Electrical Circuits

This link is for a series of lesson plans on electrical circuits.  The lessons are from basic understanding to building your own circuit with a light bulb.  There is a materials list provided at the beginning of the lesson series. This lesson plan series is located on Teachers' Domain. It is a free site, but they do require you to register after you have "test drove" the site for a limited number of times. The lessons are easy to follow and do not require a lot of hard to find materials. The lessons are hand-on. There are links to some videos that can be used as extension activities.

Weblink address (URL): 
Electrical Circuits

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives: 

Objectives:

  • Model the flow of electrons in a circuit
  • Build an actual electric circuit
  • Draw diagrams of electric circuits
  • Explain how to tell when the path of an electric circuit is complete
  • Test the conductivity of a variety of materials

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level: 
Understanding
Differentiation suggestions: 

Check for Understanding:

Ask students to work in groups to act out a battery-bulb circuit and what happens when the light bulb burns out.

Helpful Hints

Materials:

  • balls, books, or erasers for the "Act Out an Electric Circuit" activity
  • wire strippers
  • insulated wire
  • flashlight bulbs
  • fresh D-cell batteries
  • tape (masking or electrical)
  • various materials for testing conductivity (suggestions: cardboard, salt water, aluminum foil, plastic, steel wool, wood, rubber, fabric, wire coat hanger)
  • can be purchased at a hardware or electronics supply store

 

References

Contributors: 
Jennifer Hassell
Originator: 
Ayers Institute for Learning & Innovation