Electrical Circuits

These are four classic activities used for instructing upper elementary electricians. The first involves experimenting with the Van de Graaff generator. The second is a series of hands-on experiences with static. In the third activity,...

Students examine how to make an electrical circuit. They listen to a teacher led discussion, design a switch to control a circuit, and construct a signaling device.

Through scientific inquiry, middle schoolers discover how to arrange solar cells in order to produce electricity. This activity is intended to prepare learners to be able to design and construct solar cars. As with other resources...

The lights don't always go out when the switch is flipped. The 10th instructional activity in a series of 14 helps learners build a conceptual understanding of the flow of electricity through a parallel circuit. They then build their own...

Experiment with electric circuits and conductivity. Young scientists will model and discuss how an electric circuit works. First they will draw a model of the flow of electrons and then build an actual circuit. Finally, they will explain...

Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...

Fourth graders explore electrical circuits. For this electrical circuit lesson, 4th graders research the history of the use of light and read a biography regarding Benjamin Franklin. Students the build basic circuits, series...

A sleepy-sounding narrator explains how batteries and circuits work. Simple computer animations display the movement of electrons through parallel and series circuits. Since the narrator speaks slowly and clearly, and the animations are...

Fifth graders explore electrical concepts and host a guest speaker. This lesson sets up guidelines for students to follow when they have a guest speaker. Students are primed to become actively involved in a lecture or discussion, while...

In this lesson, students build series and parallel circuits and test their conductivity. Includes handouts with diagrams, and a vocabulary list with definitions.