Curated OER
Simple Circuit
In this circuits learning exercise, students follow directions on how to make a light bulb light and answer questions about it. Students answer 1 question about an insulator and 1 about a conductor.
Curated OER
Crossword: Batteries
In this science crossword puzzle, students fill in 12 answers to science clues. All pertain to batteries and circuits, and assume prior knowledge, as there is no word bank.
Curated OER
On the Right Circuit
After a discussion on how to make a light bulb light up in an electrical circuit, young scientists take a look at four circuits, and they choose the one they think will make the lightbulb light up. Use in conjunction with any initial...
Curated OER
Let's Light Up a Light Bulb!
Third graders investigate the concept of how electricity works in the lighting of a light bulb. They construct a circuit in order to follow the path of electricity and test how it can travel in a wire system. Then the light bulb is lit...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
PBS
Real-World Ratio and Rate Reasoning: How to Power the Skate Park
Bring on the lights! Using an interactive, characters try to figure out how to light a skate park by examining area and ratios to determine the number of solar panels needed to power them. Pupils design a house with a roof to hold solar...
Curated OER
Completing the Circuit
Students use a battery, wires, small light bulb and a light bulb holder to learn the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit, and understand that electric current only occurs in a closed circuit. They describe the...
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #1 - Solar Cell Inquiry
Give youngsters the components of a solar-powered electric circuit and turn them loose to figure out how to connect them in order for a light to shine or motor to turn. They compare energy output of a solar panel to that of a battery. On...
Museum of Science
Circuit Board
Light up the solutions. By following a set of directions, pupils build a circuit board with six different circuits. Learners use the circuit board to create a matching activity by connecting the questions to the correct answers via a...
Curated OER
Applied Science - Technology (3A) Pre Lab
Third graders discuss electric currents. For this circuit lesson, 3rd graders create a picture of a battery circuit and a light bulb. They show the positive and negative charge and the flow of electrons.
Physics Classroom
Electric Current
Pupils focus on the flow of electricity as they work through three sections of questions as part of a series of lessons on electric circuits. The activities cover the fundamentals, case studies, and law breakers. Learners use conceptual...
Curated OER
Lemon Batteries Revised
Fifth graders investigate how chemical energy in food and batteries is potential or stored energy. They discuss how batteries function, and create a class list of different forms of energy. Students then create a lemon battery that...
Curated OER
Lemon Battery
Students construct their own battery made of lemons. In this electrochemistry lesson, students explain why lemons conduct electricity. They perform a series of experiments to investigate its conductivity.
Curated OER
Electric Gameboards
Students explore the properties of electricity. In this electricity lesson, students construct an electric game board circuit using their knowledge of a series electrical circuit. Students develop game ideas based on current curriculum,...
Curated OER
Making a Battery and Energy Transformation
Seventh graders determine what makes a battery work. In this battery instructional activity, 7th graders brainstorm ideas about how they think batteries provide energy. They perform an experiment in which they work as a team to assemble...
Curated OER
A Collection of Lights
The purpose of the slide show is to help learners understand that there are different types of lights, that they have an on/off switch, and that they can be made out of a variety of materials. There are quite a few nice pictures of lamps...
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries Side by Side
Students build parallel circuits, exploring how they function and looking at their unique features. They describe how current changes when batteries are added in parallel or removed from a parallel arrangement, demonstrate the process of...
Curated OER
Circuit Basics
In this circuits worksheet, students compare voltage, current, and resistance. Students draw a battery with a resistor, switch, and light bulb. This worksheet has 6 short answer, 1 matching, and 6 drawing questions.
Physics LAB
Resistance, Wattage, and Brightness
In this light bulb activity, students determine how the thickness of a filament influences changes in a parallel circuit. This activity has 18 problems to solve.
Curated OER
Solar Kit Lesson #3 Parts of a Solar Panel - Part I
A solar cell is similar to a rechargeable battery in many ways. Science lab groups connect each in a series circuit to run a mini motor and then compare and contrast them by answering questions and completing a Venn diagram. This is an...
Consumers Energy
Circuits and the Flow of Electricity Lesson Plan
I think I lost an electron. Are you sure? Yes, I'm positive! Starting with a hands-on demonstration and problem solving activity, young scientists define vocabulary related to circuitry and currents. Then they build their own circuits...
Curated OER
Potato Power
Students light a LED clock or light bulb using potatoes. They examine how a battery works in a simple circuit. They determine how chemical energy changes to electrical energy while experimenting with potato powered circuits.
Curated OER
Batteries and Bulbs
Learners examine the uses of batteries and bulbs and explain the differences between series and parallel circuits. In this circuits instructional activity students complete a lab activity.
DiscoverE
Electrical Liquids
Liquid or not, here comes the electricity. Scholars test the conductivity of various substances using a circuit that includes a light bulb. If the light bulb lights up, then the liquid is a conductor. What a bright idea!