Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Insulators and Conductors
In a classic activity, emerging electricians test various objects for electrical conductivity in a circuit. Each group constructs a simple circuit by following a diagram. Predictions are made and objects are inserted into the circuit,...
Consumers Energy
Conductors and Insulators
Why did the orchestra director use a copper baton? She heard it makes a great conductor. Scholars select six items to test in a circuit to determine if each is a conductor or an insulator. Clear instructions for using electricity allow...
Curated OER
Conductors and Insulators
Fifth graders explore conductors and insulators. For this science lesson, 5th graders act as electrons moving through a wire. Students break into groups representing conductors and insulators and explore how they work with electrons.
Teach Engineering
Insulation Materials Investigation
Don't melt away! Pairs investigate different insulation materials to determine which one is better than the others. Using a low-temp heat plate, the teams insulate an ice cube from the heat source with a variety of substances. They...
Science Matters
Blubber Gloves: It’s All About Insulation
Instill the concept of adaptation with the help of Blubber Gloves—ziplock bags, shortening, and duct tape. Scholars discuss how animals and plants keep warm in polar regions, record their predictions, and try on their Blubber Gloves to...
Science Matters
Conductors and Insulators
Get that energy flowing while classes study conductors and insulators. Using a simple circuit, learners test different materials to determine the strength of conductivity. They use their results to classify materials as conductors or...
Curated OER
Conductors and Insulators
In this conductors and insulators activity, learners answer 11 questions about electrical resistance, conductance, gauge scale, and breakdown voltage.
US Department of Energy
Get Connected!—An Electrical Conductivity Tester
Pupils test various materials to learn if the materials are conductors or insulators. They observe a small electric charge go through, or not go through, a material to light up a small bulb.
Curated OER
More on Conduction and Convection
Why do some items feel colder when they are the same temperature? How should you keep your soda cold? What makes the wind blow? These are just some of the things middle schoolers discover when completing a lesson on conduction and...
Curated OER
Atmospheric Processes - Conduction
Learners explain the process of conduction using a molecular explanation, and explain how different materials conduct at different rates.
Virginia Department of Education
Heat Loss from a Fur-Insulated Animal
How do animals adapt to weather changes? Provide your class with the ability to understand adaptations and body temperature as they participate in this hands on experiment, using fake fur and hot water. Pupils collect data and analyze...
Curated OER
How Hot Is It?
Discuss the difference between conduction, convection and radiation of thermal energy, and complete activities with your class by investigating the difference between temperature, thermal energy and the heat capacity of different materials.
Curated OER
Fall 2005 Midterm Exam #1
You've got the power! With this physics midterm, you have the power to assess learners' grasp of electricity concepts. The exam is neatly formatted and provides a variety of question types: true or false, multiple choice, and problem...
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
The Power of Graphene
To prepare for the activity, STEM classes read about nanotechnology and the amazing properties of graphene. They collect a graphene sample from pencils, and then connect them into simple circuits to determine whether it makes a better...
National Geographic
Expedition Clothing Then and Now
Introduce your class to the Everest expedition to reenact a 1924 climb by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. Discuss and show pictures of the types of clothing worn at that time and compare it to today's state-of-the-art climbing gear....
PBS
Insulation Station
It's all about the material. Learners experiment with different substances as they try to keep an ice cube from melting. They draw conclusions by answering a set of questions about the types and amount of material that had the best result.
Curated OER
What is the Best Insulator: Air, Styrofoam, Foil, or Cotton?
Students investigate the properties of insulators by attempting to keep a cup of water from freezing, and once it is frozen, to keep it from melting. They conduct the experiment, record and analyze the results, and answer discussion...
Curated OER
Insulators and Conductors
Students conduct an experiment in which they create open and closed circuits. In this insulators and conductors activity, students review open and closed circuits and then get in groups to make both kinds of circuit. Students use a...
Curated OER
Electricity: Will It Conduct?
Young scholars build conductivity testers and investigate which solids and solutions conduct electricity. Working in groups, they predict which items will conduct electricity and record their answers on worksheets.
Curated OER
Charge and Electricity
In this charge and electricity instructional activity, students read about electric charges and how they are created in atoms. They also read about the unit of charge, called the Coulomb, conductors, and insulators. Emerging electricians...
Scholastic
Study Jams! Heat
Raise the temperature in your class with this hot film! Cartoon teens discuss thermal energy, the conservation and transfer of energy, three methods of heat transfer, conductors, and insulators. The publisher effectively packed every...
Curated OER
Conductors and Insulators Experiment
In this conductors and insulators experiment worksheet, students follow the procedures to set up an experiment that tests which common materials are conductors or insulators.
Curated OER
Cool and Not-So-Cool Materials
Why do some materials feel cool to the touch, but not others? Learn about thermal conductors and thermal insulators with a fun science experiment. First, kids read the results of an experiment with spoons and hot water. They then try...
Curated OER
Insulators And Conductors
Pupils investigate the flow of electricity and how it effects different objects in the classroom as being classified as an insulator or conductor. They work in teams to test the conductivity of different classroom objects after making...