Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Basic Electric Transformers
Life as we know it would not be possible without electric transformers, so there are fewer more pertinent topics for your eager young engineers. An astounding amount of background information is provided to help you develop a lecture on...
Teach Engineering
Circuits
Don't know how to make the initial connection on electric circuits? This lesson provides the background to present the introductory vocabulary to learning about electric circuits. It is organized in a meaningful progression with an...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Get Connected with Ohm's Law
Ideal for your electricity unit, especially with middle schoolers, this lesson plan gets engineers using multimeters in electrical circuits to explore the relationships among voltage, current, and resistance. Older learners may even plot...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Electric Switches
Young scholars examine how electric circuits are controlled with a switch. They incorporate a switch into a battery/bulb circuit. They design and create their own switches using everyday materials.
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.
Curated OER
Electricity--More Power to Ya!
Fourth graders use research tools to access and synthesize information. They gather and manipulate data using technology. Research and study the components of an electrical circuit. Create a brochure that demonstrates knowledge of how to...
Curated OER
Physics: Electricity and Magnetism
Learners draw series and parallel electrical circuits. In this electromagnet lesson, students describe how current changes depend on circuit components. Learners use an OHT of a series and parallel circuit to predict the path...
Curated OER
Let's Light up a Light Bulb
Third graders investigate electricity. In this electricity activity, 3rd graders observe a familiar battery-operated toy and brainstorm reasons why and how the battery works. Students work in pairs to explore batteries,...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Power of Graphene
To prepare for the activity, STEM classes read about nanotechnology and the amazing properties of graphene. They collect a graphene sample from pencils, and then connect them into simple circuits to determine whether it makes a better...
Curated OER
Wire Maze
Students investigate what causes electrical circuits to work. They construct a wire circuit and pass a paperclip through the maze, trying not to touch the wire, and answer discussion questions.
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.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Series and Parallel Circuits
Young scholars demonstrate simple circuits and find the differences between parallel and serial circuits. In this electronic lesson plan students work in teams to test different designs using a low voltage light bulb.
Curated OER
Electricity
Learners explore electricity. After watching a PowerPoint presentation, students discuss the composition of electricity and how it is made. They participate in discovery activities by rotation through four activity stations set up on the...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Insulators and Conductors
In a classic activity, emerging electricians test various objects for electrical conductivity in a circuit. Each group constructs a simple circuit by following a diagram. Predictions are made and objects are inserted into the circuit,...
Teach Engineering
How a Hybrid Works
Work with your class to connect series and parallel circuits to hybrid cars. The instructional activity introduces basic circuit diagrams before having scholars apply the understanding of the difference between parallel and...
Curated OER
Electricity Newsletter
Students create a newsletter about electricity. They view a completed newsletter and discuss its information and format and research the Internet to find facts about electricity. After researching their facts, they write a rough draft of...
Curated OER
Electrical Engineering - The Inside Story
Students review electricity. In this physics lesson plan, students attempt to find a way to determine if a transformer is fixing to fail. The lesson reviews electricity concepts that the students should already be familiar with.
Curated OER
Series and Parallel Circuits
Students study simple circuits. After a demonstration of parallel and serial circuit designs, students work in teams to predict the difference between two circuit designs. They build examples of two different circuits and test...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Electric Messages: Then And Now
Learners engage in a instructional activity that is concerned with the history of communication devices that are used today and in the past. They practice using morse code as a look into the past and then cover the modern subjects of...
Curated OER
Physical Science: Magnetism and Electricity
Students use a variety of objects to test for ability to "stick" to a magnet. They perform an experiment to see that electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. They discover magnets attract and repel...
Curated OER
From Sunlight to Electric Current
Students explore concept of current in electrical circuits. They examine how energy from the sun can be used to power everyday items, including vehicles.
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
Ohm's Law I
Students work to increase the intensity of a light bulb by testing batteries in series and parallel circuits. They analyze Ohm's Law, power, parallel and series circuits, and ways to measure voltage and current.
Curated OER
Simple Circuits
Learners investigate how series and parallel circuits work. In this physics activity, students build their own simple circuits and compare their characteristics. They explain the importance of circuit breakers in household circuits.