CT Thematic lesson plans
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http://www.wikiteach.org/index.php/wikiteach/action/lessonplan/iVar/178
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lesson
Grade level: 10th grade
Title: Introduction to Electronic
Class period: 55 minutes
Class size: 8 students
Desired outcome: Students will be able to describe the relationships between,
voltage, current and resistance. Students will use a multi-meter to measure
voltage, current and resistance. Students will use Ohm’s Law and calculate
voltage, current and resistance in series and parallel circuits. Students will
calculate and measure Kirchhoff’s law in series and parallel circuits. Students will
write a compare and contrast paper covering series and parallel circuits. Students
will research inventors who formed the basis of electron theory and describe why
their work is important.
Textbook: Electricity; Gerrish, Dugger, Delucca
Lab Activities: Tronix 1 lab materials. This box contains all materials students need
for connecting circuits and a students workbook for student’s responses and
reflections from lab activities and includes a multi-meter.
Dailey lesson template: Background knowledge will review past lessons based on
a teacher list of prompts and given to a student who will lead the discussions.
Students will discuss the new vocabulary as it pertains to the day’s lesson.
Students will then research an inventor whose work will be covered in that day’s
lesson and write a 1 paragraph essay to be shared with class. Students will then
do a reading out of the text for new information on that day’s lesson. Next
students will do lab activities in their tronix 1 box and answers questions in the
student workbook and write observations and conclusions. Class will finish with
student led discussion about lab activities, observations, inventors contributions
and conclusions. Time limits are tentative, depending on discussions and students
questions.
Lesson 1: Basics of any Electrical Circuits
Objectives
Science:
 Students will be able to explain why the unit of measure for Electromotive
force (EMF) is called a volt.
 Student will explain how an electrical current is measured.
 Student will explain how resistance to currents flow is measured.
Math:
 Student will calculate the resistance of different size and length of wire.
 Students will properly use the resistor “color code” to determine resistors
values with 10% tolerances.
Social studies
 Student will research Allessandro Volta and explain his discovery of voltage
Language
 Student will write 1 paragraph about the discovery of voltage
Materials: textbook, Tronix 1 boxes, computer, worksheets, pencil
Background Knowledge:
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What are the 3 parts of an atom?
What is the electron theory?
What are the differences between a conductor and insulator?
What are some examples of each?
Explain the law of charges
Why does wire come in different sizes?
New vocabulary: ampere (A), color code, current flow, electromotive force (EMF),
potential difference, voltage and tolerance
Activities:
 (5 min) Discuss background questions-Collaborative Strategy: Hold students
accountable to others. A student will be selected to lead a class discussion
to review the background questions from the last lesson.
 (5 min) Discuss new vocabulary--Collaborative Strategies: Code breaking
and Building knowledge and vocabulary to advance comprehension. A
student will be selected to lead a discussion of new terms pronunciations
and meanings and relations to past lessons.
 (10 min) Research Allessandro Volta and write 1 paragraph of his
importance. Strategy: Historical reasoning and argumentative writing
 (5 min) Read chapter 2- Volts, Amperes, and Ohms. Strategy: using content
to draw students into situations that demand higher-order meaning
making. After students researches a historical inventor, they will read about
that persons ideas in real world applications.
 (20 min) Lab activities- Strategy: Observation; students will examine
different component for polarity to ensure proper connections in circuits,
different colors on resistors mean different values, and pictorials of circuits
that they will use to connect circuits.
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1. Basic circuits
2. Resistor color code
3. Simple circuits 1, 2, and 3
 (10 min) Assessments: Collaborative strategy: Instructional Conversations.
Student led discussion coving that day’s lab activities and inventor
paragraph and how they relate, lab answer sheets, lab circuits, oral teacher
questions, clean-up
Lesson 2 Reading a Multi-meter
Objectives
Science:
 Students will properly connect a multi-meter to different circuits and
neasure voltages, currents and resistance.
Math:
 students will select the proper ranges and settings on a multi-meter for
accurate circuit measurements
 Student will do amperage conversions from milliamps to amperes.
Social Studies
 Students will research Jacques d’ Arsonval or Andre-Marie Ampere and
explain their contribution to electronics
Language Arts
 Student will write a short essay on the discovery of Amperage
Materials: textbook, tronix 1 boxes, computer, worksheets, pencil
Background Knowledge:
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What causes electrons to flow in a circuit?
What is this force called? Why?
What do we call electrons moving through a circuit? Why?
What do we use to control electron flow? How does it work?
What are some examples of a load in a circuit?
What are the 4 factors of resistance?
 Explain how color code works.
 What electrocutes you Volts or Amps? Explain.
