This cluster includes the following access points.
Vetted resources educators can use to teach the concepts and skills in this topic.
| Name |
Description |
| Electricity--Energy Lighting the Way!: | Students will investigate and illustrate complete circuits using a battery, wires, light bulb and various conductors and insulators. They will understand that electricity is a form of energy that can be converted into other forms of energy such as heat and light. |
| Mars Exploration Administration: | Students will be given the opportunity to design a conductivity tester for astronauts to use on Mars. Students will then get to use a 3D printed tester to check common items for potential conductivity and then to redesign their tester.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. Click here to learn more about MEAs and how they can transform your classroom. |
| Wire We All Wet?: | A fire caused by faulty wiring set off a sprinkler system, which damaged a school. The school must be remodeled and the electrical wiring must be replaced. Students will decide which materials to use to as conductors and which to use as insulators in the new wiring.
Model Eliciting Activities, MEAs, are open-ended, interdisciplinary problem-solving activities that are meant to reveal students’ thinking about the concepts embedded in realistic situations. MEAs resemble engineering problems and encourage students to create solutions in the form of mathematical and scientific models. Students work in teams to apply their knowledge of science and mathematics to solve an open-ended problem, while considering constraints and tradeoffs. Students integrate their ELA skills into MEAs as they are asked to clearly document their thought process. MEAs follow a problem-based, student centered approach to learning, where students are encouraged to grapple with the problem while the teacher acts as a facilitator. To learn more about MEA’s visit: https://www.cpalms.org/cpalms/mea.aspx |
| Let It Flow: | Have you ever wondered how a light turns on? In this lesson, students will explore how electricity flows through a complete circuit in order to light a light bulb. |
| Making Connections!: | Lights, camera, action! Well, you would have action if the camera was on, and it can only turn on if it has a battery, and it can only work if the battery is charged. Put it all together, and you have a complete circuit! In this lesson, students will learn that a circuit can be connected in more than one way to make something work. The students will work to connect circuits and test different items to identify if they are conductors or insulators. |
| The Shocking Truth About Circuits - An Engineering Design Challenge: | This Engineering Design Challenge is intended to help students apply the concepts of electrical energy, circuits, insulators and conductors in standards SC.5.P.10.4, SC.5.P.11.1, SC.5.P.11.1, SC.5.P.11.2 by constructing circuits. It may also be used as introductory instruction of the content. |
| Circuit Circus: | Students will be able to identify characteristics of electrical energy. This lesson can be completed in one 80 minute time period or over two days. Students will learn about electrical energy, circuits, conductors and insulators through video, a hands on exploration and summarizing informational text. |
| Let There Be Light!: | For students who have previously constructed complete circuits and tested for electrical conductors and insulators, this activity will put their knowledge to use and solve an energy crisis taking place in their neighborhood right now, by creating a series circuit and switch that returns control of their town's energy back to the Mayor. Thanks to the Super Energy Wizards! |
| Transformation of Energy: Constructing an Electromagnet: | In this hands-on lesson, students will work in groups to construct an electromagnet. This lesson focuses energy, forms of energy, and how energy is transformed in a circuit. This lesson also can be used to address variables in an experiment, conductors and insulators, data tables and graphs, and open and closed circuits. |
| Name |
Description |
| Circuit Sense: | In this activity about electricity, learners identify closed and open circuits. First, learners examine and label diagrams of open and closed circuits. Then, learners build each of the circuits shown in the diagrams using electrical supplies. Throughout the activity, learners predict and then test if the light bulbs will turn on based on the circuit type. |
| Current Electricity - Lights On: | This is an exploratory lesson that provides the learners with a chance to discover the possible connections in a controlled setting.While the possibilities may seem limitless there are but four basic ways to complete the simple circuit. The rule of each contact area needs to be in contact with one other contact area fulfills the options and possibilities. |
| Introduction to Open and Closed Electrical Circuits: | Students will act out open and closed circuits as a whole class with some students acting as the "motors" or "light bulbs." It is followed by individual journal writing and a class discussion. |
Vetted resources students can use to learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
Vetted resources caregivers can use to help students learn the concepts and skills in this topic.
