Electricity Grade Level: 4 6 Teacher Guidelines pages 1 2 Instructional Pages pages 3 5 Practice Page page 6 Activity Page page 7 Homework Page page 8 Answer Key page 9
Classroom Procedure: 1. Once students are seated ready for the lesson, turn off the lights in the classroom. Ask students: What is would it be like without electricity? Allow for responses and discussion. 2. Have students name as many things as possible that rely on battery power or electricity. Display all of their answers, writing them on the board or elsewhere. (The list should be quite long and will also be sued for the activity. ) 3. Distribute the Electricity reading content page. Read it aloud with students or have students read it independently. 4. Distribute Activity page, have each student complete individual section. 5. Place students in groups of 3 or 4 to complete the rest of the Activity page. 6. Tell students the group must agree on ranking the items on the list. Remind students to be cooperative and to vote if necessary. 7. Once students complete, discuss the results from each group. 8. (If supplies are available, have students do hand-on activities, making circuits, etc. ) 9. Distribute Practice page. Optional: Allow students to use the content pages to complete the practice page. 10. Once students have completed the Practice page, review and discuss their responses. 11. Distribute the Homework puzzle and review the next day. (continued) Approximate Grade Level: 4-6 Objectives: The students will be able to define electricity, identify types of electricity, and explain how electric current travels. Common Core State Standards: CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 4. 1 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 4. 3 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 4. 4 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 4. 7 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 5. 1 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 5. 3 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RI. 5. 4 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RST. 6. 1 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RST. 6. 4 CCSS. ELA-Literacy. RST. 6. 7 Class Sessions (45 minutes): At least 2 class sessions Teaching Materials/Worksheets: Electricity content pages (2), Activity page, Practice page, Homework puzzle Student Supplies: handouts Prepare Ahead of Time: Copy handouts. Additional Resources: http://www. teachingideas. co. uk/subjects/circuits-andelectricity?field_min_age_value=&field_max_age_value=&sort_b y=value&sort_order=desc&=apply (Content and more) https://www. teachengineering. org/view_curricularunit. php?url=collection/cub_/curricular_units/cub_electricity/cub_elect ricity_curricularunit. xml (Content, added lessons, more) http://resources. woodlands-junior. kent. sch. uk/revision/science/electricity. htm (Excellent for interactive content) http://www. sciencekids. co. nz/electricity. html (Content, games, worksheets, more) https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=ejeauq7pkpc (9 min. video) https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=d2monvkckx4 (9 min. video) https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=xjpdghhz1im (3 min. video School House Rock) https://www. youtube. com/watch?v=gixkpsrxk4y (7 min. video -Bill Nye) https://www. pathwayz. org/tree/plain/electricity (Series of videos) Options for Lesson: For activity, allow students to work alone or in pairs. Use handson experiments with actual wires, batteries, bulbs, switches, etc., which will be the most effective method for students to learn about electricity. Use additional resources to discover hands-on activities. Use the interactive activities in resources if students have access to a computer/internet. 1
Classroom Procedure (continued): 12. Revisit the question: What item, powered by electricity, would you miss each day if electricity disappeared forever? 13. Ask if any students have changed their mind or thought more about it. Teacher Notes The most effective method in teaching the basics of electricity is through hands-on activities using commercial kits or supplies for students to make electric circuits using batteries, bulbs, switches, etc. This will also include creating electromagnets, as well as teaching the basics of magnetism. This lesson is less of a hands-on lesson, but includes the content or science behind electricity. It is useful to use prior to, or following a hands-on lesson. It can also be used a review lesson or may be useful for advanced students in lower grades, or students needing extra help in higher grades. 2
Electricity Turn on a switch, the lights come on. Press a button and the computer screen lights up. Electricity is all around you, but what actually is electricity? In scientific terms, electricity is the transfer of electrons from one atom to another, or simply- moving electrons. The movement of the electrons creates an electric current which allows the light to shine and the computer screen to light up. The current is what flows through electrical wires, and powers electronic items from light bulbs to televisions to battery-operated toys or gadgets. Electric Currents Electric current travels through wires. The current can either be alternating direct or alternating current. DIRECT CURRENT (DC) is the power that comes from batteries, fuel cells, or solar cells. There are positive and negative terminals on the battery or cell, and the power always flows in the same direction between the terminals. The electrons travel in one direction. The battery provides the energy for the direct current flowing in the same direction through the wire. When the switch for the light is turned on, the electrons travel through the wire providing the electricity. There are several variables that affect the amount of energy or electricity that reaches the light. Additional batteries or voltage will cause the bulb to become brighter. If the wires were shorter, the bulb will become brighter because the path of the electrons is shorter. The opposite would occur if the wires were of a longer length. The amount of wattage of the bulb is also a variable. The more wattage, the more power the bulb would need. In addition, an added second bulb would cause both bulbs to dim. CURRENT A thicker wire will also allow more current to flow, causing the bulb to become brighter. ALTERNATING CURRENT (AC) is the power that comes from power plants, which travels through power lines that can be seen along roadways and in open fields. The direction of this current reverses, or alternates between the plant and the destination of the power. The electrons travel in a loop. 3
