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The following instructional plan is part of a GaDOE collection of Unit Frameworks, Performance Tasks, examples of Student Work, and Teacher Commentary. Many more GaDOE
approved instructional plans are available by using the Search Standards feature located on GeorgiaStandards.Org.
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
Unit One Organizer: Fifth Grade Electricity and Magnetism
(9 Weeks)
OVERVIEW: Students will carry out investigations to become familiar with the pushes and pulls of magnets and static electricity. The unit
will give students a basic understanding to determine what conditions produce a magnetic field such as an electromagnet and what conditions
induce electric currents using simple circuits. Although electricity is the movement of electrons from one place to another, at this grade level
there is no emphasis on electrons or atomic structure. Explaining positive and negative charges as they attract and repel will help students gain a
basic understanding of the relationship between magnetism and electricity. Batteries are used as energy sources and flashlight bulbs obtain
energy to become the energy receivers.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT
Focus Standards:
S5P3. Students will investigate the electricity, magnetism, and their relationship.
a. Investigate static electricity.
b. Determine the necessary components for completing an electric circuit.
c. Investigate common materials to determine if they are insulators or conductors of electricity.
d. Compare a bar magnet to an electromagnet.
S5P1 Students will verify that an object is the sum of its parts.
STANDARDS ADDRESSED IN THIS UNIT
Supporting Standards:
S5CS3. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating objects in scientific activities.
a. Choose appropriate common materials for making simple mechanical constructions and repairing things.
b. Measure and mix dry and liquid materials in prescribed amounts, exercising reasonable safety.
c. Use computers, cameras and recording devices for capturing information.
d. Identify and practice accepted safety procedures in manipulating science materials and equipment.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Cells/Microorganisms Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 1 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
S5CS5. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly.
a. Write instructions that others can follow in carrying out a scientific procedure.
b. Make sketches to aid in explaining scientific procedures or ideas.
c. Use numerical data in describing and comparing objects and events.
d. Locate scientific information in reference books, back issues of newspapers and magazines, CD-ROMs, and computer databases.
S5CS6. Students will question scientific claims and arguments effectively.
a. Support statements with facts found in books, articles, and databases, and identify the sources used.
b. Identify when comparisons might not be fair because some conditions are different.
S5CS8. Students will understand important features of the process of scientific inquiry.
Students will apply the following to inquiry learning practices:
a. Scientific investigations may take many different forms, including observing what things are like or what is happening somewhere,
collecting specimens for analysis, and doing experiments.
b. Clear and active communication is an essential part of doing science. It enables scientists to inform others about their work, expose
their ideas to criticism by other scientists, and stay informed about scientific discoveries around the world.
c. Scientists use technology to increase their power to observe things and to measure and compare things accurately.
d. Science involves many different kinds of work and engages men and women of all ages and backgrounds.
ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS
Magnets can be used to generate electricity.
Some materials are good conductors while others are good insulators.
Like charges repel and unlike charges attract.
Motion is produced from electric energy.
Resistors change some currents into heat or light
Electric currents are useful.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Electricity and Magnetism Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 2 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:
1. Why do things cling?
2. Why do magnets repel and attract?
3. How are electricity and magnetism connected?
4. How does a basic electric circuit work?
5. How are conductors and insulators different?
6. What are the uses of electricity and magnetism in everyday life?
MISCONCEPTIONS
Electricity is a form of energy.
PROPER CONCEPTIONS
Electricity is the effect of the apparent motion by an electric current.
The electric energy in a circuit flows in a circle.
When you connect a light bulb to a battery, electrical energy moves
from the battery to the bulb. This is a one-way flow.
Two kinds of electricity are “static” and “current”.
Static and current are two ways in which electrical charges can
behave. Current is produced by the apparent motion of electrons
along a conductor.
The stuff that flows through wires is called “electric current.”
An electric current is a flow of charge.
Static electricity is caused by friction.
Static electricity appears when 2 dissimilar insulating materials are
placed into intimate contact and then separated.
Insulators and Conductors do the same job.
Some materials are conductors and some materials are insulators.
Conductors are materials that allow electricity to flow easily. We use
these materials in electrical circuits. Insulators don't allow electricity
to flow easily and we use these materials to protect ourselves.
An electromagnet must have an iron nail.
An electromagnet is wire coiled around a cylinder such as a nail. It
may or may not have an iron core.
Batteries have electricity inside.
