I.

Week1:
Topic:Electricity
Objective(s):SWBATaccuratelyunderstandelectricity,electricchargeandelectriccurrent
OhmsLawanditscomponentsandhowcircuitsaremadeandoperatewhatinsulatorsand
conductorsareandconstructandoperateaflashlightwithintheguidelineswiththematerials
provided.
Standards:P.8.PS.1

P.8.PS.2

P.8.PS.3

ISTE1

ISTE4

MSPS33
Sources:
https://www.consumersenergy.com/
https://www.teachengineering.org/
Materials:25Pretest,TennisBalls,6CircuitpacketsEa.(5Wires,battery,batteryholder,2
lightbulb,2lightbulbstandandsmalllight),25MakingCircuitsworksheets,Conductors
(metals),Insulators(rubberbands),25TestingforConductivityworksheets,25Flashlight
Circuitworksheets,25LightYourWayworksheets,6CircuitpacketsEa.(5Wires,2
batteries,lightbulb,key,rubberband,2toiletpaperrolls,2paperclips,tape,Dixiecup,and
nickel),25Posttests.
Assessments:pretest,handoutsandposttest.
Week1Day1:
Engagement:
PreTestandWhatobjectsaroundtheroomuseelectricity?
Explanation:
Whatiselectricity?Electriccharge?Current?Voltage?Resistance?

Week1Day2:
Engagement:
Asktwostudentvolunteerstogotothefrontoftheclassroom.Assignonestudent
theroleofthebatteryandtheotherstudenttheroleofthelightbulb.Itmay
behelpfultohaveeachstudentstandbythechalkboardwithapictureofhisor
herrole(thebatteryorlightbulb)nearby.
Askthestudents,Howcanthebatterygiveenergytothelightbulbinorderto
createlight?Providethebatterywithabasketofballs.Explainthattheballs
representtheelectronsofanatom.Drawadiagramofanatomanddiscussthe
negativechargeofelectrons.Explainthattheelectronscancarryenergyanditis
theflowofelectronsthatcangenerateelectricity.
Havethebatterytosstheballstothelightbulb.Nowthelightbulbhasbeen
suppliedenergytogeneratelight.

Exploration:
Oncethebatteryhasthrownalloftheballstothelightbulbthesupplyof
energytothelightbulbisexhaustedandnomorelightcanbegenerated.Askthe
students,Howcanthelightbulbbelitforalongerperiodoftime?Possible
answers:
Havemoreballs
Havethelightbulbreturntheballstothebatteryquickly
Whilethefirstanswerwouldstillworkforonlyalimitedtime,thesecond
answerintroducesthetermcircuit.Acircuitisacompletepathinthiscase
thepathiscompletedwhentheballsarereturnedtotheirstartingpointand
canthenbegivenmoreenergyandusedagain.
Explanation:
Askthestudents,Howcouldthelightbulbgiveofflightthatisbrighter?
Possibleanswers:
Haveeachballcarrymoreenergybymakingtheballsbigger.(Inthis
case,usingbasketballsforexample.)However,inanatom,itiseasierto
movethesmall,negativelychargedelectronsthanthelarger,positive
charges.
Throwtheballharder.Thisintroducesthetermvoltage(V).Voltageisthe
measureofpressureunderwhichelectricityflowsinthiscaseitisthe
measureofhowmuchenergyorforcethebatteryisgivingeachball.If
thesamenumberofballsarethrown,buteachballisgivenmoreforceor
energy,morepowerwillbesenttothelightbulb.
Throwtheballsfastersendmoreballstothelightbulbpersecond.This
introducesthetermscurrent(I)themovementorflowofelectricity,and
ampsthemeasureoftheamountofelectricalcurrent.Sincetheelectrical
currentishowmanyelectronspassbyeachsecond,ifwesendtwiceas
manyelectronsorballseachsecond,wewillsendtwicetheenergy.
Throwtheballsharderandfaster.Thisintroducestheequationoftotal
power(P),whichistheproductofcurrentandvoltage.P=IxV.Inthis
case,thetotalpowerwouldbenumberofballsthrownmultipliedbyhow
muchenergyeachonehas.
DistributetheMakingCircuitshandoutsandprovideeachgroupofthreeorfour
studentswithaCircuitKit.Allowstudentstimetocompletetheactivitiesonthe
handout.
Evaluation:
Havestudentsshowtheircompletedworkingcircuitstotheclass.
Askstudentstoexplainthecircuitsbytracingtheflowofenergyfromthebattery
throughthecourseofthecircuit.Havethemeitherpresentthisexplanationor
writeit.


