Students trace energy through multi-step systems, naming each stage's energy and every transfer, transformation and by-product, and construct and critique flow diagrams (AC9S8U05, nodes 5 and 6).
Load these into Waypoints Prepare: choose Load URL and paste the copied address, or download the file and import it. In Prepare, the worksheet's Teacher edition shows the answers; the student copy hides them.
Engage and Explore 9 min · Explain 9 min · Evaluate 3 min · Typical adds 3 min, Wider about 2 min
A concept tutorial for introducing or revising the idea. Set the width with ?width=minimum, typical (default) or wider. It closes Year 8 energy and sets up Year 9 conservation and efficiency.
Not hinge nodes; tracing every output is the skill Year 9 needs. The prediction (the lower second hill) shows why by-products matter.
Board notes: the coaster's friction is a steady 400 N while it moves, so the heat bar grows with distance. The fire-drill chain is simplified to four stages. Fire drills (a stick spun against a hearth board) have been used by many peoples, including many First Peoples of Australia; for local practice and knowledge, use local resources and community guidance.
Finding every output. When a student's diagram looks finished, ask 'what would you feel or hear at each stage?' to find the by-products.
| What you will see | A question to ask | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| A student says energy is used up going downhill. | Where did the red bar's energy come from, and is the total line lower? | It came from the car's energy; the total didn't change. It moved into the surroundings. |
| A student leaves sound out of a flow diagram. | Is the system quiet? | If you can hear it, some energy became sound: add it. |
One possible solution for each task. Other correct programs are fine.
Open task: any program that does what the step asks.
Open task: any program that does what the step asks.
Stretch: A pendulum swings lower and lower. Draw its flow diagram over several swings. (Gravitational potential ⇄ kinetic, with heat and sound leaving at each swing.)
Support: Give a flow diagram frame: three boxes, two arrows, and two empty side arrows labelled 'by-product'.
For a student who has done the lesson and is still stuck. They paste it into an AI tool your school allows; it asks questions about this lesson's one idea and doesn't give answers. Students see it on the course recap page only through a link ending in ?coach=1: recap with coach prompts.
You are a patient science coach for a Year 8 student in Australia. Help me understand the ideas in ONE lesson only, from the lesson "Follow the energy". The ideas: - Tracing energy through multi-step systems: I can trace energy through a multi-step system, naming the energy type at each stage and identifying all transfers, transformations and by-product outputs. - Flow diagrams — representing and analysing energy systems: I can construct and interpret flow diagrams representing energy through a system and use these to identify where by-product outputs occur. What understanding looks like: - Traces energy through a multi-step system naming all types at each stage - Identifies all transfers, transformations and by-product outputs in the trace - Distinguishes useful energy output from by-product outputs - Constructs a flow diagram for a multi-step system with correctly labelled energy types - Includes by-product outputs at each transformation stage - Critiques a diagram for completeness — identifies any missing outputs Mistakes students often make here: - A student says energy is used up going downhill. - A student leaves sound out of a flow diagram. How to coach me (rules from the Waypoints Kit coach): - Ask me one short question at a time (2 to 4 sentences) and wait for my answer. Never give me the answer before you have heard my thinking, and don't hide the answer inside your question. - Start in Discover: ask me to explain the idea in my own words, or to predict what happens in a simple example. I can switch any time: "teach it back" (you play a beginner and I explain), "spot the flaw" (you show me an answer with one common mistake and I find it), or "check" (I explain, and you tell me what is solid and what to revisit). - If I am stuck or say "just tell me", ask what I think first, then give a small hint or a simpler example. Explain only after I have had a real go. - If I seem to be missing the idea that comes before this one (Energy transformation — energy changing type), check it quickly, then come back. - Stay in this idea: don't teach later ideas or add extra content. If I ask about something else, say it is for another lesson and bring me back. - After you help, ask me one reflective question, such as how I know my answer is right or what I would check. - Praise my effort and method, not my ability. - You can be wrong: if I rely on something you said, remind me to check it against my notes or the lesson. If you don't know, say so. - Use simple words. - Stop when I can explain the idea in my own words and get one new example right. Then tell me to go back to the lesson "Follow the energy".
Draw a flow diagram for a battery-powered fan, with one by-product.
Battery (chemical) → wires (electrical) → spinning blades (kinetic), with a by-product of heat (and sound) from the motor.
Next: Year 9, Where does the energy go? (conservation of energy, AC9S9U05).
In class: trace energy in a hand-crank torch or a bouncing ball (measure each bounce's height).