About
In this topic, students in Years 5-10 are introduced to concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology and CSIRO’s research into heat‑storage materials and solar‑driven hydrogen production. This work will help industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for Australia. Through a hands-on investigation, students are challenged to use their design and STEM skills to build a solar trough, collect temperature data, analyse their results and apply their learnings to real-world contexts - just like a real scientist.
The accompanying resources link directly to Australian Curriculum outcomes and offer extension activities for deeper exploration.
Teacher guide
Teacher guide
The teacher guide supports educators to deliver the Thermal Energy topic, including discussion prompts, equipment lists, and activities to extend student learning. All topics are aligned to the Scientific Inquiry Continuum and Australian Curriculum. Use this as a guide when planning lessons and structuring learning across the unit.
Student and teacher resources
Classroom presentation
This classroom-ready presentation introduces students to thermal energy storage and provides learning objectives, step‑by‑step activities, and real‑world examples from CSIRO, while encouraging students to design, test, analyse, and present their own solutions. Use it in your classroom to reinforce key ideas through discussion and initiate hands-on learning.
Classroom presentation PowerPoint
Student workbook
This workbook develops student's STEM and investigation skills through comprehensive activities, while growing their understanding of Australia’s innovations in solar thermal research and energy storage. Everything you need is built-in, including planners, investigation templates, testing procedures, reflection prompts, and engaging hands‑on activities.
The student worksheets have been designed for printing.
Student workbook - accessible version
About
In this topic, students in Years 5-10 are introduced to concentrated solar thermal (CST) technology and CSIRO’s research into heat‑storage materials and solar‑driven hydrogen production. This work will help industries reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move towards a cleaner, more sustainable energy future for Australia. Through a hands-on investigation, students are challenged to use their design and STEM skills to build a solar trough, collect temperature data, analyse their results and apply their learnings to real-world contexts - just like a real scientist.
The accompanying resources link directly to Australian Curriculum outcomes and offer extension activities for deeper exploration.
Teacher guide
Teacher guide
The teacher guide supports educators to deliver the Thermal Energy topic, including discussion prompts, equipment lists, and activities to extend student learning. All topics are aligned to the Scientific Inquiry Continuum and Australian Curriculum. Use this as a guide when planning lessons and structuring learning across the unit.
Student and teacher resources
Classroom presentation
This classroom-ready presentation introduces students to thermal energy storage and provides learning objectives, step‑by‑step activities, and real‑world examples from CSIRO, while encouraging students to design, test, analyse, and present their own solutions. Use it in your classroom to reinforce key ideas through discussion and initiate hands-on learning.
Classroom presentation PowerPoint PPTX (264 MB)
Student workbook
This workbook develops student's STEM and investigation skills through comprehensive activities, while growing their understanding of Australia’s innovations in solar thermal research and energy storage. Everything you need is built-in, including planners, investigation templates, testing procedures, reflection prompts, and engaging hands‑on activities.
The student worksheets have been designed for printing.
Student workbook - accessible version TXT (20 KB)