This lesson gives students the opportunity to review electricity and circuits, learn new vocabulary words, and then build different series and parallel circuits. (Most appropriate for grade levels 5-8.)
Lesson Time: 60-70 minutes
Student Activity 1: This activity allows students to work through a matching vocabulary sheet with a partner or group.
Student Activity 2: After reviewing map keys and legends, students will do a quick activity in reading the symbols on a map key, to prepare them for reading circuitry symbols.
Student Activity 3: Students will use our Circuitry kits to build series and parallel circuits.
Group work: Students will work in groups of 3-4 students. In order to save time, teachers are asked to create the groups before our Wizard arrives.
Science Standards:
7.PS.2: introduces the idea of conductivity
7.PS.3: Energy can be transformed or transferred but is never lost.
7.PS.4: Energy can be transferred through a variety of ways. An electrical circuit transfers energy from a source to a device.
8.PS.1: Objects can experience a force due to an external field such as magnetic, electrostatic, or gravitational fields. Magnetic, electrical and gravitational forces can act at a distance.
High School Standards:
P.EM.4: DC circuits • Ohm's law • Series circuits • Parallel circuits
PS.EW.5: Electricity • Movement of electrons • Current • Electric potential (voltage) • Resistors and transfer of energy