One Stop Shop For Educators
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 Physical Science – GRADE 8
Task 1 - Building a Wet Cell
Standards (Content and Characteristics):
S8P5. Students will recognize characteristics of gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major kinds of
forces acting in nature.
b. Demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of series and parallel circuits and how they
transfer energy.
c. Investigate and explain that electric currents and magnets can exert force on each other.
S8P2. Students will be familiar with the forms and transformations of energy.
a. Explain energy transformation in terms of the Law of Conservation of Energy.
b. Explain the relationship between potential and kinetic energy.
c. Compare and contrast the different forms of energy (heat, light, electricity, mechanical motion,
sound) and their characteristics.
S8CS2. Students will use standard safety practices for all classroom laboratory and field
investigations.
a. Follow correct procedures for use of scientific apparatus.
b. Demonstrate appropriate techniques in all laboratory situations.
c. Follow correct protocol for identifying and reporting safety problems and violations.
S8CS4. Students will use tools and instruments for observing, measuring, and manipulating
equipment and materials in scientific activities utilizing safe laboratory procedures.
a. Use appropriate technology to store and retrieve scientific information in topical, alphabetical,
numerical, and keyword files, and create simple files.
b. Use appropriate tools and units for measuring objects and/or substances.
c. Learn and use standard safety practices when conducting scientific investigations.
S8CS5. Students will use the ideas of system, model, change, and scale in exploring scientific
and technological matters.
a. Observe and explain how parts can be related to other parts in a system such as the role of
simple machines in complex machines.
b. Understand that different models (such as physical replicas, pictures, and analogies) can be used
to represent the same thing.
S8CS6. Students will communicate scientific ideas and activities clearly. (a,b,c)
a. Write clear, step-by-step instructions for conducting scientific investigations, operating a piece
of equipment, or following a procedure.
b. Write for scientific purposes incorporating information from a circle, bar, or line graph, data
tables, diagrams, and symbols.
c. