Lesson Plan

• Describe how heating a fluid changes its density and creates buoyancy forces.
• Explain the mechanism of convection currents in liquids and gases.
• Identify real‑world examples of convection in everyday contexts.
• Conduct and interpret simple experiments that demonstrate convection.

• Transparent beakers or convection tank
• Water and food colouring
• Small electric heater or hot plate
• Candle and safety tray
• Ice pack or cooling element
• Thermometer (optional)
• Projector and slides

Begin with a quick demonstration: hold a lit candle and ask students what they notice about the surrounding air. Recall that fluids move when density changes, linking to prior lessons on heat transfer. Today’s success criteria: students will explain the density‑driven mechanism of convection and describe at least two classroom experiments.

1. Do‑now (5') – Students answer a short question on why warm air rises, recorded on an exit card.
2. Mini‑lecture (10') – Define convection, show the density‑temperature equation, compare liquids and gases with slides.
3. Demonstration 1 (8') – Heated water in a beaker with food colouring; students observe and note the motion.
4. Demonstration 2 (7') – Candle flame and paper test; discuss buoyancy of warm air.
5. Group activity (12') – Small groups set up the convection tank (heat‑cool ends) and record the dye pattern; teacher circulates with probing questions.
6. Check for understanding (5') – Quick quiz (Kahoot or hand‑out) covering key concepts and examples.

Summarise that convection occurs whenever heating creates a lower‑density region that rises, forming a circulating loop. For the exit ticket, each student writes one real‑world example of convection and the underlying density change. Assign homework to research a natural convection phenomenon (e.g., ocean currents) and prepare a brief explanation.