Unit Overview
This unit covers two physical science topics that
are typically addressed several times from elementary to
high school. In the Champaign curriculum, simple
magnetism activities are included at the first grade
level; this unit is the first introduction to
electricity. Because this is a topic that is unfamiliar
to many elementary teachers, some lessons contain
detailed—but simple and age-appropriate—information, as
well as graphics to better explain the concepts.
It should be noted that concepts related to atomic
structure and “electrons” are not considered
developmentally appropriate for elementary school.
Therefore, the emphasis in this unit should be on the
concepts expressed in the standards listed, not on
explaining electricity and magnetism in terms of
electron flow or orientation. If you wish to introduce
these concepts to the students, or if students have
questions about them, keep in mind that they should only
be introduced and discussed, not assessed.
It is also stated, in the National Standards, that
“children cannot understand a complex concept such as
energy….nonetheless, they have intuitive notions of
energy….teachers can build on the intuitive notions of
energy without requiring them to memorize technical
definitions.” This means that it’s OK to discuss
electricity as a form of energy in terms of children’s
ideas about energy (it gets things done, makes things
go), but not in terms of formal definitions. |
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Activity List
- Introduction:
Electricity Search
- A Simple Electrical
Circuit
- Parallel and Series
Circuits
- Formative Assessment
- Terms and Symbols;
Introducing Switches
- Performance
Assessment
- Switches
- Cooper Wires Vs.
Plastic Wires
- Variations in
Lights; Electricity Use and Direction
- Investigating
Additional Circuit Components (Motors, Buzzers)
- Full Inquiry
- Exploring Magnets
- Magnetic Force
Fields
- Electromagnets
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Learning Objectives
Students
will know and be able to demonstrate that:
- We use electricity in our
everyday lives for a variety of “jobs” (purposes,
applications).
- Electricity in circuits can
produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects.
- An electric circuit is a
complete path through which electric current can flow;
electric current is the movement of electricity through a
material.
- A battery can be a source of
electric current. The current produced by a battery flows
through the circuit in one direction, not in both
directions. This can affect how the “job” in the circuit
works.
- A battery can produce a
specific amount of electrical current. (The volts* number on
the battery is a measure of the amount of current produced.)
When several batteries are connected in a row, then the
amount of electrical current in the circuit is increased.
(Add the volts.) Each job in a circuit “uses” a certain
amount of the current (volts) produced by the battery.
- A useful electric circuit
has 4 basic parts: a source of electric current (power or
energy source), a job to be done by the electricity, a
switch to control the electricity, and a path (made of a
conductive material) that connects these components.
- A circuit can have one or
more of the basic parts. However, when more jobs are added,
more electricity (voltage) is “used”, and the circuit may
require more power (more batteries, more volts) to work.
- In a series circuit, all
parts of the circuit are connected to the battery(ies) in
one single path. In this case the jobs in the path must
share the amount of electricity provided by the power
source, and a break in the circuit at any place in the path
(like a burned out bulb) will destroy the circuit and none
of the jobs will function.
- In a parallel circuit, there
are two or more paths connected to the battery(ies). Each
path gets the full amount of electricity, and a break in the
circuit of one path will not affect the other path(s).
- A conductor is a material
through which electricity moves freely.
- An insulator is a material
through which an electric current cannot move.
- An electromagnet is a magnet
produced by an electric current; this kind of magnet can be
turned on and off.
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