Keep this light. Do not hand out cards or name the four energy jobs yet. Let pupils call out things they notice (lights, board, heater, clock, their own bodies after PE).

Key question: What is making these things work? Accept everyday answers (electricity, batteries, food) and hold the word energy for the next step.

Have the picture cards ready face-down for later, but do not show them here.

Before cards go out: after naming energy and the four jobs, speak the wall-clock noticing cycle aloud (full worked example below). Do not move to the hunt until the class has heard one complete model.

Teach on the board in short spoken lines only: name energy, then the four jobs. Do not put a full glossary of three terms on the IWB. Hold our own energy until the end of the card hunt in the next step.

Use the table below as your reference (not for the board).

Misconception to head off: children may say energy is only electricity. Energy also comes from food for our bodies, and from fuels that heat homes. Keep the focus on the job being done, not on naming every fuel.

Worked example (model the noticing cycle aloud before the hunt):

• I wonder what job the wall clock is doing.
• I predict its energy job is moving, because the hands go round.
• I check by watching: the hands move, and some clocks also tick (sound).
• I observed that the main job is moving the hands so we can tell the time.
• I think the clock uses energy to move, so I would put it in the moving group.

Before the lesson

Print the provided energy-job picture cards (one full set per group). Each card is an image with a short caption naming the everyday thing only — do not print the energy job on the pupil side. Cut the cards apart. Put four job labels ready for the next step: Lighting, Heating, Moving, Making sound.

Default hunt pack (use these four first for every group)

• Card A — Classroom lights (caption: Classroom lights)
• Card B — Radiator (caption: Radiator)
• Card C — School bus (caption: School bus)
• Card D — Fire drill bell (caption: Fire drill bell)

Keep the remaining eight cards face-down for optional extension during the sort step.

Optional extension cards (for the sort step)

• Card E — Torch (caption: Torch)
• Card F — Kettle (caption: Kettle)
• Card G — Bicycle (caption: Bicycle)
• Card H — Speaker or radio (caption: Speaker or radio)
• Card I — Interactive whiteboard (caption: Interactive whiteboard)
• Card J — Hairdryer (caption: Hairdryer)
• Card K — Washing machine (caption: Washing machine)
• Card L — Whistle (caption: Whistle)

Answer key (teacher only — never on pupil cards)

• Classroom lights → lighting
• Radiator → heating
• School bus → moving
• Fire drill bell → making sound
• Torch → lighting
• Kettle → heating
• Bicycle → moving
• Speaker or radio → making sound
• Interactive whiteboard → lighting (main job: the screen lights up so we can see). Accept talk about “showing pictures”, then revoice that we can see the pictures because the screen lights up.
• Hairdryer → heating (and a little moving air; accept heating as the main job)
• Washing machine → moving (main visible job is the drum turning; accept talk about hot washes, then settle on moving as the main job for this sort)
• Whistle → making sound

During the hunt

Give each group the four default cards only. Circulate and ask: What is it? What job is the energy doing? If a group argues, praise the talk and settle on the main job.

Our own energy beat (protect about 2 minutes near the end of this step): hold up no card — point to the class. You ran, talked and thought today. Where did your energy come from? Food. Link breakfast or lunch to play and learning. This is the first time you name our own energy in full for the class.

Differentiation: every group starts on the same four clear cards. Confident groups who finish early may peek at one extension card and name its job, ready for the sort.

Place four large job labels (or four corners of the desk) for each group: Lighting, Heating, Moving, Making sound. Groups physically sort the four cards they already used.

Optional extension: hand out some or all of the remaining eight cards so confident groups can sort a fuller set. Early finishers sort first, then add extension cards one at a time.

Expected sorts (full set):

• Lighting: classroom lights, torch, interactive whiteboard
• Heating: radiator, kettle, hairdryer
• Moving: school bus, bicycle, washing machine
• Making sound: fire drill bell, speaker or radio, whistle

Invite three or four groups to share one card each. Revoice: So the energy is doing a lighting job / a heating job…

For the interactive whiteboard, if pupils say “showing pictures”, accept that talk and revoice: we can see the pictures because the screen lights up, so we sort it under lighting.

For the washing machine, if pupils raise hot water, accept that talk and settle on moving as the main job (the drum turning is what we see).

STEM eyes: ask quickly, Which of these energy jobs can you spot in this classroom right now? Lights, board, maybe heater, voices and chairs moving.

Misconception: if pupils put the bicycle only under “people power”, accept that people supply the energy, but the job is still moving.

Pupils record on the paper Investigation Journal page. They do not type into the platform. Read the board lines aloud in two beats: first the three thing/job rows, then the body-and-food row.

Clear minimum checklist: three thing/job rows, then one body-and-food row (four rows total).

Sentence starters if needed: The ___ uses energy for ___. / My body gets energy from food so I can ___.

Look for at least one lighting, one heating or moving, one sound where possible, and the food-to-body row. Circulate and prompt: Is that lighting or moving?

Protect the full eight minutes so developing writers can finish the four-row minimum before the share.

Fast finishers add one more thing from home (fridge, lamp, toaster) without needing a new card set.