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University of Houston

University of Houston: Engines of Our Ingenuity: Fleming's Electric Valve

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides background information on the Edison Effect and then discusses Fleming's invention.
Interactive
University of Toronto (Canada)

University of Toronto: Flash Animations for Physics

For Students 9th - 10th
This site boasts an extensive list of physics animations that cover topics such as electricity, magnetism, quantum mechanics, and relativity. Variables can be manipulated for each demonstration.
Activity
Texas Instruments

Texas Instruments: Lemon "Juice"

For Teachers 6th - 8th
"Juice" is a slang term sometimes used for electricity. Batteries are made up of one or more cells. Cells often consist of two different materials in a solution that are connected to each other by a wire. In this experiment, you will...
Lesson Plan
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)

Smile: Electron Current Flow

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A teacher lesson plan which could be easily converted into an idea for a student project or presentation. This page describes an activity in which the water-electricity analogy is used to investigate the relationship between current,...
Lesson Plan
Science and Mathematics Initiative for Learning Enhancement (SMILE)

Smile: Electromagnets

For Teachers 6th - 8th
This lesson plan contains several activities designed to help the student understand the magnetic effects of an electrical current.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: How Do Light Bulbs Work?

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A guided inquiry that involves observation of the parts of a light bulb in a lab.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Investigating How to Create a Stronger Electromagnet

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
In this instructional activity, students will investigate what they can do to produce a stronger electromagnet. Students will use the scientific thinking process to conduct investigations and build explanations. They will present their...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Introduction to Open and Closed Electrical Circuits

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
This activity introduces students to the concepts of electrical current and open and closed circuits. Students will act out open and closed circuits as a whole class with some students acting as the "motors" or "light bulbs."
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Magnetism and Sound: Creating Your Own Headphones

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students will explore how magnets can create a current by making their own headphones and listening to music from their iPods.
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Lighting the Way: Electrical Circuits and Lamp Wiring

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Through a series of self-guided activities, students will explore basic electrical circuits and then build a working model of a circuit through the process of wiring a lamp. They will understand the flow of electrons through a circuit,...
Lesson Plan
Science Education Resource Center at Carleton College

Serc: Comparing Current Intensities of Series, Parallel, and Complex Circuits

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students will investigate the differences of current in series, parallel, and complex circuits through the construction of a small house containing the different types of circuits.
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Electric Messages: Then and Now

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Lesson investigates electronic communication from the Morse Code system to text messaging. To learn about this, students construct simple circuits, send messages to each other, and explore the history and impact of communication.
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Flashlights and Batteries

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Students work in teams to explore how a flashlight works. This activity examines the topics of batteries, electron flow, circuit systems, switches, and bulbs.
Lesson Plan
TryEngineering

Try Engineering: Electric Switches

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
Lesson focuses on how switches control the flow of electricity. Students are posed with the challenge of designing and building a simple switch into an electric circuit.
Activity
Museum of Science

The Atom's Family: Electrical Safety

For Students 3rd - 8th
Help Frankenstein find out about electrical safety by clicking on the haunted house characters to find out what they are doing wrong.
Lesson Plan
Smithsonian Institution

Smithsonian Learning Lab: Making Friends With Franklin

For Teachers 3rd - 8th
This site is an introduction plus a series of three lesson plans that explore Franklin's portraits plus aspects of his work in science and writing.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Current (Electricity)

For Students 9th - 10th
Wikipedia offers detailed information on electrical current, including many hyperlinked related terms.
eBook
Upper Canada District School Board

Tom Stretton's Advanced Placement Chemistry: Electrochemistry

For Students 9th - 10th
This online textbook chapter provides learners with advanced-level material on electrochemistry.
Interactive
Math Science Nucleus

Math/science Nucleus: Night Without Light

For Students Pre-K - 1st
This animation discusses light and the properties of electricity in a storybook format. The theme of the story is that a family lost their power, so the animations discuss power and electricity and how it travels into homes.
Activity
Other

California Energy Commission: Coloring Book

For Students 3rd - 5th
At this site from California Energy Commission, you can learn more about electricity safety with this coloring book. Teach children how to use electricity safely.
Interactive
Math Science Nucleus

I. Science Ma Te: Integrating Science, Math and Technology

For Teachers Pre-K - 1st
This site offers a wealth of online textbook-related materials that encourage the discovery of science in the world around us. Enter the site to access material on specific topics. Each section contains reading material (complete with...
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Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility

Jefferson Lab: Reading Passages: Charges and Electricity

For Students 9th - 10th
Read and fill in the blanks of this passage explaining charges and electricity. Each blank has a dropdown menu with choices. When you finish, click CHECK MY ANSWERS. If you pick a wrong answer, the right answer will be displayed along...
Activity
PBS

Pbs: Electric Consumer Appliances Proliferate

For Students 9th - 10th
This PBS site provides a background of how the post-World War 1 US economy exploded with the advent of new electrical appliances. Offers additional links.
Handout
PBS

Who Made America?: Innovators: George Westinghouse, Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
One-page profile of influential innovator, George Westinghouse, Jr., whose vision and ideas helped to increase the safety of the railroad system in America. His experimentation with electricity also had a huge impact on the power...