Physics Classroom
Light Bulb Anatomy
Scholars apply their understanding of circuits and electric pathways to many simulations. They move through three different activities and 18 questions, receiving immediate feedback after each answer. The lesson is part of a larger...
Curated OER
Inventions 1: Edison And The Light Bulb
Students examine the realm and power of inventions, and recognize their impact on people and society. Small groups pretend to have been hired by Edison to make special posters that advertise the uses and benefits of the light bulb.
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
How Do You Light Up Your World?
A fabulous presentation on light is here for you. In it, learners view slides which cover many important concepts of light. They understand exactly what light is, what the main sources of light are, what opaque, transparent, and...
New Jersey Historical Commission and New Jersey Council for the Humanities
Thomas Edison: The Wizard of Menlo Park
What would change in your daily life due to a power outage? Here, learners explore the inventions brought to us by the one and only, Thomas Edison, and imagine a day without them. Scholars take part in a grand conversation and write a...
Physics Classroom
Electric Current
Pupils focus on the flow of electricity as they work through three sections of questions as part of a series of lessons on electric circuits. The activities cover the fundamentals, case studies, and law breakers. Learners use conceptual...
Curated OER
Edison and the Light Bulb
Learners explore the impact of inventions on society, specifically Edison and the light bulb. In this technology lesson, students use online resources and listen to a story about Edison to develop an understanding of how the light bulb...
Curated OER
Light Bulbs are Almost Burned Out
Incandescent light bulbs were enlightening more than 130 years when Thomas Edison invented them. More recently, US Congress passed legislation to increase efficiency standards. Your 5th, 6th, or 7th graders will be enlightened as they...
Cornell University
Making a Battery
Don't be shocked when your class has a blast making their own batteries! Science scholars examine a dry cell battery, then design and construct a wet cell battery. The activity guides them through the parts of a battery, the variables...
NASA
Photons in the Radiative Zone: Which Way Is Out? An A-Maz-ing Model
Can you move like a photon? Young scholars use a maze to reproduce the straight line motion of a photon. The second in a six-part series of lessons on the sun has learners measure angle of incidence and refraction to determine the path...
Curated OER
Impact of Inventors
Students examine the impact of inventors on our world. In this science lesson, students are given a time line of the invention of familiar objects. Students then evaluate some kid inventors and decide if...
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
Comparing Light Bulbs
Fifth graders compare filaments in different light bulbs. In this science lesson, 5th graders view the filaments of light bulbs under a microscope.
Curated OER
Parts of a Solar Panel-Part I
Students examine electrical contacts, solar cells, and rechargeable batteries and compare and contrast the characteristics of a solar cell to a rechargeable battery in a hands-on activity. Students complete a worksheet as they...
Yale University
What Lies Beneath: A Strategy for Introducing Literary Symbolism
“It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” You’re never too old for Dr. Seuss and using The Sneetches and The Lorax is a great way to introduce readers to allegories, parables, and literary symbolism. The lessons...
Curated OER
Orienting a Photovoltaic Cell
By mounting a light bulb on a stand and a PV cell on another, physics apprentices experiment with the angle of incidence. Their goal is to determine the optimum angle for collecting solar energy. The use of a scientific calculator...
Curated OER
Can You See the Light?
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...
Curated OER
Inventions 1: Edison and the Light Bulb
Students are introduced to the realm and power of inventions, and help them to better recognize their impact on people and society.
Curated OER
On the Right Circuit
After a discussion on how to make a light bulb light up in an electrical circuit, young scientists take a look at four circuits, and they choose the one they think will make the lightbulb light up. Use in conjunction with any initial...
NEST Family Learning
Thomas Edison: Resource and Activity Book
What other inventions was Thomas Edison responsible for besides the telegraph and lightbulb? Incorporate a set of worksheets into your study of Edison and other inventors. The 48-page packet includes all types of activities from word...
University of Florida
The Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip
Energize a shared reading of the Magic School Bus and the Electric Field Trip with this collection of supplemental materials. Whether your looking for discussion questions, reading comprehension worksheets, or writing prompts,...
American Chemical Society
Energy and Entropy of a Stretched Rubber Band
Stephen Perry invented and patented the modern rubber band in 1845. Young scientists put his discovery to work as they use rubber bands to observe entropy and enthalpy. They determine the change in free energy to figure out if it...
Curated OER
Fun with Circuits
What kinds of things need electricity to work? Kids draw the missing parts to three incomplete circuits in a worksheet about power and electricity. The science exploration asks them to build a circuit to a light bulb, but this might be a...
Wind Wise Education
What is the Cost of Inefficiency?
What does it cost to keep the lights on? Through a hands-on activity, class members use a watt meter and determine the amount of energy different types of light bulbs use. The class then determines the financial and environmental...