--- title: Color and Temperature Experiment | Engaging K-Grade Science Lessons | KnowAtom description: Explore how color influences heat absorption in materials through hands-on experiments designed for kindergarten students, enhancing their understanding of the sun's energy. --- More Lessons for Your State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington Washington DC West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Other NGSS # Color and Temperature In Kindergarten, students begin to develop practices that scientists and engineers use to gather data, make and test hypotheses, and design prototypes based on evidence to solve problems. During this lesson students will ask questions, engage in Socratic dialogue, gather evidence through experimentation, and solve problems as they explore how the sun heats different Earth materials. This page is a high-level extract from lesson 10 where students build on their understanding of the sun’s energy to heat objects by conducting an experiment to investigate how color affects heat absorption. 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It helps teachers facilitate student discussion and ask key questions to help students think analytically about the topic they are studying. In this lesson, students expand on their understanding of how the sun heats materials on Earth with an exploration into how an object’s color affects how warm it gets. For example, the hillsides of Santorini and other Greek islands are famous for their whitewashed buildings that dot the coastline. There are some cultural reasons for the iconic colors of the buildings (such as blue and white are the colors of the Greek flag), but there is one very practical reason as well: the white color reflects almost all sunlight, which makes the buildings cooler than if they were painted a darker color. #### Supports Grade K ![Sneak Peek Seal with Arrow](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Sneak%20Peek%20Seal%20with%20Arrow.svg) ## Science Lesson: How Color Affects Temperature In this lesson students discover how materials of different colors absorb different amounts of heat from sunlight or other sources of heat (e.g. a lamp). Students conduct an experiment with black rocks and white rocks to see how their temperature varies after the same amount of time in the sun. [Download a Sample Unit ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum#state) ## Science Big Ideas - Some materials become hotter than other materials when they are warmed by the sun. Color plays an important role in how much a certain material absorbs heat. - Dark colors (such as black) absorb more sunlight than light colors (such as white). Light bounces off white and lighter colors more than black and darker colors. ![sample unit-k8 science curriculum-knowatom](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Sample%20Unit%20CTA-2.png?width=327&height=264&name=Sample%20Unit%20CTA-2.png) ###### Discover Complete Hands-on Screens-off Core Science Curriculum for K-8 Classrooms Prepared hands-on materials, full year grade-specific curriculum, and personalized live professional development designed to support mastery of current state science standards. [Click Here to Learn More](https://www.knowatom.com/talk-to-knowatom-sales) ## Science Essential Questions - How does color affect the way a material feels when it is in the sun? - Will a darker-colored object feel hotter or cooler in the sun than a lighter-colored object? - How do scientists and engineers use their scientific knowledge of colors and temperature to design houses in hot places? ## Common Science Misconceptions ![close-circle-red](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Icon%20ionic-ios-close-circle-red-1.svg) **Misconception:** The seasons cause weather to change. ![checkmark-circle-green](https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Icon%20ionic-ios-checkmark-circle-green.svg) **Fact:** Seasons have specific weather patterns associated with them, but they aren’t the cause of the weather.  ## Science Vocabulary **Engineer :** a person who uses scientific knowledge to solve problems ## Lexile(R) Certified Non-Fiction Science Reading (Excerpt) ![image2](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grade/image2.png?width=262&height=340&name=image2.png) ![image3](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grade/image3.png?width=264&height=340&name=image3.png) ## Hands-on Science Activity The hands-on activity is a mini-lesson in which students discover how different colors absorb different amounts of heat from the sun. Students explore this concept by conducting an experiment to compare the temperature of how black rocks feel in the sun versus white rocks. As they document their observations in a chart, students discuss with each other the differences they noticed and come to a conclusion about how darker and lighter colors absorb more or less heat. They will also explore how scientists and engineers use this understanding to design objects and tools to help people keep cool in the heat of the sun. [ Learn More About KnowAtom ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum) ## Science Assessments KnowAtom incorporates formative and summative assessments designed to make students thinking visible for deeper student-centered learning. - Vocabulary Check - Lab Checkpoints - Concept Check Assessment  - Concept Map Assessment  - And More... [Download a Sample Unit ](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum#state) ![image1](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Grade/image1.png?width=598&height=756&name=image1.png) ![alabama state standard](https://www.knowatom.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Alabama-State-Standards-Alignment-1.png?width=540&height=402&name=Alabama-State-Standards-Alignment-1.png) ###### See How KnowAtom Aligns to NGSS Science Standards Discover hands-on screens-off core science curriculum for student centered K-8 classrooms. KnowAtom supports classrooms with all hands-on materials, curriculum, and professional development to support mastery of the standards. [Download the Alignment to NGSS](https://www.knowatom.com/stem-curriculum) ** Standards Tags: ** [K-PS3-1](https://www.knowatom.com/k-ps3-1) , [K-PS3-2](https://www.knowatom.com/k-ps3-2) , [K.1.3](https://www.knowatom.com/k.1.3) , [K.1.4](https://www.knowatom.com/k.1.4) , [K.PS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ps1.1) , [SKP1](https://www.knowatom.com/skp1) , [S2P1](https://www.knowatom.com/s2p1) , [K.E1U1.4](https://www.knowatom.com/k.e1u1.4) , [0P.1.2.1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/0p.1.2.1.1) , [K.PS3.A.