Thomas Alva Edison may be one of the most well-known scientists to elementary or middle schoolers. Use his story to show that he invented more than just the light bulb and to inspire youngsters to work hard! You could use this on the...

Need a bright idea for an engaging lab? Watch your class light up as they explore the difference in efficiency between incandescent and LED bulbs! The resource makes use of simple materials and encourages learners to infer what's...

In this electric light bulb activity, students answer short answer questions about an electric light bulb by pretending they are answering interview questions and they are the light bulb. Students complete 7 questions total.

Are these two light sources the same? Groups use a white card and a little cooking oil to create a photometer that allows for the comparison of two lights. The Inverse Square Law provides a way to calculate the actual difference in...

For this cells in series and parallel worksheet, students connect dry cells in a series and in parallel. Students chart their observations in a given table. Students answer several questions demonstrating their understanding of cells in...

Learners conduct an investigation. In this energy conservation lesson, students observe and make predictions about fluorescent and incandescent light bulbs. Working in groups, learners conduct an investigation to compare the two light...

Kindle knowledge of how light travels by using this activity in your physical science curriculum. By setting up a candle flame or flashlight bulb and viewing it through a slit, observers of light see evidence of its wave characteristic....

Third and fourth graders use this worksheet to help them draw their own version of a fully functioning circuit. They see the battery, the light bulb, and two wires with clips. They must draw the complete circuit, using these elements, on...

Liquid or not, here comes the electricity. Scholars test the conductivity of various substances using a circuit that includes a light bulb. If the light bulb lights up, then the liquid is a conductor. What a bright idea!

What is a watt? This tongue-twisting, mind-bending question and others are answered through this lesson on the different lighting options available. With the support of a PowerPoint, teach your physical science class about units of...

Ninth graders produce a projected, pinhole image of the sun and from measurement of the image and projection distance, calculate the actual size of the sun. They estimate the sun's apparent brightness from different planet.

In groups of three with the lights off and the shades drawn, investigators place inactivated light sticks, in three beakers: one filled with ice water, another with lukewarm water, and the other with room temperature water. They wait...

It's no small wonder that a lightbulb has come to represent a bright idea. The light bulb, the bright idea of Thomas Edison, was just one of his over 1,000 inventions. A teacher's guide introduces young audiences to works of the man who...

What does it mean to be resistant to electricity? Scholars answer the question in a six-part STEM lesson on electricity. They begin by assessing the conductivity of several different materials and progress to designing their own circuits...

Students build small circuits using transformers. In this electromagnetism lesson plan, students will show that transformers increase voltage which leads to an increase in current. An ammeter and the brightness of a light bulb will be...

Students explore the differences between parallel and series circuits by designing and constructing several different circuits. In small groups, they use miniature light bulbs, wires, and nine-volt batteries to build the circuits they...

In this electricity worksheet, students examine 6 pictures of electrical circuits attached to a light bulb. They write if the light bulb would be off, glowing dimly, glowing normally, or glowing brightly in each circumstance.

In this electricity learning exercise, students determine if the circuits shown are parallel or series, calculate the voltage, and the power used by the light bulbs. This learning exercise has 11 problems to solve.

Students discover the basic principles of circuits by designing and testing some of their own. They are told that circuits usually have a power source such as a battery and a resistor such as a light. Students make a circuit using a...

Students determine the effect of the earth's tilt on the amount of incoming solar radiation throughout the year. They simulate the earth's orbit around the sun using a light bulb and a globe to simulate the seasons. Assessment questions...

In this electricity learning exercise, students study the diagram of the circuits and conductors. Students write how bright each bulb glows.

Each of these slides presents the basic scientific details and situations where charge, or static may appear. Handouts of the empty PowerPoint slides could be provided so that students could work through these examples and correctly...

Reflected waves of light move within a plane, and because of this, polarizing materials can reduce the glare our eyes see. This resource explains how to set up a demonstration of this effect. Consider it for use in your physical science...

Using a pinhole in an index card, learners of light find that it can be used as a magnifier.