A battery or generator is like your heart: it moves blood, but it does
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Electricity and Magnetism Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 3 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
not create blood. Electric currents in copper wires are a flow of
electrons, but these electrons are not supplied by batteries. Generators
do not 'generate' them. Instead the electrons come from the wire. In
copper wire, copper atoms supply the flowing electrons. The
electrons in a circuit were already there before the battery was
connected. They were even there before the copper was mined and
made into wires! Batteries and generators do not create these
electrons, they merely pump them, and the electrons act like a preexisting fluid which is always found within all wires.
Because of the abstract nature of electricity we are only dealing with
the very basic misconceptions. You could come in contact with many
more misconceptions.
Concept
Know/Do
Language
Evidence
Static Electricity
Investigate static electricity
by rubbing balloons on hair,
etc.
Static electricity, friction,
insulating materials
Hands on Inquiry
Science Journal
Electricity and Magnetism
Student will
compare/contrast electricity
and magnetism
Electricity, magnetism,
electric force, electric
current, electric circuit,
friction, poles, fields
Venn Diagram to
compare/contrast electricity
and magnetism.
Hands on Inquiry
Science Journal
Electromagnets and bar magnets
Construct an electromagnet
and compare it to an ordinary
bar magnet.
Electromagnet, core, nail,
poles, field
Electromagnet construction
Science Journal
Electric Circuit
Design a simple electric
circuit.
Circuit, resistor, switch,
electric circuit, electric
current, electric force, power
source
Simple circuit construction,
Blueprint
Science Journal
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Electricity and Magnetism Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 4 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
Conductors and Insulators
Students will identify what
makes a good conductor and
what makes a good insulator.
Conductor, insulator
Hands on Inquiry
Science Journal
EVIDENCE OF LEARNING:
By the conclusion of this unit, students should be able to demonstrate the following competencies:
Culminating Activity:
GRASPS
Goal: Apply knowledge and understanding of electricity in a real world scenario.
Role: An 1800’s pioneer.
Audience: Peers
Scenario: You are a pioneer in the late 1800s and live in a log cabin on the plains. Electricity has now become available to the region. You
have read newspaper articles about an inventor named Edison and his new appliances for the home. You will work in small groups to discuss
the pros and cons of this technology, and figure out how to safely modify your log cabin to incorporate electricity.
Product: Your group will design and construct a log cabin (shoe box) including the new technology of electricity (simple circuits). The
group will design a blueprint to scale including a diagram of electrical wiring. Measurements must be accurate for the ordering of materials,
such as wire, bulbs, and batteries. Materials will be ordered using the correct forms from the class supply clerk. Completed designs will
demonstrate the use of electric circuits to light the cabin safely.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Electricity and Magnetism Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 5 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Science – Grade 5
Teacher Information and Resources
Misconception Websites
Misconceptions about Electricity http://amasci.com/miscon/elect.html
Children’s Misconceptions about Electricity http://www.northwestcollege.edu/WAW/Essays/Essay37.pdf
More misconceptions http://www.glenbrook.k12.il.us/GBSSCI/PHYS/CLASS/circuits/u9l2e.html
Interactive Websites
Electricity and Magnetism http://ippex.pppl.gov/interactive/electricity/
Conductors and Insulators http://www.pge.com/microsite/PGE_dgz/wires/resist.html
Circuits and Conductors http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/8_9/circuits_conductors.shtml
The Blobz Guide to Electric Circuits http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/
Electrical Safety World http://www.smud.org/safety/world/index.html
Information Websites
Batteries http://www.howstuffworks.com/battery.htm
Electromagnets http://science.howstuffworks.com/electromagnet2.htm
Static Electricity http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html
Electricity Web Quest http://volweb.utk.edu/Schools/sullivan/colonial/electricity.html
Electricity and Magnetism http://library.thinkquest.org/16600/intermediate/electricity.shtml
Energy Kid’s Page http://www.eia.doe.gov/kids/energyfacts/sources/electricity.html
Tech Topics: Electricity http://www.thetech.org/exhibits/online/topics/10a.html
Electricity Experiments
Electricity and Magnetism Experiments http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/#exper
Electricity: Simple Circuits http://www.can-do.com/uci/lessons99/electricity.html
Make a Battery from a Lemon http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/lemon.html
Electrical Fleas http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/electrical_fleas.html
Other Suggested Resources
AIMS Education Foundation Electrical Connections
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Electricity and Magnetism Unit  Grade 5
April 16, 2007  Page 6 of 6
Copyright 2007 © All Rights Reserved