Power Plants The power plant provides the energy for the alternating current flowing in both directions through the power lines and the transformer on the utility pole. Transformers are used to increase or decrease the voltage traveling along the power lines. When you turn on a light in your home or plug CURRENT something into an electrical outlet, the power flows from the power plant. Before it enters the home, though, it will pass through the transformer on the utility pole. From there it then travels from the circuit breaker or fuse box to the outlets and wall switches you use. Different fuels are used by power plants to produce electricity across the country: Thermal power plants use coal, biomass, petroleum or natural gas to heat water into steam to power a generator to produce electricity. Nuclear power plants use fission to produce the heat. Geothermal power plants use the heat located inside the earth. Other ways to produce electricity is by using wind farms and moving water, which is used by hydropower plants. Magnets Electricity can also be produced by magnets. This is because a magnetic field can move electrons, and as you know, moving electrons is what gives us electricity. Magnetism and electricity is definitely related. Power plants use giant magnets to create electricity by using a generator. The generator is a coil of copper wire that spins inside the magnets. The electrons then in the copper wire then flow into the power lines. Using a battery, a nail, and some coiled wire, you can make an electromagnet as shown in the picture. Static Electricity Another type of electricity you may be familiar with is called static electricity. When you rub your feet across the carpet and touch a door knob, you may feel a shock. This is static electricity. Static electricity is created when electrons move from one place to another. Electrons can move more easily in some objects than in others. The rubbing of certain materials against one another can transfer the electrons. Another example of static electricity is when a balloon is charged by rubbing it on the hair. It picks up extra electrons and your hair is attracted to the balloon. 4
Lightning Electricity found in nature is lightning. Lightning is actually an electric current. The collisions of small bits of ice bump into each other as they move around in a cloud. The collisions then create an electric charge, and when the cloud fills up with these charges it interacts with the opposite charges on the ground. When this happens the lightning strikes. Conductors & Insulators There are some materials that allow electricity to travel more easily than other materials. A conductor is any material or substance that allows electricity to flow through them. Examples of conductors include metals like steel, copper, iron, gold, and silver. Graphite, which is what pencil lead is made from, is also a conductor of electricity. Other conductors can include water, people, animals, and trees. Insulators, on the other hand, are the opposite of conductors and prevent or block the flow of electricity. Examples of insulators include plastic, rubber, glass, porcelain, and rubber. Most wires are covered in plastic or rubber and used as an insulator to prevent the electricity from traveling into other objects. Finally, electricity was not invented by anyone, but is a form of energy that occurs in nature. However, it was discovered probably about 2,000 years ago. The Ancient Greeks first discovered static electricity in 600 BC, and in the 1930 s archeologists discovered ancient batteries that may have been used at ancient Roman sites. Ben Franklin s conducted his experiment in 1752 with a kite, a key, and a storm. He proved there was a connection between lightning and electricity. There is much more to be learned about electricity, but without it life would be much different for many people. What item, powered by electricity, would you miss each day if electricity disappeared forever? 5
Practice Name Date Review the list of items displayed, and the list below, or other items you can think of, that use electricity or batteries as a power source. With your group, decide on the top ten items which society would miss the most without electricity. For example, if your group thinks society would miss TV the most, that would be #1. Next list the top ten items society would not miss. For example, if your group thinks society does not need electric scissors, you would list that as #1. toaster dryer telephone electric oven microwave oven refrigerator coffee maker electric toothbrush television car printers dishwasher radio printer lawn mower toys hair dryer computer sewing machine water heater electric shaver cell phone can opener iron fans ipod camera doorbell air conditioner lights flashlight DVD player electric guitar alarm clock game system Wi-Fi OTHER ITEMS washer remote controls garage door opener LIST ITEMS SOCIETY WOULD MISS THE MOST 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. LIST ITEMS SOCIETY WOULD MISS THE LEAST 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Individual List: What items would you personally miss the most, placed in order from 1 to 10? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 6
Activity Name Date 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Answer each question: (All batteries are the same voltage. ) A. Review Circuits: 1 and 3 Which bulb will shine brightest? B. Review Circuits: 2 and 6 Which bulb will shine brightest? C. Why will Circuit 9 bulb shine brighter than 3? D. Review Circuits: 5 and 9 Which bulbs will shine the brightest? E. Why will Circuit 1 bulb shine brighter than 6? F. Review Circuits 8 and 3: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? G. Why will Circuit 4 bulbs be dimmer than 5? H. Review Circuits 7 and 3: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? I. Why will Circuit 9 bulb shine brighter than 2? J. Review Circuits 6 and 8: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? K. Review Circuits 1, 2, 3, and 6: Identify three different variables: 7
Homework Name Date 8
Activity ANSWER KEYS Name Date Answer each question: (All batteries are the same voltage. ) A. Review Circuits: 1 and 3 Which bulb will shine brightest? 3 B. Review Circuits: 2 and 6 Which bulb will shine brightest? 6 C. Why will Circuit 9 bulb shine brighter than 3? Two batteries D. Review Circuits: 5 and 9 Which bulbs will shine the brightest? 9 E. Why will Circuit 1 bulb shine brighter than 6? Shorter wire F. Review Circuits 8 and 3: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? 3 G. Why will Circuit 4 bulbs be dimmer than 5? Single battery H. Review Circuits 7 and 3: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? 7 I. Why will Circuit 9 bulb shine brighter than 2? Shorter wire J. Review Circuits 6 and 8: Which bulbs will shine the brightest? 6 K. Review Circuits 1, 2, 3, and 6: Identify three different variables: Wire length, wire thickness, number of batteries 9