Curated OER
Static Electricity 4: Static Electricity and Lightning
Students explain concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning.
Curated OER
Lightning
Students investigate lightning. In this lightning lesson plan, students demonstrate how static electricity is in the air by observing how a balloon reacts to a charge.
Curated OER
How Lightening Works
Annotated diagrams explain the distribution of charged particles in clouds that can lead to lightening bolts. This is a super short slide show but it is useful for explaining the phenomenon and safety mechanisms.
Curated OER
Reading Comprehension: Thunder and Lightning
Thunder and lightning are so exciting! Your class gets to read all about it. This informational reading passage provides them with a scientific explanation of thunder and lightning. They read the passage, answer comprehension questions,...
Curated OER
Plasma Globes and Electricity
Students examine the basic ideas of conductors and insulators. In this electricity lesson, students predict which items will work as insulators or conductors when contact is made with a lightning globe. The students evaluate what they...
Curated OER
Lightning
Students uncover the science behind lightning and thunder.Theyexamine electrical attraction between like and unlike charges, and the force that creates lightning, is first explained using static electricity.
Curated OER
Making Lightening: In Your Mouth
Students look at a lightening demonstration. In this lightening activity, students bite into a wintergreen candy while looking in the mirror in a dark room. They see sparks in their mouths if they perform the task correctly.
Curated OER
Static Electricity 3: More About Static Electricity
Students reinforce the concept that static electricity is a phenomenon that involves positive and negative charges.
Curated OER
Static Electricity
In this scientific investigation activity, students follow the provided procedures to examine static electricity and then respond to 1 short answer question.
Curated OER
Understanding Thunderstorms
For this thunderstorm worksheet, students read about thunder and lightning and the forces behind both. They also read about the timing difference between thunder and lightning. Students answer three critical thinking questions about...
Curated OER
Thunderstorms
Fourth graders investigate the attraction between two different charges to explain the concept of lightning in a thunderstorm.
Teach Engineering
Weather Alert
Every time a bell rings ... there is lightning in the area. The activity provides directions to build a model of a lightning detection system. Similar to a system designed by Benjamin Franklin, the system uses static electricity to...
Urbana School District
Electrostatics
Why did lightning shock the man? Because it didn't know how to conduct itself. Presentation covers electric charges, insulators, conductors, electroscopes, lightning, generators, grounding, static electricity, and more. Presentation is...
Curated OER
Focusing Event to Electricity
Students explain how electrical charges behave. For this electricity lesson, students determine how far away lightning is when it strikes. They research how fabric softener reduces static electricity and share their findings in class.
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...
Curated OER
Static Electricity
In this lightning activity, students will read information about the different types of lightening and how they are formed. Then students will complete 2 short answer questions.
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
Electricity
In this electricity worksheet, students review electric charges and what types of materials can conduct electricity. This worksheet has 7 fill in the blank, 5 true or false, 3 multiple choice, and 5 short answer questions.
Curated OER
Electricity Safety
Third graders explore electricity safety. In this science lesson, 3rd graders read a story about an electrical outage. Students discuss if various situations shown are safe or unsafe.
Essential Energy
Being a Safety Star (Stage 3)
A spark of static electricity contains up to 3,000 volts, while a lightning strike contains around 3,000,000 volts. To understand electricity, its power, and the safety considerations relating to it learners engage in a comprehensive...
CK-12 Foundation
Touch Screen
Touch screens are becoming more common, but how do they work? The simulation shows the electric potential versus system charge as scholars alter three variables. The schematic of the capacitance demonstrates the set up as each variable...
Curated OER
Benjamin Franklin - Master of Electricity The Kite Experiment and the Invention of the Lightning Rod
Students study Benjamin Franklin including who he was, what he invented and his experiment. In this inventive instructional activity students follow the steps of Ben Franklin and build a Leyden jar.
Curated OER
Stormy Weather
Students conduct various experiments to explore the concepts that static electricity is the cause of lightning.
Curated OER
Getting A Charge Out of the Sky
Students investigate electricity from the sky. In this electricity lesson, students participate in an experiment to simulate the electric charges from the sky. Students discuss results.