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...
Magic of Physics
Electric Circuits
Teaching about circuits can be as easy as flipping a switch! Science scholars explore the world of electricity using a fun interactive. The resource uses drag-and-drop images to promote an understanding of circuit components, types of...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #11 - Power Maximum: An Electrical Determination
Collaborative groups connect resistors and solar panels in series and measure electrical resistance, voltage, and current. The objective is to order 16 solar panels from strongest to weakest. They graph current-voltage and power curves...
Curated OER
Are These Made of Metal?
How can you tell if something is made of metal? Use a table of data and a science experiment to determine which items are made of metal. The experiment requires adult supervision, as it instructs third graders to build an electrical...
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...
Teach Engineering
Powering a Device Using Food
Eat up a resource on using food to power electrical devices. Future engineers first experiment with different fruits and vegetables to determine the amount of electrical energy they provide. Based on the data, they design and create an...
Curated OER
Electrical Circuits
Sixth graders make an electrical switch. In this electricity instructional activity, 6th graders will make an electrical switch, a series circuit, and a parallel circuit. They explain an open and closed circuit and give examples of ...
Essential Energy
Being a Safety Star (Stage 3)
A spark of static electricity contains up to 3,000 volts, while a lightning strike contains around 3,000,000 volts. To understand electricity, its power, and the safety considerations relating to it learners engage in a comprehensive...
Cornell University
Electric Vocabulary
Practice electric vocabulary using multiple methods. Learners begin by watching a video that explains vocabulary related to electric currents. They match vocabulary cards to practice and then create an electric circuit. Using the...
Curated OER
Junior Solar Sprint Series: Electrical Power
Through scientific inquiry, middle schoolers discover how to arrange solar cells in order to produce electricity. This activity is intended to prepare learners to be able to design and construct solar cars. As with other resources...
DiscoverE
Let Your Lights Glow
Put those old holiday lights to good use. Individuals use a section of ornamental lights to create electric circuits. If the lights glow, it's a success; otherwise, it's time to try again!
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #3 Parts of a Solar Panel - Part I
A solar cell is similar to a rechargeable battery in many ways. Science lab groups connect each in a series circuit to run a mini motor and then compare and contrast them by answering questions and completing a Venn diagram. This is an...
Curated OER
Electrical Principals and Wiring Materials
Train a budding electrician about the principles of electricity and the wiring materials needed to complete the job. Briefly covered are basic electrical concepts such as, volts, watts, circuits, and safety. Also covered are the...
DiscoverE
The Power of Graphene
When you think electric circuits, your pencil probably isn't the thing that comes to mind. A simple experiment lets learners test whether the graphene in pencil lead is a conductor or an insulator. If the LED bulb lights up, a conductor...
Consumers Energy
Circuits and the Flow of Electricity Lesson Plan
I think I lost an electron. Are you sure? Yes, I'm positive! Starting with a hands-on demonstration and problem solving activity, young scientists define vocabulary related to circuitry and currents. Then they build their own circuits...
Curated OER
Electricity and Safety
Sixth graders investigate the importance of observing safety rules in the use of electricity. They discuss electricity safety rules, observe a power company employee read a meter, write and perform a commercial about electrical safety,...
Curated OER
Electricity
Twenty-one slides cover all aspects of electricity; from electric charge, to protons, lightning, currents, the calculations for wire resistance, circuits, household devices, and fluorescence. The amount of detail and the range of topics...
Curated OER
Design Project: AC-DC Power Supply
In this electrical circuit worksheet, students answer 5 open ended questions about the design and safety of an AC-DC power supply.
Curated OER
BJT Amplifier Troubleshooting
In this electrical circuit worksheet, students answer a series of 11 open-ended questions about BJT amplifiers and how to troubleshoot these circuits. This worksheet is printable and the answers are revealed online.
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #1 - Solar Cell Inquiry
Give youngsters the components of a solar-powered electric circuit and turn them loose to figure out how to connect them in order for a light to shine or motor to turn. They compare energy output of a solar panel to that of a battery. On...
Curated OER
Magnetism and Electricity
Students demonstrate a comprehension of the properties, position, and motion of objects and materials, and of light, heat, electricity, and magnetism. They use materials to assemble an electric circuit and test materials, including...
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...
DiscoverE
Oranges and Batteries
Orange you glad you can make circuits using fruit? Young electricians learn about electric circuits and electricity. As part of the activity, they build a circuit with an orange and then with a banana.
Curated OER
Electric Circuits
Students determine the power dissipated in the combination of two resistors connected in series to a 6 volt battery. This task assesses students' abilities to develop procedures for an investigation, develop a plan for recording and...