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
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.
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
Middle schoolers 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.
Curated OER
Static Electricity 1: Introducing Atoms
Students explore webpages to research the nature of atoms, including electrons, protons, and neutrons. This instructional activity is the first of a four-part series on static electricity. They see that static electricity involves + and...
Curated OER
Electricity and Lightning
Students define important vocabulary words related to electricity and charges. In this physics activity, students examine force created by electricity and lightning. They differentiate between the two forces and how they both generate...
Curated OER
Stuck On You
Fifth graders, after completing a K-W-L-H Chart on electricity, discuss and illustrate the four ways lightening can move.
Curated OER
Stormy Weather
Middle schoolers conduct experiments. In this weather lesson, students review what they know about weather elements such as cloud formation and storms. Middle schoolers conduct demonstrations and learn how lightning strikes.
Curated OER
Lightning It's Shocking, It's Frightening, It's Lightning!
Third graders decide what they want to explore lightning, how to go about finding the answers, and deciding what skills they need to further study some of their questions.
Curated OER
LIGHTNING MYTHS AND FACTS
Students compose lightning safety rules and explore facts and fiction about lightning. They examine the cause of lightning when a channel nears an object on the ground, a powerful surge of electricity from the ground moves upward to the...
Curated OER
Thunderstorms
Fourth graders examine the attraction between two different charges to investigate lightning in a thunderstorm. They complete an experiment and a worksheet.
Curated OER
Energy Sources
Students explore a variety of sources and types of energy. The difference between energy for a person and energy for an automobile are examined. Efficiency and care for the environment are included in this experience.
Curated OER
Storms and Extreme Weather
Young scholars explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. In this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Young scholars...
Curated OER
Ben Franklin Timeline
Celebrate inventions such as lightning rods, bifocals, and stoves with a Ben Franklin Day. Young historians conduct research and write a paragraph about an accomplishment of Benjamin Franklin including an illustration or collage that...
Curated OER
Electrical Safety Emergency Plan
Students discuss Picture 7 which is a hairdryer near a basin. They discover that if the hairdryer is plugged in and turned on and falls into the water it will form a circuit and anyone touching the water or hairdryer may be electrocuted....
Curated OER
Conductivity - Pass the Buoy and Pepper, Please
Buoys around our coastlines are equipped with sensory devices which monitor temperature, salinity, and water pressure. Emerging earth scientists examine some of this data and relate salinity to the electrical conductivity of the surface...
Curated OER
Zapping Fish
Students explore whether fish get electrocuted when the lightning strikes a lake.
Curated OER
Safety
Students investigate the concept of voltage and electricity. They differentiate between an insulator and a conductor in the context of using electrical safety with the help of a doll house. Then students pretend the doll lives in a real...
Curated OER
Log Cabin in a Thunderstorm Lesson Plan
Students work on a K-W-L chart about electrical storms, lightening, and thunder. They discuss how meteorologists forecast storms and research their answers which are shared in a whole class setting. Using art supplies, they draw dwelling...
Curated OER
Coulomb's Law
Ninth graders observe the relationship between electrical charge and force. In this electrical charge instructional activity students experiment and find the quantitative relationship between force and the center to center distance...
Curated OER
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Students identify lightning words from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer to complete definition and synonym activities. In this word study lesson, students discuss lighting words and read a Mark Twain quote. Students then read specific...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Science Pen Pals
Learners explore the scientific career of Benjamin Franklin. In this science lesson, students discuss Franklin's correspondence with other scientists and write letters describing Benjamin Franklin's experiments.
Curated OER
Amazing Water Changes
Students explore the properties of water and how it changes states. In this kindergarten to 2nd grade science lesson, students pair a hands-on science activity with two suggested books. This inquiry lesson has extension activities to...