Electricity for Kids! It's Shocking!

Electricity for Kids! It's Shocking!

The lesson plan below is on my website with all of the hyperlinks directly to activities, templates, PowerPoints, etc.See Electricity Plan (Rebecca Yates) link at the bottom of this site.

Targeted GLEs: 2, 10. 11, 13, 25, 26

Time: 45 minutes

A. HOTS Question: What is electricity? What causes it?

B. Lessons

•Discussion on the importance of electricity in our world and how it came to be.
•Create a KWL Chart on Electricity
•Create an Electricity Word Bank and introduce the Vocabulary Words
•Electricity PPT (Denise Carroll) PowerPoint on Electricity
•More PowerPoint Links on Electricity (Pete’s PowerPoint Station)
•Discuss Ben Franklin-Inventor and Thomas Edison: The Miracle of Light (Gather books about both men to share their discoveries and how it has affected our lives.)
•Vermilion Parish Electricity Links (Use for computer stations) Teacher must choose the interactives before the students sit at the computer. (Included below)

Unit Vocabulary Words (optional)

Electricity – a form of energy that makes things work
Matter – the stuff that everything is made up of.
Atoms – very tiny bits that are too small for us to see; everything is made of them
Electrons – even tinier bits that make up atoms
Circuit – a circular or looped path that electricity takes
Closed circuit – a circular or looped path that is a complete circle
Open circuit – a circular or looped path that has a break in it
Socket – the holes in the wall where you plug in something
Static electricity- occurs when there are too many charges on an object's surface.
Benjamin Franklin- discovered electricity
Thomas Edison – Invented the light bulb and other electrical things.

C.What is Electricity? United Streaming and Interactives

1.Electricity: A First Look (United Streaming) You will need to sign into the Discovery Channel network if you have an account.

2..BBC- Electricity Interactive (Using Electricity) Shows closed circuits (Link)

3.Vermilion Parish Electricity Links (Use for computer stations) Teacher must choose the interactives before the students sit at the computer. (Link)

D.Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher Observation

Day 2: Science Activity Title: Experimenting With Static Electricity
Targeted GLEs: 2, 10. 11, 13, 25, 26

Time: 45 minutes
Teacher will choose experiments to demonstrate static electricity.

A.HOTS: How many of you have ever gone somewhere and felt a “shock” even though you are not fooling with actual electricity?

B.Junior Electrician: Static Electricity (Discovery Education-United Streaming Video 15 minutes) You will need to sign into the Discovery Channel network if you have an account.

C.What is Static Electricity Explanation Link? (Link)

D. Look over Sparkler Experiments Link -Teacher may choose one for experiment with the whole class. (Link)

E.Download one of these documents Science Experiment Static Electricity (MS Word) or PDF.

•Using balloons, the students will rub the balloon on the hair and record the results.
•On the “Science Experiment Static Electricity” document listed above, have the students record their results.

1.Experiment Title
2.What are we investigating?
3.Look at the material we will use. Can you guess what you think what will
happen during the experiment?
4.What did happen during the experiment? Explain “why” this happened?

F. Vermilion Parish Electricity Links (Use for computer stations) Teacher must choose the interactives before the students sit at the computer.

G. Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher Observation

Day #3 More with Electricity
Targeted GLEs: 2, 10. 11, 13, 25, 26

A.Review about electricity, the experiments and results so far this week and over vocabulary terms and make sentences using the words correctly.

B.Make four sets of vocabulary matching cards. (Optional: Print 2 sets on one particular color of tag board and another two sets on a different color. Then place one set (yellow) of words and the definitions (light blue) in each bag. The visual aspect helps the students if they have the words one color and the definition a different color.

C. Share Pod's Mission Circuit Interactive (Shows light and cells to produce electrical circuit at work) (Link)

D.Discuss types of electricity. How many kinds of electricity are there?

E.Computer work Denise Carroll's Interactive Electricity Quiz Vermilion Parish Electricity Links (Use for computer stations) Teacher must choose the interactives before the students sit at the computer.

F.Let's think about the above examples for a minute... Did you notice that they don't all have wires! Electricity doesn't exist only in things with wires. The reason is that there are two kinds of electricity: static and current.

G.Assessment/Evaluation: Teacher Observation

Days 4 and 5: Science Activity Title: “What Would Happen If”
Targeted GLEs: 2, 10. 11, 13, 25, 26

Time: 45 minutes (Note: Center work will be rotated over the two days.

Part 1:

A.Complete KWL Chart.

B.Review what we have learned about electricity so far.

Work in groups these two days.

C.Group 1: Vocabulary Center: Read over vocabulary terms and make sentences using the words correctly.

D.Group 2: Reading Center: Gather children’s books on Ben Franklin, electricity and Thomas Edison and make a “reading center” with the collection of books.

E.Group 3: Computer Center: Writing Activity PowerPoint Prompt: Share with students and explain they will have to write an explanation about the experiment. Electricity, Electricity, Electricity PowerPoint Writing Prompt PowerPoint Slide 1 (This powerpoint has two slides. The 1st slide will be on Day 4, while the 2nd slide will be used on Day 5.)

Writing Activity Worksheet Teacher will model this tool and discuss the causes of static electricity. Have students type in the Template MS Word 1 (Same prompt as above. Students will type in responses and save document on the hard drive.

Susie wants to blow dry her hair. What does she have to do for this to work? Explain why this could help her dry her hair? You may do this as a class or have them do this individually.

OR Computer Center Option 2:

Print the writing template as a “blackline” for students to write their answers and have the Vermilion Parish Electricity Website as the computer center.

F.Group 4: Writing Center: Students will write what they learned about electricity and static electricity this week.

G.Group 5: Art Center: Students will have to draw a picture of static electricity occurring, a closed circuit and an open circuit.

Days 5: Science Activity Title: “What Would Happen If”
Targeted GLEs: 2, 10. 11, 13, 25, 26

A.OPTIONAL: If time permits, you may want to complete this lesson as well.
Static Electricity, Static Electricity, Static Electricity Writing Prompt: PowerPoint (Slide

2) This PowerPoint has two slides. The 1st slide will be on Day 4, while the 2nd slide will be used on Day 5.) Once the teacher reviews the prompt on the PowerPoint (Slide 2) the students will work to complete Template MS Word 2 Students will type in this template)

Now that Susie’s hair is dry. She wants to try an experiment. She takes a balloon and rubs it on her soft hair. What would happen if she did that? Why would it happen?

B.Draw a picture of your hair after you rubbed an inflated balloon on your head several times.

C.Vermilion Parish Electricity Links (Use for computer stations) Teacher must choose the interactives before the students sit at the computer.

D.Assessment/Evaluation: Completed writing prompts, art projects, writing center work