Curated OER
Electricity
Students identify the relationship between batteries, circuits and voltage. In this physics lesson, students investigate the way batteries are put into different apparatus. They discuss why different machinery need different voltage of...
Curated OER
Student Exploration: Circuit Builder
In this circuit builder worksheet, students use the Circuit Builder Gizmo to answer 15 questions and complete charts about different kinds of circuits. Students will need to have access to the online Gizmo to complete the worksheet.
Curated OER
Electrical Circuits And Switches
Students design and draw circuits with batteries, small light bulbs and common household conductors. They build and test the circuit then modify it so someone who couldn't use their hands could turn the circuit on and off.
PBS
Locker Lights
Light up a locker for a more festive hallway! Scholars learn about electric currents, LEDs, and switches, then experiment with their own circuits. They use the circuits to design and build locker decorations that light up when turned on...
Bonneville
Solar Tracker Challenge
Follow the light—not with one's eyes—but with a special solar tracker. Future engineers design and build a device that tracks light. They must build circuits in which solar cells rotate to receive equal amounts of light.
PBS
Keep Out!
Sound the alarm about a great resource. Scholars first build a simple circuit to learn the basics about electric currents. They then design an alarm system in which a buzzer activates when pressure is applied to a doormat.
Science Friday
Make a Speaker
Make science come in loud and clear. Pupils learn about how a speaker works by building one. The scholars first learn about electromagnetic fields by building an electromagnet. Using that knowledge, they build a crude speaker using a...
CK-12 Foundation
AC Transformer
High voltage power lines deliver electricity to homes, but each home requires low voltage. How does the energy get converted so it can be used safely? Pupils explore alternating current and transformers through a simulation. They control...
Bonneville
Simple Solar Tracker
Let the solar cells fight each other for supremacy! Given a functional solar tracker that moves toward light, groups copy the design to build their own devices. They use two sets of solar cells that have reverse polarization, so that the...
Curated OER
Energy Conversion in Electricity – Resistors and Circuits
Students explore electrical energy. For this electricity lesson, students design and build a large circuit in order to determine whether circuit size correlates with the light of a bulb.
Curated OER
Circuits
Students draw a schematic diagram of parts needed to build an op-amp. In this physics activity, students test the operation of their machine. They graph and analyze data using excel.
Curated OER
Series and Parallel Circuits
Young scholars study simple circuits. After a demonstration of parallel and serial circuit designs, students work in teams to predict the difference between two circuit designs. They build examples of two different circuits and test...
Curated OER
Electricity and Circuits
In this electricity and circuits worksheet, students read a 2 page article, answer 5 questions with multiple choice answers and read 10 statements and determine if they are true or false.
Curated OER
Build a Simple Ammeter
Students build and work with a simple ammeter to test theories on why solar cells connected in parallel produce more current that in series. Students use the ammeter to indicate the presence, direction, and strength of an electric...
Curated OER
How Smart are You about Electricity, Batteries and Conductors?
Students create working circuits. In this electricity and circuits lesson, students make a battery, then build a flashlight and use part of the flashlight to create a conductivity tester.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Electric Messages: Then And Now
Learners engage in a instructional activity that is concerned with the history of communication devices that are used today and in the past. They practice using morse code as a look into the past and then cover the modern subjects of...
Curated OER
Fall 2004 Midterm Exam #1, Parts A & B
First year physics learners show what they know about electric potential, circuits, power, current, and voltage on this midterm exam. It consists of a multiple choice section, some true or false questions, and two multi-step problems to...
Curated OER
A Simple Motor
Instructions for building a simple electromagnetic motor are provided for the teacher. Aside from some sketchy background information and a list of content standards to be met, that is about all you will find in this resource. The motor...
Curated OER
Create a Pathway
Fifth graders build and experiment with electric circuits using easily available materials. They hypothesize what may happen if a part is changed.
Curated OER
Galvanometers
Learners construct their own galvanometer. In this physics lesson, students explain how it is used to detect electric current. They conduct an experiment to measure how much electricity flows through the circuit.
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...
Trash For Teaching
The Light-House Project
Groups work together to design a lighthouse, from designing and drawing the wiring diagram, to creating prototypes of the switch and circuit, to envisioning and building a scale model along with a blueprint. By including different...
Curated OER
Design Project: Radio Transmitter
For this electrical circuit worksheet, students research the Federal Communication Commission to determine the regulations for a non-license radio transmitter. They will answer a series of another 3 questions to show an understanding of...
Curated OER
Stepper Motor
Students compare a stepper motor from a traditional motor. In this physics instructional activity, students summarize how it works. They build their own stepper motor and explore its uses.