Flipping the

Switch
Grade Hands-On Science Lesson

4th
Katie Hoppe, Sonja Hults, & Michele
Lockley
EDMS 545 Summer 2005

California Content Standards

4th Grade
Physical Sciences
1. Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many useful
applications in everyday life. As a basis for understanding this concept:
1a. Students know how to design and build simple series and parallel
circuits by using components such as wires, batteries, and bulbs.
Investigation and Experimentation
6. Scientific progress is made by asking meaningful questions and
conducting careful investigations. As a basis for understanding this
concept and addressing the content in the other three strands, students
should develop their own questions and perform investigations.
Students will:
6d. Conduct multiple trials to test a prediction and draw conclusions
about the relationships between predictions and results.
6f. Follow a set of written instructions for a scientific investigation.

Batteries, wires, and metals

used in this experiment can
become HOT!

Essential Questions

1.What enables an electrical

current?
2.How do you build a simple circuit?

Exploration Phase
What do these have in common?

Electric Music

A simple circuit made easy by you,

two wires, one battery and a light
bulb too.
Put them all together and you will
see
the powerful forces of electricity.

We need...
Electricity to move.
Electricity to move yeah!
Electricity to move.
Electricity to move yeah!
http://www.musicallyaligned.com/electricity_to_move.htm
http://www.musicallyaligned.com/Electricity_to_move_2nd_verse&chorus.mp3

Supplies
Challenge 1 Materials: 1 D battery, 2 insulated copper wires, 1.5
volt light bulb, duct tape.
Challenge 2 Materials: (please note that some of the materials from
challenge 1 are reused in challenge 2): 1 battery, 1 bulb, 3
copper wires, I piece of cardboard, 2 brads, 1 paperclip,
Adhesive tape
Each student will have a handout. (combination worksheet and
directions)
Class computer with PowerPoint capability & Internet.

Exploration Phase
Challenge # 1 Procedure
o Place the battery upright on the table.
o Take the wires and tape one end to the
bottom of the battery. Tape the second
end on the top of the battery.
o Take the light bulb and place the other
ends of these two wires in various places
on the metal part of the light bulb.
o When you have successfully lit the bulb,
finish the diagram below.

Exploration Phase
Challenge # 2 Procedure
STEP # 1
o Join the battery, bulb and three wires as shown.
o Attach the wires to the battery using some adhesive tape.
STEP # 2
o Push one paper fastener (brad) through some cardboard.
o Hook a paper clip onto the second fastener and push the fastener (brad)
through the cardboard
o MAKE SURE THE PAPER CLIP CAN TOUCH THE OTHER FASTENER
(BRAD).
STEP # 3
o Turn the cardboard over.
o Wrap one wire around each paper fastener (brad).
o Bend the legs of the fasteners (brads) and tape them down.
o THE LEGS MUST NOT TOUCH.

STEP # 4
o Take the paper clip and press it onto the free paper fastener
(brad).
o Electricity should flow.
o What happens to the light bulb?

STEP #5
o Now take the paper clip off the paper fastener (brad).
o What happens to the light bulb this time?
o Why do you think this happens?

Concept Invention Phase

What Happens?
o When you press the paper
clip against the paper
fasteners (brads), you are
joining up an electrical
circuit..
o This enables electricity to
flow around the wires and
through the light bulb. This
makes the bulb light up.
o When you break the
connection you stop the
electricity from flowing so
the light stops shining.

Concept Invention Phase

o http://greystone.apogee.net/kids/explore.aspx

Concept Application Phase

o

In Class
o

Think/Pair/Share - Terms to use: open, closed, circuit, electric

current, wires, battery, and switch in your explanation.
o
o

Journaling & Visualizing - Students will write and define new

vocabulary in their science journals while thinking about
how an electrical toy operates.
o
o

What is the difference between an open and closed circuit?

How does electricity flow to light the bulb?

Prompt:: Explain in a paragraph how a battery operated vehicle

(toy) works.
Students will draw a simple diagram of the vehicles circuit.
(Do not open the toy to find out).

At Home
o

Students will explore the world of Electrical Safety, and

complete a Safety Check List at home.

Pacific Gas & Electric, Education and Training.

http://www.pge.com/education_training/.
http://www.pge.com/microsite/safetycorner/.

Life Applications
1.

2.
3.

4.
5.

Students learn to recognize how electricity works, and by

using their safety booklet, they can become aware of their
families electrical usage.
The student may be able to help fix a broken circuit in their
home.
Electricity is everywhere. The students view of this topic
will be deeper and may help them to question where street
lights come from.
The student will recognize the safety issue problems in
their home, which may prevent a fire.
By understanding electricity, the student will understand
natures responses during electrical storms, and why it
important to know about lighting poles and electrical wires.

SDAIE & Adaptations

SDAIE strategies (5)
o
o
o
o
o

Think/Pair/Share students will discuss new vocabulary through reciprocal

teaching/reinforcement.
Journaling Students write in their journal by taking what they have learned and
applying it to a toy.
Realia The building of the circuit add dimension and depth to the learning
through kinesthetic activities, adding to the realia of the lesson.
Visual The worksheet provide visual identification. The students build the circuit
first, and then reemphasize the activity by drawing their circuit.
Graphic Organizers The take home checklist asks the student to apply the
information learned during this lesson to their at home graphic organizer provided
by the electric company.

Adaptations for students with disabilities (5)

During the teaching of the lesson we will:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Go slower and be willing to repeat for the student with auditory processing
problems.
Place the student nearer you to hear if verbally impaired.
Get larger materials for the student with impaired hand movements. If the
materials are still not adequate, there are circuit kits with larger parts and no
wires.
For the student that has dyslexia, have the instructions on tape ahead of time.
Visuals and direct modeling to reinforce concepts for all students.

Links
o

Discovery of Electricity. http://www.le.ac.uk/se/centres/sci/selfstudy/eam3.htm. This is a good

reference site with a bit of history, Simple and easy to understand for both teachers, parents,
and students
o
Dialogue for Kids Electricity - http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season3/electricity/facts.html Great site for students to explore and review concepts. The site also has teacher resources such
as lesson plans and a video archive.
o
Electric Current. - http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks3bitesize/science/physics/electromag1_2.shtml.
This is a simple learning module with a quiz at the end so students can check their
understandings.
o
The Flow of Electricity - http://www.kpsec.freeuk.com/electron.htm - Complete with animated
graphics, this site describes how electricity flows. It is an excellent site for teacher review before
the lesson, but can be used buy students as well.
o
GreyStone Power Corporation, Kids Korner - http://greystone.apogee.net/kids/explore.aspx - Site
provides excellent visuals for use in lessons on electricity and its various sources. It has a great
section on history and some fun games for kids.
o
Interactive EnergyQuest - http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/index.html - Great Energy Education
interactive site for students with resources for parents and teachers also. Teacher resources
include links to a great number of lesson plans and links to electricity education sites
o
Kid Zone Electric Avenue - http://www.aecl.ca/kidszone/atomicenergy/electricity/index.asp Great interactive resource for kids to explore electricity and other power sources. Site is fillied
with many interesting facts and games.
o
Pacific Gas & Electric, Education and Training. http://www.pge.com/education_training/. This site
offers a variety of education materials for grades K-8. It also has some fun safety modules that
students can progress through as well as links to energy efficiency, and a variety of games.
Safety books can be printed out from the Safety Corner:
http://www.pge.com/microsite/safetycorner/.

The End

Remember to be careful
around any kind of
electricity!