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Welcome to this special edition lesson featuring FriXion© thermosensitive ink.

By design, FriXion erasable pens, markers and highlighters incorporate science,

technology, and engineering. The unique, heat-sensitive ink uses covalent bonds to
help the ink to:
• Write smoothly in many different colors
• Be “erased” completely and become invisible when it’s rubbed with the eraser or
gets hotter than 140°F (65°C)
• Reappear when the ink gets colder than 14°F (–20°C)

Steve Spangler is a best-selling author, educator, and Emmy award-winning science

communicator who finds the most creative ways to make science fun. Kesler Science
was founded over a decade ago by Chris Kesler, an award-winning science teacher.
Today, Kesler Science creates science lessons used by teachers across the country and
all over the world. The team of Steve Spangler and Kesler Science are excited to bring
you this fun lesson about the first and only STEM Pen.

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©Kesler Science, LLC
The learning objectives addressed in this activity are making observations and
asking questions and communicating scientific information.

The learning objectives addressed in this activity are recalling key details and
creating a simple narrative.

The learning objectives addressed in this activity describing the relative positions
of objects and comparing measurable attributes.

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This activity should take 10 - 15 minutes before most students are coloring their
coloring pages. The timing for each Take It Further activity is noted with the activity.

Printed student pages (pages 7 & 8)

Sheet of paper
FriXion ballpoint pen
Hair dryer
Crayons or colored pencils for student coloring

Print the pages, have the video ready to share, and have student coloring materials
ready. On a sheet of paper, write the words “HAIR DRYER” with the FriXion
thermosensitive pen.
The QR code for the Vimeo video you will share with your class is above. This is the
URL: https://bit.ly/48Acjt8

Three types of chemical compounds react

to one another in FriXion thermosensitive
ink. The three compounds are:

A. Color (Pigment)
B. Color-Activating Developer
C. Temperature Regulator

Normally, A & B are bonded, so you see

the ink color. When heat is applied through
friction or anther source, that bond is
broken. Then B & C bond instead, and the
ink becomes invisible. If the ink is cooled
down, A & B bond again and the ink
“magically” reappears.

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To activate prior knowledge and get students thinking about the phenomenon they
are about to see, ask questions like this:
“Have you ever drawn something on a piece of paper, then changed your
mind? (solicit hand-raising) Were you able to change what you drew? (solicit
answers)
If you were able to change it, what did you have to do? (Guide students toward
the idea of erasing with a pencil eraser or the eraser end of the pen.)”
Well, we’re going to watch a video with some really interesting pens, and I
want you to watch how they erased something that they wrote.”
Show the video. (QR code link is to the right.)

Using anchor chart paper, prompt the class to recall and list key details of the video.
Next, tell the students that the class is also going to try to make the ink disappear.
Turn the hair dryer on its “hot” setting and apply it to the paper with the FriXion ink
message until the ink disappears.
Have students discuss what they noticed was different about your method of erasing
message compared to the video. When done, ask the class to share their responses.
Guide answers toward noticing that the flame and griddle were replaced with the hair
dryer.

Guide the students to thinking about why the flame, the griddle, and the hairdryer all
worked. How are they the same? Once they arrive at the answer that they can all be
hot, guide them to completing the front of their student handout.
Early finishers and the rest of the class as time allows can color the coloring page
when they finish the front. When everyone is done with the front of the page, look for
hot items in the coloring page (fire, pot, mugs, bowls). Then have students talk
together to make up a story about the people around the campfire.

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After the main activity is complete, students may be curious to explore further with
the FriXion thermosensitive ink. Here are some activities you can try:
1. All About Friction (5 – 10 minutes)
Materials needed:
• One FriXion thermosensitive pen for each student or pair of students
• One piece of paper for each student or pair of students
Prep: None.
Description: Tell the students they are each going to be able to make a drawing and
try to erase it – but not with a hair dryer! They are going to use the eraser on the cap
of the pen instead. Have the students make a shape on their paper with the FriXion
pen, then try erasing it with the eraser on the cap.
When they are done, have dialog like this:
Raise your hand if you were able to erase your drawing! (acknowledge
success).
Now, let’s think about this. Flame is hot, and it erases the ink. A griddle is
hot, and it erases the ink. A hair dryer is hot, and it erases the ink.
When you rubbed your drawing with your eraser, you must have made the
ink... (Wait for the response “hot”).
Did you know that rubbing two things together can make them hotter?
Let’s try it with our hands. (Demonstrate rubbing hands together and putting them
on your face to feel the heat.)
The heat that you feel is caused by something called friction, which sounds
just like the name of our pens! (For advanced groups: You may want to write the
words “friction” and “FriXion” on the board to point out they are not the same word.)
Friction happens when two things rub together. Friction makes things warm
up!
(Question for advanced groups) Why do you think these pens are named
after friction? (Guide them to connecting that the erasers use friction to erase the
ink).

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2. Changing Variables (10 – 15 minutes)
Materials needed:
• One FriXion thermosensitive pen for each student or pair of students
• One piece of paper for each student or pair of students
• Hair dryer
Prep: None.
Description: Tell the students they are each going to be able to make a drawing and
try to erase it with heat, but they have to change one thing about the way it happens.
Give examples: “You can tell me to hold the hair dryer further away, or put it on cold,
or wave it back and forth over the picture, or fold the paper in half... you decide what
will be different!” As students finish their drawings, they raise their hand so you can
take their paper to the front of the room to test it. Make a table on a board or anchor
chart to tally what worked well, what worked a little, and what did not work. When all
the tests are done, talk about the results and connect the differences back to heat.

3. Bringing It Back (5 minutes + time to check the cooling pages)

Materials needed:
• One or more pieces of paper with FriXion thermosensitive ink that has been erased
• A freezer, or a cooler with a plastic zippered bag of ice and water
Prep: None.
Description: Tell the students there is more to learn about the FriXion thermosensitive
ink. Tell them that you are going to place their erased picture/s into the freezer or
under the bag of ice and water in the cooler (you may use their pictures or one you
made). Ask them to make predictions about what might happen when the ink gets
cold. You can prompt them with ideas like, will it drip? Will it rub off? Will it reappear?
Write their predictions on the board. If you can, check the papers every 10 – 15
minutes, or wait until the end of the day to check the results. Discuss which
prediction came true, if any. The speed with which the ink reappears depends on the
temperature of the freezer/cooler.

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What did you see in the video? Draw a circle around the one
picture that matches what happened in the video.

Fire is hot. A hair dryer can be hot. Draw circles around four
hot things. Which one do you think would be the hottest?

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What do you see that is hot?

Are the hot things in front of the people or behind them?

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