 (thermal energy transfer).

Where It Fits in Grades 3 to 8

This story sheet pairs with Heat Moves From Hot to Cold. In middle school, students use the same idea to explain conduction, insulation, and why a cold drink warms up on a hot day.

Teaching Tip

After reading, act out the story: one student is the hot cocoa and passes a ball (the heat) to the cold hands. Prints clearly in black and white and takes 8 to 10 minutes.