New vocabulary: ammeter, auto polarity, millimeter, ohmmeter, overload,
reflecting galvanometer, shunt, voltmeter and multi-meter
Activities
 (5 min) Discuss background knowledge-Collaborative Strategy: Hold
students accountable to others. A student will be selected to lead a class
discussion to review the background questions from the last lesson.
 (5 min) Discuss new vocabulary and relate to background knowledge
Collaborative Strategies: Code breaking and Building knowledge and
vocabulary to advance comprehension. A student will be selected to lead a
discussion of new terms pronunciations and meanings and relations to past
lessons.
 (10 min) Research either Jacques d’ Arsonval or Andre-Marie Ampere and
write 1 paragraph of their importance in electronics. Strategy: Historical
reasoning and argumentative writing
 (5 min) Read chapter 3- Reading a Meter. Strategy: using content to draw
students into situations that demand higher-order meaning making. After
students researches a historical inventor, they will read about that persons
ideas in real world applications.
 (20 min) Lab: Strategy- Strategy: Reliable evidence: Students will be
measuring different values of voltage; amperage and resistance with a
multi-meter. Students will have to select range setting for accurate
readings.
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Lesson 37 measuring voltage
Lesson 38 measuring amperage
Lesson 39 measuring resistance
 (10 min) Assessments: Collaborative strategy: Instructional Conversations.
Student led discussion coving that days lab activities and inventor
paragraph and how they relate, lab answer sheets, lab circuits, oral teacher
questions, clean-up
Lesson 3 Ohm’s Law
Science:
 Students describe the relationships between voltage, amps and resistance
 Students will describe the direct proportions of volts and amps.
 Students will describe the inverse proportions between volt, amps and
resistance.
 Students will properly calculate voltage, amperage and resistance using
Ohm’s Law.
Math
 Students will calculate, then measure voltage, amperage and resistance
using Ohm’s Law.
 Students will design and draw graphs showing their calculations.
Social Studies
 Student will research Georg Ohm and explain his contributions in
electronics in a 1 paragraph essay
Language Arts
 Student will write an essay on how changes in voltage, amperage effect
resistance
 Students will list 2 possible reasons for differences between calculations
and measurements.
 Student will write 1 paragraph on how Georg Ohm’s memory device works.
Materials: Tronix 1 box, pencil, student workbook, multi-meter
Background Knowledge:
 How does a meter work?
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Why do we measure Voltage in a parallel connection?
Why do we measure amperage in a series connection?
Why do we measure resistance in a de-energized circuit?
What are the relationships between volts, amps and resistance?
If voltage goes up, what happens to amps? Resistance? Why?
If voltage goes down, what happens to amps and resistance? Why?
If amps go up, what happens to voltage and resistance? Why?
If amps go down, what happens to Voltage and resistance? Why?
New vocabulary: control, load, voltage source, conductive pathway, switch,
milliamps, short circuit, circuit breaker, fuse
Activities:
 (10 min) Discuss background knowledge. Collaborative Strategy: Hold
students accountable to others. A student will be selected to lead a class
discussion to review the background questions from the last lesson.
 (5 min) Discuss new vocabulary Collaborative Strategies: Code
breaking and Building knowledge and vocabulary to advance
comprehension. A student will be selected to lead a discussion of
new terms pronunciations and meanings and relations to past
lessons.
 (5 min) Research Georg Ohm and why his law is so important? . Strategy:
Historical reasoning and argumentative writing
 ( 5 min) Read chapter 4- Ohm’s Law- Strategy: using content to draw
students into situations that demand higher-order meaning making. After
students researches a historical inventor, they will read about that persons
ideas in real world applications.
 (20 min) Activities Ohm’s Law- Strategy- Method of differences.
Students will construct circuits and use Ohm’s Law to calculate
voltages, amperage and resistance value and compare to
measured values using a multi-meter and explain the differences.
 Experiments 34,35,36 Ohm’s law- Tronix 1 box w/ Ohm’s answer
sheet for the following
1. Visual observations of LED brightness
2. Multi-meter readings
3. Ohm’s Law calculations
4. Explain differences between measured and calculated
 (10 min) Assessments: Collaborative strategy: Instructional Conversations.
Student led discussion coving that days lab activities and inventor
paragraph and how they relate, lab answer sheets, lab circuits, oral teacher
questions, students graphs, clean-up
Lesson 4: Series Circuits
Objectives
Science:
 Student will properly connect electronic devices in a series circuit.
 Students will measure voltage, amperage and resistance in a series circuit
Math
 Students will calculate voltage, amperage and resistance in a series circuit
 Student will calculate voltage drops in series circuit
 Kirchhoff’s laws
Social Studies
 Students research and describe Gustav Kirchhoff and his importance in the
field of electronics
Language arts
 Student will write 2 paragraphs about Kirchhoff’s law, 1 on voltage and 1 on
current
 Student will write a paragraph explaining voltage drops
Materials: Tronix 1 box, multi-meter, pencil, multi-meter
Background Knowledge
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Can you draw Ohm’s law memory device and explain how it is used?
