Abstract
Energy, particularly in introductory physics at primary school level, is often taught in terms of list of different “forms of energy” and seldom as a unifying concept underlying many aspects of the world. However, the “substance” ontology for energy seems to be particularly productive in developing understanding of energy and energy transfers. From a methodological point of view, narratives and forms of “playing” are valuable and significant representations that allow learning scientific concepts. Through a physical experience, in the form of role play, we help develop- ing the concept of energy flow/current and storage. In this contribution, we propose alaboratory activity inwhich futureprimary school teachers represent the process of energy exchange among energy carriers. The participants are required to study a simple toy, finding the energy carriers, and the role of each of them; additionally, they have to write a story, with as many characters as the energy carriers, telling how they exchange energy in the parts of the toy. Energy conservation and heat production are perceivable in the act of exchanging confetti which represent energy. The Energy Play helps the participants to visualize the energy as a substance, even though it is imperceptible. The analysis of the students’ role plays and the information collected from questionnaires give feedback about students’ conceptualization of some of the most significant aspects of energy.