This study examines the existing knowledge that pre-service elementary teachers (PSETs) have regarding heat energy, heat transfer and insulation. The PSETs' knowledge of heat energy was initially assessed by using an activity: determining which container would be best to keep hot water warm for the longest period of time. Results showed that PSETs could not explain the concept of insulation and heat transfer. Moreover, they held the misconception that a container deemed best to keep water warm would not be the best container to keep ice cream cold. To reconcile the misconceptions of PSETs, the researcher used the ED3U Conceptual Change Model (McComas, 1995) integrated with Posner, Strike, Hewson and Gertzog's (1982) conditions for accommodations for the designed instruction and discussions. Results show PSETs can understand the concepts better when analogy and daily life experiences are used.