Thermal Conductors vs. Thermal Insulators

Heat conductors and heat insulators differ in their ability to transfer or resist heat flow. Understanding their differences is essential in everyday situations and when learning about heat energy.

An experienced teacher has created this cut-and-paste worksheet to help students understand the fundamental concept of heat conductors and heat insulators and differentiate between materials and objects in our everyday lives. Students are provided with a list of things, and they need to sort these objectives into either Professor Conductors tools or Professor Insulators tools.

Some of the different materials include:

Aluminum foil, wood, glass, metal spoons, coins, cooking pot, paper clip, pencil, ceramic teapot, metal tray, BBQ grill

Learning About Thermal Energy

Here are some topics that can be covered in heat energy in the classroom.

• Heat transfer – explore heat transfer such as conduction, convection, and radiation.
• Thermal properties – dive into the characteristics of materials as conductors and insulators.
• Heat sources  – investigate the originals of heat energy.

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More Heat Conductor and Heat Insulator Resources

For more resources to help teach about heat conductors and heat insulators, we have you covered…

teaching resource

Conductors and Insulators Worksheet

Use this insulators and conductors worksheet with your students to practice identifying the characteristics of thermal and electrical energy.