Week1Day3:
Engagement:
Havestudentsconsiderthecircuit.Ask,Howisthelightbulbabletoreceive
powerfromthebattery?Howdoestheenergymovefromthebatterytothelight
bulb?Theenergymovesthroughthemetalwire,becausemetalisagood
conductorofelectricity.
Explanation:
Discussthetermsconductorandinsulatorsostudentsunderstandthatconductors
carryelectricityfromonepointtoanotherandinsulatorsstoptheflowof
electricity.
Exploration:
Havestudentscomeupwithaclassdefinitionforthetermsconductorand
insulatorandpostwithintheclassroom.
Havethestudentsbrainstormideasofhowthecircuitcouldbeusedtotest
materialsfortheirconductivity.
Elaboration:
Selectoneconductorandoneinsulatorfromtheclassroomsamples(suchasakey
andarubberbandasshowninthepictures.)FollowingproceduresinStep4ofthe
TestforConductivitysheet,showhowthecircuitcanbeusedtotestfor
conductivity.Demonstratewhathappenstothelightbulbwhenboththe
conductorandinsulatorbecomeapartofthecircuit.
Havegroupsof3or4studentsselectatleast6objectsfromthecollectionof
classroomsamples.
DistributetheTestingforConductivityworksheettoeachgroupandhave
studentsfollowthetestinginstructions.
Evaluation:
Havestudentsdiscussandcomparetheirobservationswithotherstudentgroups.
Haveeachgroupwriteadefinitionforconductorandinsulator.
Remindstudentshowenergyiscarriedwhenelectronsmovefrom
oneplacetoanother.Discusswhatconductorsandinsulatorsmust
dototheelectronsofatomsinordertoeithercarryorstopofthe
flowofelectricity.

Week1Day45:

Engagement:
Haveyoueverheardabellorbuzzerfromaringingbuildingalarm?(Somewill
answeryes.)Let'sbrainstorm:Howdoyouthinkthebuildingknowstosetoffan
alarmwhenanintrudertriestoopenadoororwindow?(Givestudentssometime

tothinkofsomeideas.Possibleanswers:Thebuildingisreallysmart,orthe
alarmcircuitisbrokencausingthebelltosound.)Electricalengineersdesignthe
wiringofanalarmsystemtobean"inseries"circuit.Thedoorsandwindowsof
thebuildingactasaswitchforthealarmcircuit.Thealarmcircuitisaclosed
circuitwhenthealarmisonandthewindowsanddoorsareclosed.However,
whensomeonetriestoopenadoororwindow(withoutturningoffthealarm
first),thealarmcircuitbecomes"open"andthebuildingis,inessence,tellingthe
alarmtosound.....ding,ding,ding!
Alarmsystemsarenottheonlyitemswithaninseriescircuit.Batteriescanalso
beconnectedinseries,whichprovidesmorevoltagetoadevice.Forexample,if
weconnectthreeAAbatteries"inseries,"itprovidesmorevoltagethanasingle
AAbattery.Whenengineersdesignaflashlight,theydetermineifthebatteries
shouldbeconnected"inseries"or"inparallel."
Duringtoday'sactivity,justlikeengineers,wewilldesignourownflashlightsand
determineifthebatteriesinourflashlightwillbeconnected"inseries"or"in
parallel."
Explanation:
Thefirstflashlightwasinventedin1896,andmadepossiblebytheinventionof
theDcellbatteryinthatsameyear.Priorto1896,theonlybatterythatcouldbe
usedforportablelightingwastooheavytobepractical.Thesenewdeviceswere
called"flashlights"becausetheyprovidedabriefflashoflightwhentheuser
pushedaswitchunlikethesteadylightbeamproducedbytoday'sflashlights.
Overtime,thepartsofaflashlighthavenotchangedmuch.Batteriesare
connectedtoabulbinabasicseriescircuitcontainingaswitch.Ametalreflector
placedbehindthebulbincreasesthelightoutput.Aprotectivelenscapcoversthe
bulbandreflector.Acasing,oftentubularinshape,containsthebatteries,bulb,
spring,wiresandreflector,andconnectstothelenscap.Theswitchisheldin
placeontheoutsideofthecasing.Theflashlightthatstudentsbuildinthisactivity
hasallthesepartsexceptalenscapandthespring.
Exploration:
Openendeddesign:Havestudentsformintoteamsoffour.Informthemthatthe
goalofthisactivityisforteamstodesignandconstructaworkingflashlightusing
onlytheprovidedmaterials.Theflashlightmustturnonandoffusingaswitch.
Also,allofthewiringandbatteriesmustbecontainedwithinthepapertowel
tubes.Allteammembersmustparticipateinboththedesignandbuildingphases.
Discussthequalitiesofagoodflashlightwiththestudents.(Possiblefeatures:
On/offswitch,reliableswitch,easytouseswitch,easytocarry,smallsize,bright
beamoflight,lastsalongtime,doesnotbreak.)Handoutthe
LightYourWay
Worksheet
,andhavestudentsfilloutthecorrespondingquestiononthe
worksheet.
Asaclass,havestudentsdrawaflashlightontheboard.Individualstudents
shouldcontributeoneparttothedrawing.(Partsinclude:Case,spring,bulb,
switch,protectiveglass/plastic,reflector,batteries.)Haveotherstudentsdescribe

