Heat: Hot and Cold, Conductors and Insulators — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 3 energy, light, sound & electricity worksheet.
Success TutoringWorksheetsAnswer sheetYear 3 · Science · Energy, Light, Sound & ElectricityHeat: Hot and Cold, Conductors and Insulators — Answers
Part A: How heat moves
Read the passage. Then circle the best answer.
Heat is a kind of energy. The Sun is our biggest source of heat. Fire, electric heaters and ovens give off heat too. Rubbing your hands together quickly also makes them warm.
Heat always moves from something hotter to something colder. A hot drink left on a table cools down because its heat moves into the cooler air around it. An ice cube in your hand melts because heat moves from your warm hand into the ice.
Conductors are materials that let heat move through them easily. Most metals are good conductors. Insulators slow heat down. Wood, plastic, wool, cork and air are good insulators.
We measure how hot or cold something is (its temperature) with a thermometer.
- Aan ice cube
- Bthe Sun
- Ca glass of cold water
- Da metal spoon
Answer: the Sun
The Sun gives off heat and light. The others do not make heat.
- Afrom the spoon to the soup
- Bfrom the soup to the spoon
- Cit does not move
- Dfrom the spoon into the air only
Answer: from the soup to the spoon
Heat always moves from the hotter thing to the colder thing, so heat moves from the soup into the spoon.
- Awood
- Bplastic
- Cmetal
- Dwool
Answer: metal
Metals let heat pass through them easily. That is why pots and pans are made of metal.
- AThey look nicer.
- BThey make the food cook faster.
- CThey are heavier.
- DPlastic and wood are insulators, so the handle stays cooler.
Answer: Plastic and wood are insulators, so the handle stays cooler.
Insulators slow down heat, so the handle does not get as hot as the metal pan.
- Aa thermometer
- Ba ruler
- Ca scale
- Da clock
Answer: a thermometer
A thermometer measures temperature, often in degrees Celsius (°C).
Part B: Conductors and insulators
- a metal pot
- a wool hat
- a wooden spoon
- insulator
- conductor
- insulator
Answer: a metal pot → conductor; a wool hat → insulator; a wooden spoon → insulator
Answer: colder
Also accept: cooler.
Answer: insulator
Answer: Heat moves from your warm hand into the colder ice, and the heat makes the ice melt.
Part C: True or false?
Write True or False.
Answer: False
A coat does not make heat. It is an insulator: it slows down the heat leaving your body, so you stay warm.
Answer: True
Heat moves through metal easily.
Answer: False
Heat moves the other way: from hotter things to colder things.
Answer: True
Its heat moves into the cooler air and table until the drink is the same temperature as the room.
Part D: Working scientifically: keep the ice cube cold
You can try this at home. Record what each ice cube looks like each time you check.
Take two ice cubes of the same size from the freezer. Put each on its own small plate. Ice cube A has no cover. Ice cube B is wrapped in a thick cloth or a woolly sock. Leave both plates side by side in the same room and check them every 10 minutes.
Answer: Ice cube A, the one on the plate with no cover.
Answer: Whether the ice cube is wrapped in cloth or not.
Answer: Any two of: the same size ice cubes, the same plates, the same place in the room, the same starting time, checking them at the same times.
Model answer: The wrapped ice cube (B) lasted longer. The cloth is an insulator, so it slowed down the heat moving from the warm air into the ice. The ice cube with no cover got heat from the air faster, so it melted first.
Success criteria:
- States that the wrapped ice cube lasted longer
- Explains that the cloth is an insulator that slows heat moving into the ice
- Uses the idea that heat moves from the warmer air to the colder ice
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.
Great work. Here's what to try next: