Students know that energy is transferred from warmer to cooler objects. They are expected to know that energy is transported by moving material or in heat flow or as waves. They have learned that when fuel is consumed, energy is released as heat, which can be transferred by conduction, convection, or radiation. They have also learned that the Sun is the major source of energy for Earth. They have studied ways in which heat from Earth's interior influences conditions in the atmosphere and oceans and have considered the changes in weather caused by differences in pressure, temperature, air movement, and humidity.

Photosynthesis may have been covered in detail if the students have completed high school biology. Students who have completed high school physics and chemistry will also be better prepared to deal with transfer and absorption of energy. To complete this standard set, students should review the characteristics of the electromagnetic spectrum. Students should also review information presented in the sixth grade science standards related to dynamic Earth processes to increase their awareness of the enormous amount of energy stored in the planet, both as original heat and as a product of radioactive decay. Students should also have studied the mechanisms, primarily mantle convection and some conduction, that bring heat to Earth's surface. Students should know that heat from Earth's interior escapes into the atmosphere through volcanic eruptions, hot spring activity, geysers, and similar means. Although spectacular and energetic, these phenomena are localized and occur over a tiny percentage of Earth's surface. Beyond these readily noticeable losses of interior heat, internal heat disperses into the atmosphere slowly and relatively uniformly across the entire surface of the planet.