Hot or Cold? Heat and Temperature

About This Resource

A free Grade 3 science worksheet pack on heat and temperature: what heat is, how a thermometer measures temperature in degrees, heat moving from warmer to cooler things, sources of heat, conductors and insulators, and keeping things warm or cool. Includes a timed lesson plan, worksheet, editable Word version and answer key.

Overview

Students learn that heat is a form of energy and temperature tells us how hot or cold something is. They read thermometers in degrees Fahrenheit and Celsius, find out that heat always moves from a warmer object to a cooler one, name sources of heat, sort materials into conductors and insulators, and explain how we keep drinks hot or cold.

Resource Details

Subject: Science
Topic: Heat and Temperature
Category: Forces & Energy
File Type: PDF
File Size: 243.9 KB
Published: 31 Oct 2026
Downloads: 0

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Grade 3 (ages 8–9) 40 minutes Energy measuring reading thermometers classifying explaining

Student Task

Ask students to hold a cold metal spoon and a wooden spoon. Ask why one feels colder.
Teach the key ideas, then do activities 1 and 2 together.
Students complete activities 3 to 5; answers are in the answer key.

Classroom Use

Melting race: put ice cubes on a metal tray, a plastic plate and a wooden board and see which melts first.
Warm hands: rub hands together quickly to feel friction make heat.
Cup test: wrap one cup of warm water in a scarf and leave one bare; measure both after 20 minutes.

Differentiation

Support: use real thermometers and a picture word bank. Challenge: design a container to keep an ice cube frozen for the longest time.

Answer Key & Assessment

Activities 1 to 4 check heat, temperature and insulators (answer key included). Activity 5 checks explanations.

Learning Objectives

Explain the difference between heat and temperature.
Read a thermometer and record temperatures in degrees.
Describe how heat moves and how insulators slow it down.

Teacher Tips

Children often think cold moves into things. Explain that heat moves out: a metal spoon feels cold because it takes heat from your hand quickly.

What's Included

6-page printable PDF lesson pack: teacher lesson plan with timings, materials and differentiation
Key vocabulary list (4 words with meanings and examples)
Student worksheet (5 activities)
Editable Word version of the worksheet
Complete answer key (also as a separate PDF)