|
|
Earth / Space Science Kit Resources Vancouver School District
Children, too, are fascinated with electricity. They wonder how it powers so many different kinds of devices. This unit, Electric Circuits, will help them begin to answer their many questions by opening the door to the world of electricity. The unit makes use of electrical "stuff," such as wires, bulbs, and batteries, and includes investigations that are both useful and fun. In Electric Circuits, students are first introduced to the
basic properties of electricity as they learn about electric
circuits and the parts of a light bulb. Next, students learn
about By observing various properties of electricity, you'll help
students begin to understand the diversity of its uses and develop
the appropriate appreciation of it in the environment around
them. With the activities in Electric Circuits, you'll encourage
your students to observe and detail This is a very exciting unit for young students because they have a chance to observe, touch, test, analyze, build models and see science in action as they · Interpreting test results, wire simple circuits,
and to draw conclusions about You do not have to be an expert in electricity to teach this
unit. The background sections of the Teacher's Guide will provide
you with most of the information you need. But don't be surprised
if you find yourself learning along with the students, and if
you and your students find yourselves faced with puzzling questions.
Use this situation to model the way scientists learn: define
the question, then ask, "How can we find out?" This
will encourage your students to find out on their own by experimenting
and consulting Essential Lessons: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 12, 13, 14 In doing each of the essential lessons, all content and performance standards will be met for the Washington State EALR's and Benchmarks. The lessons can be done in clusters or combined grouping. To ease Kit usage the following lessons should be done in the above sequence. The instructional approach to enhance student inquiry and discovery is to combine the lessons in clusters (2-4), (5-7), 10, (12-14), and then culminate the unit with final project assessment. The grayed lessons should be done if time is available. This will assure that you will be able to accommodate all EALR and WASL requirements. If time is not available the grayed lessons could be eliminated, but this means that you will need to assure that the remaining lessons are done in breadth and depth. The Appendices include many suggestions for post-unit assessments. They also provide information about preparing materials and constructing hidden circuit boxes. The Bibliography has suggestions of books that will help students see how discoveries in electricity fit into the history of the United States, as well as books that will help students delve further into the scientific and technological aspects of electricity.
|
The modern world would not
be possible without electricity. Electricity lights our homes
and industries; powers many forms of transportation; supplies
complex lines of communication through telephones, televisions,
radios, and computers; and provides us with a dizzying array
of labor-saving devices, both in the home and at the workplace.
What's more, knowledge of electricity has given scientists new
ways to pursue other disciplines--chemistry, physics, biology,
and medicine.