thefunctionofeachpartoftheflashlightthathasbeendrawn.(Forfunctions,see
the
LightYourWayWorksheetAnswers
.)Haveeachstudentanswerthe
correspondingquestionontheworksheet.
Showstudentsthematerialsavailabletoconstructtheirflashlight.Letteams
brainstormthedesignoftheirflashlight,determiningwhichmaterialstheywill
useforeachpart.Toaidthebrainstormingprocess,showstudentsthecircuit
diagramforatypicalflashlightasaprintoutorbydrawingitontheboard.Have
studentsdocumenttheirmaterialsplanontheworksheet(question#3).
Havestudentsdrawacircuitdiagramfortheirflashlightontheworksheet.
Havestudentswriteoutthestepstheyaregoingtotaketobuildtheirflashlight.
Onceyouhavelookedat(andapproved)ateam'sdesign,havethestudentsgather
theirmaterials.
Allowtimeforeachteamtoconstructtheirflashlightdesign.
Testeachteam'sflashlight.Tobeconsideredreliable,itshouldbeabletolightup
threetimesinarow.Ifateam'sflashlightdoesnotwork,havethemcomparethe
flashlightcircuitdiagramtotheirteam'sflashlightcircuitdiagram.Onthe
worksheet,havestudentswriteupanydesignchangesorfabrication
improvementstheyneedtomake.Iftimepermits,havethemimplementtheir
changessotheflashlightworks.

Evaluation:
Drawing:UsingtheLightYourWayWorksheet,havestudentscompletethelast
itemontheworksheetbydrawingtheirteam'sflashlightandlabelingalltheparts.
SalesPitch!Havethestudentspretendtobesalespeoplewhoaretryingtosell
theirflashlighttoamanufactureroraconsumer.Havestudentteamscreatea
persuasiveposterorflyer,aswellasa10minutesalespitchoftheirflashlight
designforpresentationatthenextclass.Havethemincorporateintotheirsales
pitchtheirseriescircuitdiagram,thepartsandfeaturesoftheflashlightandhow
itworks.

Chapter7:ElectricityPreTest/PostTest
Name:_____________________Date:___________

1.__________isthepushthatcauseschargestomove.
A)
Static
B)
Resistance
C)
Induction
D)
Voltagedifference

2.Whichofthefollowingstatementsaboutelectricchargesistrue?
A)
Electricalforcesactatadistance.
B)
Objectsmustbetouchingoneanothertoexertelectricalforce.
C)
Aircannotconductelectricity,itisconductedonlybysolidmaterials.
D)
Oppositeelectricchargesalwaysrepeloneanother.
3.Therateatwhichelectricalenergyisconvertedtoanotherformofenergyiscalled
__________.
A)
hydroelectricity
B)
energytransformation
C)
transmission
D)
electricalpower

4.A(n)__________isaclosed,conductingpath.
A)
circuit
B)
current
C)
resistor
D)
ampere

5.Thelawofconservationofchargestatesthat__________.
A)
chargeisnotcreatedordestroyedortransferredfromobjecttoobject
B)
themassofallsubstancespresentbeforeachemicalchangeequalsthemassofall
thesubstancesremainingafterthechange
C)
electricchargeisnotcreatedordestroyed
D)
chargecanbecreatedanddestroyedbutcannotbetransferred

6.Inwhichtypeofcircuitaretheretwoormorebranchesforcurrenttomovethrough?
A)
open
B)
uniform
C)
parallel
D)
series
7.AccordingtoOhm'slaw,astheresistanceinacircuit__________,thecurrent__________.
A)
increases,remainsconstant
B)
decreases,decreases
C)
increases,doubles
D)
increases,decreases

8.Whichofthefollowingactionsincreasestheresistanceofawire?
A)
makingitshorter
B)
makingitthicker
C)
makingitlonger
D)
decreasingthetemperature

9.Inwhichtypeofcircuitdoescurrenthaveonlyonelooptoflowthrough?
A)
series
B)
uniform
C)
open
D)
parallel

10.Theprocessoftransferringchargebytouchingiscalled__________.
A)
covalentcharging
B)
chargingbycontact
C)
electronexchange
D)
chargeconveyance

11.Electriccurrentinacircuitismeasuredin_________.
A)
ohms
B)
watts
C)
volts
D)
amperes

12.Whatexertstheforcethatcausesotherelectricchargestomove?
A)
insulators
B)
theelectricfield
C)
electricalpoles
D)
conductors

13.Electricchargesflowfrom__________.
A)
lowresistanceareastohighresistanceareas
B)
insulatorstoconductors
C)
lowvoltageareastohighvoltageareas
D)
highvoltageareastolowvoltageareas

14.Whyaremetalsgoodconductorsofelectricity?
A)
Theouterenergylevelsofmetalsarenearlyfilled.
B)
Outerlevelelectronsareweaklyheld.
C)
Metalsdonotsharetheelectronsintheirouterenergylevels.
D)
Outerlevelelectronsaretightlyheld.
15.Elementsthatareshinyandgoodconductorsofelectricityare__________.
A)
metalloids
B)
colloids
C)
metals
D)
nonmetals

16.__________isthetendencyforamaterialtoopposetheflowofelectrons.
A)
Induction
B)
Resistance
C)
Transistance
D)
Conduction
17.WhatisOhmsLaw?
A)
Power=CurrentxVoltage
B)
Current=ResistancexVoltage
C)
Current=Voltage/Resistance
D)
Current=Power/Resistance