Curated OER
Investigating Electrical Circuits
Sixth graders draw and construct a complete circuit. In small groups they develop a list of questions about electricity, listen to a teacher-led lecture, construct a complete circuit, test circuits, and create an illustration of a...
Curated OER
Electrical Circuits
Students explore parallel and series circuits. In this electrical circuit lesson, students investigate the differences between series and parallel circuits. Students observe the benefits and drawbacks of series and parallel...
Trash For Teaching
The Light-House Project
Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...
Curated OER
Let's Get Connected!
A great lesson plan introduces your youngsters to electricity. They use internet links, streaming video, and engage in hands-on activities to understand what electricity is and how it works. They build a circuit board, and construct a...
Curated OER
Electricity Safety
Third graders explore electricity safety. In this science instructional activity, 3rd graders read a story about an electrical outage. Students discuss if various situations shown are safe or unsafe.
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...
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Electricity Safety Video
Young scholars 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...
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
Go with the Flow
Young scholars 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...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Physics (K) Post Lab
Students are introduced to electricity. In this electricity lesson, students listen to the book Switch on, Switch off by Melvin Berger and discuss the use of electricity in light switches. They create a picture of an atom using pom...
Curated OER
Circuit City
Fifth graders are introduced to the concept of circuits and how electricity works. In groups, they design their own subdivision with houses in which they have inside and outside light sources. To end the lesson, they make the circuits...
Curated OER
Electrical Safety Emergency Plan
Students discuss Picture 7 which is a hairdryer near a basin. They discover that if the hairdryer is plugged in and turned on and falls into the water it will form a circuit and anyone touching the water or hairdryer may be electrocuted....
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.
Curated OER
Plan The Interior of a House
Students study how electric wiring runs through a house, name plumbing, describe insulation, and demonstrate how wallboard is hung. They select flooring and fixtures for the house.
Curated OER
Home Electrical Safety
Students explain the danger of incorrectly wired plugs. In this physics lesson, students construct their own safe plug. They share the finished project in class.
Curated OER
Map Your School
Learners participate in a project to map their school. They measure and graph various areas around the school. Students find the longitude and latitude of the school and research the school's history, and highlight special important areas.
Curated OER
The Shocking Truth about Fruit
In this fruit worksheet, students read about fruit and then follow directions on how to make batteries out of fruit. Students also answer 10 questions while doing this.
Curated OER
Moisture Lesson Plan
Students investigate the effects of moisture and dampness on homes, clothing, and mold growth. In this moisture lesson plan, students discuss which certain cities are damper than others based on location and geography. They talk about...
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College
Serc: Comparing Current Intensities of Series, Parallel, and Complex Circuits
Students will investigate the differences of current in series, parallel, and complex circuits through the construction of a small house containing the different types of circuits.