"Electricity: An Invisible Power Working For Us"

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Electricity: An Invisible Power Working For Us
by Elizabeth Klein

Subject:	Science

Grade Level:	Upper Elementary

Objective:	Students will observe places in the local environment that use electricity and classify those uses. They will discuss and illustrate the dangers of electricity. Students will gain a simple knowledge of how a circuit operates by observing one demonstrated, then by creating one in groups. They will write a procedure based on their discoveries.

Time needed:	Four lessons of approximately 1 - 2 hours

Materials:	cameras, paper and pencils, electrician, poster board, paints, batteries, foil, light bulbs

Introduction:

Electricity is an invisible source of power or energy that flows through a conductor like water flows
through pipes. Conductors such as aluminum foil, copper, and gold allow electricity to flow easily
through them. Electricity can be changed into light, heat, and movement. Small amounts of electricity can be stored in batteries. It can be dangerous if it is not used carefully. An electric shock may harm or even kill you, so never poke things into electrical machines or sockets.

Instructions:

Lesson One
Discuss all the ways electricity is used in the classroom. Investigate where and how electricity comes into the school by observing overhead wires and power lines. Walk around the school, then the local environment, observing where electricity is used. Encourage the students to photograph, draw and take notes as they walk. Sort and classify under headings: lighting, heating, cooling, cleaning, etc.

Lesson Two
Invite an electrician to give a short talk on electricity, including the safety precautions that the students should take. Before the visit, ask the students to form pairs and list questions to ask.

Lesson Three
Brainstorm the dangers of electricity, highlighting the things that people should never do. Have each student create either a poster that shows the dangers of electricity or a poster that illustrates the uses of electricity. Ask the students to paint their posters in vibrant colors.

Lesson Four
Observe the size and shape of a variety of batteries. Discuss their function. Note the information written on them. For five minutes, have pairs of students write down as many objects they can think of that use batteries.

Place the students in small groups of five or six, then give each group a sheet of foil, a battery, and a light bulb. Allow the groups five minutes to work out how to make the light bulb glow.

Discuss how a circuit creates a pathway for electric currents to flow. Demonstrate that by designing a simple circuit, the students can create light. Fold the sheet of foil over and over until you have a thin strip. Connect one end of the foil to the bottom of the battery and the other to the bottom of the light bulb. It will produce light. Now pull one end of the foil away. Discuss how the light bulb will not glow because the current stopped flowing. Have the students each take a turn to light the light bulb.

Give some groups another sheet of foil and a second light bulb and to the rest of the groups extra foil, two light bulbs and two batteries. Encourage the students to use the materials to create a circuit. Ask the students to write a procedure on how they created circuits, including drawings and an outcome.

Extra Activities:
The teacher brings in simple appliances that use either batteries or electricity and hands these items to groups in the classroom. Each group operates the appliance, and then writes a procedure on how it works, completing it with a drawing. Each group demonstrates their appliance to the rest of the class.