Curated OER
Series and Parallel Circuits
Fourth graders explore electrical circuits. In this electrical circuit instructional activity, 4th graders research the history of the use of light and read a biography regarding Benjamin Franklin. Students the build basic circuits,...
Curated OER
Simple Electrical Circuits
Students construct a simple electrical circuit. In this electrical circuit lesson, students use a cell battery, bulb, and wire to construct a simple circuit. Students read about switches, circuits, and electricity in Electro Wiz...
NASA
Providing Light for Your Plants
Using a guided lesson, pupils learn about what it takes to make a circuit along with a switch. They build a complete circuit under the direction from the teacher and identify each of the elements of the circuit. Scholars then learn to...
Curated OER
Simplicity of Electricity
Students examine how to make an electrical circuit. They listen to a teacher led discussion, design a switch to control a circuit, and construct a signaling device.
Science Matters
Parallel Circuits
The lights don't always go out when the switch is flipped. The 10th lesson in a series of 14 helps learners build a conceptual understanding of the flow of electricity through a parallel circuit. They then build their own parallel...
Curated OER
Simply Circuitry and Series Circuit
Students investigate a series circuit. In this physical science activity, students use a battery, switch, and light bulbs to build an electrical circuit. Students identify the standard symbols being used in electric circuitry.
Science Matters
Series Circuit and Switches
Lights out! Scholars build on their understanding of a simple circuit by adding a switch and creating schematic drawings. The eighth lesson in a series of 14 has pupils use everyday materials to create circuits and make observations as...
Curated OER
Electricity: Series and Parallel Circuits
Fourth graders explore electricity and electrical circuits. They explore series and parallel circuits using Christmas lights. Students pull lights out of each strand of lights. They observe the results when the light bulb is pulled out....
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Two Button Buzzer Circuit
Learners explore circuit structure, draw a schematic for it, and construct a two button buzzer model out of wires, a battery, buttons (switches), and a buzzer.
Curated OER
Go with the Flow
Students gain an understanding of the difference between electrical conductors and insulators, and experience recognizing a conductor by its material properties. They build a conductivity tester to determine whether different objects are...
Curated OER
Circuits and Conductors
Fourth graders investigate the concepts of circuits and conductors. In this circuits and conductors instructional activity set, 4th graders watch demonstrations of circuits and look at images to identify whether they are complete...
Curated OER
Introduction to Elementary Circuits
Learners explore how a circuit works and create a circuit to use energy from a battery to light a bulb. In this introduction to circuits lesson, the students study the parts of a circuit and have a class discussion of what would happen...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Flashlights and Batteries
Students examine how batteries work, how they provide power to the simple circuit within the battery, and how the switch controls the flow of electrons; students then disassemble a flashlight, and draw a schematic of a flashlight's...
Curated OER
One Path
Students discover that charge movement through a circuit depends on the resistance and arrangement of the circuit components. In a hands-on activity, students build and investigate the characteristics of series circuits. In another...
Curated OER
Paths of Electrical Currents
Fourth graders examine the paths that electrical currents travel. They create a current of electricity using flashlights, bulbs, batteries, wires and tape. They determine how to create a closed circuit that will light the bulb. They...
Curated OER
Applied Science- Technology Lab (Circuit Boards)
Young scholars examine electricity. In this electrical conduction lesson, students create a quiz board (circuit board). They work in small groups to construct the circuit board and come up with questions/answers for the quiz portion....
Curated OER
Brown Bag Science
Pupils discover, through the discovery method, how electricity works. They construct a simple circuit and a parallel circuit, make an electrical motor work and add a switch to turn it on and off.
Curated OER
Build a Simple Circuit
Students construct an extremely simple series circuit that powers a lamp on and off with a switch. They are in groups of 4 and are given a set of components and have to build the circuit working together as a group. Finally, they have to...
Curated OER
Electricity Safety Video
Learners discuss Picture 1 - Electrical Applicances. They discuss their prior knowledge of electricity and then listen to a video. They then answer the questions on the worksheet called, "Lesson 1 Electricity Safety Video" and share...
Curated OER
The Path of Electrons
Learners engage in an interactive "hot potato" demonstration to gain an appreciation for the flow of electrons through a circuit. They role play the different parts of a simple circuit and send small items representing electrons (paper...
Curated OER
What's a Resistor?
Learners determine what a resistor does as they construct parallel circuits. In this circuitry lesson, students experiment with batteries, alligator clips, a resistor and a three-way switch to find out what a resistor does. They continue...
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries in a Row
Students investigate simple series circuits and their properties. In small groups they draw a circuit diagram on their Series Circuit Building worksheet, follow step-by-step directions to construct a simple series circuit, and solve...
Curated OER
Exploring Electricity: Light Sculptures
Pupils study electricity by making their own light sculptures. In this light sculptures instructional activity, students review electrical loops and circuitry components. Pupils then plan, create, and refine light sculptures.
Curated OER
Switcheroo
Students construct a simple switch and determine what objects and what types of materials can be used to close a switch in a circuit and light a light bulb.