What are the three basic equations derived from Ohm’s Law?
What do the following letters or symbols mean: I, A,V, R, EMF, mA
What are the relationships between short circuit and an overload?
What do both create? Why is that bad?
How are circuit breakers and fuses the same? Different?
New Vocabulary: Kirchhoff’s current Law, Kirchhoff’s Voltage Law, voltage drops,
series
Activities:
 (10 min) Discuss background Knowledge questions knowledge.
Collaborative Strategy: Hold students accountable to others. A student will
be selected to lead a class discussion to review the background questions
from the last lesson.
 (5 min) Discuss new vocabulary in relation to background
knowledge. Collaborative Strategies: Code breaking and Building
knowledge and vocabulary to advance comprehension. A student
will be selected to lead a discussion of new terms pronunciations
and meanings and relations to past lessons.
 (5 min) Research Gustav Kirchhoff and explain why his laws are so
important today. Strategy: Historical reasoning and argumentative writing
 (5 min) Read chapter - 6 series circuits Strategy: using content to draw
students into situations that demand higher-order meaning making. After
students researches a historical inventor, they will read about that persons
ideas in real world applications.
 (20 min) Lab-Kirchhoff’s laws in a series circuit- Strategy: Reliability.
Students will construct circuits, calculate voltage, amperage and resistance
and verify Kirchhoff’s laws. Then they will measure the voltage, amperage
and resistance values to further evaluate Kirchhoff’s laws, doing lessons
39, 40, 41 Tronix 1 box.
 (10 min) Assessments: Collaborative strategy: Instructional Conversations.
Student led discussion coving that day’s lab activities and inventor
paragraph and how they relate, lab answer sheets, lab circuits, oral teacher
questions, clean-up
Lesson 5 Parallel Circuits
Objectives
Science:
 Students will properly connect electrical devices forming a parallel circuit.
 Student will list Kirchhoff’s laws for parallel circuits.
Math
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Students will calculate equivalent resistance
Students will calculate equal resistance in parallel circuits’
Students will calculate unequal resistors in parallel circuit.
Students will calculate conductance in a parallel circuit.
Social Studies
 Students will research Ernst Werner Von Siemens and explain his
contributions in electronics
Language Arts
 Students will write a paragraph about Ernst Werner Von Siemens
Material: Tronix 1 box, multi-meter, pencil, multi-meter
Background knowledge
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What are Kirchhoff’s law on series circuits
What changes and what stays the same?
How is total resistance calculated?
What makes a circuit in series?
 What causes voltage drops in a series circuit?
 What are resistance drops?
 How are Christmas tree lights wired? Which type is best? Why?
New Vocabulary: conductance, Siemens, parallel, equivalent resistance,
reciprocal, branches
Activities
 (10 min) Discuss background knowledge questions knowledge Collaborative
Strategy: Hold students accountable to others. A student will be selected to
lead a class discussion to review the background questions from the last
lesson.
 (5 min) Relate new vocabulary to background knowledge
Collaborative Strategies: Code breaking and Building knowledge
and vocabulary to advance comprehension. A student will be
selected to lead a discussion of new terms pronunciations and
meanings and relations to past lessons.
 (5 min) research Siemens contributions to electronics. Strategy: Historical
reasoning and argumentative writing
 (5 min) read chapter 7 - Parallel Circuits Strategy: using content to draw
students into situations that demand higher-order meaning making. After
students researches a historical inventor, they will read about that persons
ideas in real world applications.
 (20 min) Kirchhoff’s Law- parallel circuits. Strategy: Sub arguments.
Students will list reasons that parallel circuits differ from series circuits at
completion of lab lessons 42, 43, 44 in Tronix 1 box.
 (10 min) Assessments: Collaborative strategy: Instructional Conversations.
Student led discussion coving that days lab activities and inventor
paragraph and how they relate, lab answer sheets, lab circuits, oral teacher
questions, sub arguments list, clean-up
Follow-up activities:
Students will use their workbook, inventor paragraphs and graphs to write a short
essay to answer the following questions.
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How do electrons to move in a circuit?
Name and explain the 2 reasons circuits have resistance?
How are series and parallel circuits different?
Write a compare and contrast essay explain why series circuits have voltage
drops, yet the amperage remain the same? Explain why parallel circuits’
amperage drops, yet voltage remain the same?
Why is resistance calculated differently in series and parallel circuits?
What is the importance of Kirchhoff’s laws?