Earth
/ Space Science Kit Resources
Electric
Circuits: Tips for Teachers
The following Tips for Teachers were generated to better serve
the Elementary teacher s of the Vancouver School District.
If you have any of your own Tips, please send them to me (Kris
Skrutvold at the following email address: kskrutvo@vansd.org)
and I will post them on the Kit Resources web-site. (Currently
being developed)
Kit Needs and Concerns
- Overhead of large battery and bulb, can use actual wires
to connect
and make a complete circuit
Christmas lights to demonstrate series and parallel
Morse Code list for switch activity
Flashing ball (available thru Edmund Scientific or Spencers)
- Need to find boxes for flashlight activity
- Wanda Sofie (Minnehaha) found a great www site: http://edtech.kennesaw.edu/web/teaching.htm
Lesson 1-4
Time involved in preparing the materials.
Collaboration/Planning time
Lesson 6-7
Larger battery.
Test tubes.
Lesson 10,11,14
Kit need copies of parallel and series circuits for students
to draw,
describe and build.
Lesson 15-16
Play the water works game.
Project discovery information and activities.
Are there enough supplies to have the students work in pairs
rather
than groups of four?
Kit Modifications
Lessons 1: Thinking about Electricity and its Properties
Use flashing ball for circuit review
Play morse code with circuits before you introduce electric code
Series vs parallel: Christmas light example
Have a cross section of a battery.
Dissected bulb.
Gather different light bulbs.
Lesson 2: What electricity can do
Lesson 3: A Closer look at circuits
Make an overhead of the large bulb and battery have the kids
move and manipulate the pieces to show how they make the lights
light
The little green men analogy of electricity
Little Green men= current (electrons)
Evil overlord= voltage (battery)
Tunnels= resistance (wires)
Lesson 4: What is inside a light bulb
Lesson 5: Building a circuit
Lesson 6: What's wrong with the circuit?
Box full of crumpled paper-students stand in circle and pass
them
one at a time to simulate flow of electricity
Use green M&M's to simulate the flow and then eat them
Use chasing lights to show movement of electrons
Search for Insulators and Conductors with Circuit Tester.
Place open ends of circuit wires in water over night for splitting
water molecules
Lesson 7: Conductors and Insulators
Lesson 8: Making a Filament
Lesson 9: Hidden Circuits
Lesson 10: Deciphering a Secret Language
Play morse code with circuits before you introduce electric
code
Morse code activity with a circuit tester.
Have kids stand in a semi- circle around the edge of the table
and
have a tub with multiple cards with the letter "e"
for electron on
them. As an "e" is removed (neg.), from one end of
the tub the
exchange begins. Pass around from student to student. Last
student puts "e" card back into tub. Repeat quickly.
Reinforce understanding of electron flow.
Lesson 11: Exploring Series and Parallel Circuits
Use Christmas lights to show series and parallel
Lesson 12: Learning about Switches
Lesson 13: Constructing a flashlight
Lesson 14: Working with a diode
Lesson 15: Planning to wire a house
Play water works game.
Introduce concept of series and parallel circuits.
Teacher should provide the boxes so the houses are all uniform.
Confidence test was a good evaluation tool.
Lesson 16: Wiring and lighting a house
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