Curated OER
Charge and Electricity
In this charge and electricity activity, students read about electric charges and how they are created in atoms. They also read about the unit of charge, called the Coulomb, conductors, and insulators. Emerging electricians match 11...
Concord Consortium
Target Game—Charge Magnitude/Force Relationship
Build an electric field to direct a charged particle to a target. Scholars determine how location and strength of charge affect the electric field that surrounds the object. They complete two challenges to strengthen their understanding.
Concord Consortium
Charge Intensity and Electric Force
Looking for a quick way to supercharge your electricity and magnetism unit? Assign a very responsive interactive designed to illustrate the relationship between charge, electric field, and the resulting forces. Learners experiment with...
CK-12 Foundation
Electric Fields Simulation
Can you get the puck into the goal using only electric charges on the ice? Scholars experiment with electrostatic forces as they determine which charges pull the puck and which repel it. Multiple levels reinforce different related...
Concord Consortium
Visualizing Electric Fields and Forces
Shock your class with an exciting interactive about electric fields! Physical science superstars visualize the transparent world of electric fields by changing the charge on a stationary object. They then observe changes in the resulting...
Concord Consortium
Direction of Force Around a Van de Graaff—Negatively Charged
Learn about the direction of magnetic force with a very attractive interactive! Young physicists move a positively charged object around a negatively charged Van de Graaff generator and observe the direction of the forces present. A...
Concord Consortium
Target Game—Distance/Force Relationship
Explore the relationship between the distance and the force of charged particles. Scholars adjust the location of charged particles to change the path of a launched particle. By displaying the electric field, they can make a connection...
PhET
Balloons and Static Electricity
Like all electricity, static electricity flows at the speed of light, or 186,282 miles/second. The interactive simulation shows how like charges repel like charges and opposites attract. The user can choose either one or two balloons, a...
Columbus City Schools
It’s Electric!
Shocking! Who knew so many great ideas existed for teaching middle schoolers about electricity? Find them all within this energetic framework. You'll light up at the variety of printable and web-based resources within! After building...
Concord Consortium
Direction and Strength of Force in Electric Fields
Finally, a helpful tool for modeling electric fields! Young physicists explore the unseen world of magnetism via a simple interactive. Individuals move a charged object around a stationary object and see the strength and directions of...
Curated OER
Electricity Layered Curriculum
Students describe how electric charges exert forces on each other as well as compare the strengths of electric and gravitational forces. They distinguish between conductors and insulators. In addition, students examine voltage and...
Concord Consortium
Target Game—Free Play
Challenge your classes to use electric fields to hit a target. Scholars place positively and negatively charged particles on a game board to direct a charged particle to a target. They can choose to view the electric field and force on...
CK-12 Foundation
Electric Ice Sheet
Tommy is trapped on an ice bridge and needs you to balance the charges so he doesn't fall into the icy water! Scholars apply Coulomb's Law, which relates to both the strength and the distance between charges. They work with these two...
Curated OER
Static Electricity
In this static electricity activity, students experiment with balloons, plastic bags and flannel clothes to observe attraction and repulsion of objects. Students complete three data tables indicating the charge on the objects and if they...
Curated OER
Electrical Generators
Learners study what an electric generator does and its history. For this energy lesson students complete several experiments including building their own electric generator.
Curated OER
Transforming Energy
Super detailed, this lesson will educate physical science learners about the flow of electrons. Begin by reviewing potential and kinetic energy with a moving pendulum, and then get them online to observe interactive websites about...
Curated OER
Static Electricity
In this static electricity worksheet, middle schoolers use balloons, flannel cloths, and a plastic bag to create static electricity. Students then fill out 3 tables and answer 3 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Electrostatics
Students examine ways positive and negative charges are attracted and repelled by watching teacher demonstrations, and complete activity sheet related to classroom demonstration activities to prove proficiency of knowledge of...
Curated OER
Simple Atomic Structure
Atomic structure is reviewed with connection to the gain or loss of electrons. The movement of electrons and the resulting behavior is summarized. Practical uses of static electricity is explained, with diagrams of the most common...
Curated OER
Understanding Thunderstorms
In this thunderstorm worksheet, students read about thunder and lightning and the forces behind both. They also read about the timing difference between thunder and lightning. Students answer three critical thinking questions about...
Cornell University
Electromagnets
Discover the connection between electric current and magnets. Scholars create electromagnets by passing a magnet through a coil. They experiment with different materials to determine the variables that affect the strength of the current.
Curated OER
Energy
Wow! Colorful and simple, these 160 slides introduce the various forms of energy, along with a relevant image. Some of the images are animations, which help beginning physical scientists to visualize the flow of electrons or energy! This...
Curated OER
Electroscope
Students examine what an electroscope is and who invented it. For this electrical lesson students build their own Emergency Radiation detector Electroscope.
US Department of Energy
Magnets on a Stick: A Magnetic Force Demonstration Device
Why do some magnets attract while others repel? Scholars use clearly labeled permanent magnets to explore the attractive question. They compare the behavior of like versus opposite poles to find the answer.