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ps3.a.1) , [3.2.K.C](https://www.knowatom.com/3.2.k.c) , [1.ESS.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ess.1) , [Asking questions and defining problems](https://www.knowatom.com/asking-questions-and-defining-problems) , [Developing and using models](https://www.knowatom.com/developing-and-using-models) , [Planning and carrying out investigations](https://www.knowatom.com/planning-and-carrying-out-investigations) , [Analyzing and interpreting data](https://www.knowatom.com/analyzing-and-interpreting-data) , [Constructing explanations and designing solutions](https://www.knowatom.com/constructing-explanations-and-designing-solutions) , [Obtaining evaluating and communicating information](https://www.knowatom.com/obtaining-evaluating-and-communicating-information) , [Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer](https://www.knowatom.com/conservation-of-energy-and-energy-transfer) , [Cause and Effect](https://www.knowatom.com/cause-and-effect) , [Earth’s Systems 7](https://www.knowatom.com/earths-systems-7) , ### Supports Grade K #### Science Standards - [K-PS3-1](https://www.knowatom.com/k-ps3-1) - [K-PS3-2](https://www.knowatom.com/k-ps3-2) - [K.1.3](https://www.knowatom.com/k.1.3) - [K.1.4](https://www.knowatom.com/k.1.4) - [K.PS1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ps1.1) - [SKP1](https://www.knowatom.com/skp1) - [S2P1](https://www.knowatom.com/s2p1) - [K.E1U1.4](https://www.knowatom.com/k.e1u1.4) - [0P.1.2.1.1](https://www.knowatom.com/0p.1.2.1.1) - [K.PS3.A.1](https://www.knowatom.com/k.ps3.a.1) - [3.2.K.C](https://www.knowatom.com/3.2.k.c) - [1.ESS.1](https://www.knowatom.com/1.ess.1) - [Asking questions and defining problems](https://www.knowatom.com/asking-questions-and-defining-problems) - [Developing and using models](https://www.knowatom.com/developing-and-using-models) - [Planning and carrying out investigations](https://www.knowatom.com/planning-and-carrying-out-investigations) - [Analyzing and interpreting data](https://www.knowatom.com/analyzing-and-interpreting-data) - [Constructing explanations and designing solutions](https://www.knowatom.com/constructing-explanations-and-designing-solutions) - [Obtaining evaluating and communicating information](https://www.knowatom.com/obtaining-evaluating-and-communicating-information) - [Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer](https://www.knowatom.com/conservation-of-energy-and-energy-transfer) - [Cause and Effect](https://www.knowatom.com/cause-and-effect) - [Earth’s Systems 7](https://www.knowatom.com/earths-systems-7) [![New call-to-action](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/347944/b5a1446e-d782-4a5f-a019-0b3b98c8304f.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/347944/b5a1446e-d782-4a5f-a019-0b3b98c8304f) Standards citation: NGSS Lead States. 2013. Next Generation Science Standards: For States, By States. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Neither WestEd nor the lead states and partners that developed the Next Generation Science Standards were involved in the production of this product, and do not endorse it. ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org", "@type" : "Organization", "address" : { "@type" : "PostalAddress", "addressCountry" : "USA", "addressLocality" : "Salem", "addressRegion" : "MA", "postalCode" : "01970", "streetAddress" : "27 Congress Suite 410" }, "alternateName" : "KA", "areaServed" : { "@type" : "GeoCircle", "geoMidpoint" : { "@type" : "GeoCoordinates", "latitude" : "+42.5182274", "longitude" : "-70.8877569" }, "geoRadius" : "150 km" }, "description" : "Next Generation Science STEM Curriculum", "email" : "fvigeant@knowatom.com", "image" : "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/KA-GSD.png", "logo" : "https://www.knowatom.com/hubfs/Knowatom-2017/Image/logo-1.png", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.knowatom.com/science-phenomena-videos/kindergarten-science/color-and-temperature", "@type" : "WebPage", "description" : "Explore how color influences heat absorption in materials through hands-on experiments designed for kindergarten students, enhancing their understanding of the sun's energy." }, "name" : "KnowAtom", "sameAs" : [ "https://www.facebook.com/KnowAtom", "https://twitter.com/KnowAtom", "https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCS0rbN0RfqaU1xaISrdVpTA", "https://plus.google.com/110709105138117096940" ], "telephone" : "(617) 475-3475", "url" : "https://www.knowatom.com" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.knowatom.com", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.knowatom.com/science-phenomena-videos", "name" : "Science Phenomena Videos", "position" : 2 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.knowatom.com/science-phenomena-videos/kindergarten-science", "name" : "Kindergarten Science", "position" : 3 }, { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.knowatom.com/science-phenomena-videos/kindergarten-science/color-and-temperature", "name" : "Color And Temperature", "position" : 4 } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : [ "WebPage", "LearningResource" ], "description" : "Explore how color influences heat absorption in materials through hands-on experiments designed for kindergarten students, enhancing their understanding of the sun's energy.", "educationalLevel" : "Elementary School", "learningResourceType" : [ "lesson plan", "hands-on activity", "phenomena video" ], "name" : "GKU1L10 Color and Temperature", "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "KnowAtom", "url" : "https://www.knowatom.com" }, "teaches" : [ "life cycle", "metamorphosis", "pollination" ], "url" : "https://www.knowatom.com/science-phenomena-videos/kindergarten-science/color-and-temperature" } ```