Investigating Passive Solar Heating Lab

This lesson guides students through a hands-on investigation of passive solar heating, starting with an introduction to active vs. passive solar energy and culminating in a lab where student groups test how different flooring materials absorb and retain heat from sunlight. The package includes a teacher guide with discussion questions, answer key, and optional extension experiments, plus a print-ready student handout with data collection table and analysis questions. Fits a high school or upper middle school unit on solar energy, thermal transfer, or sustainable building design.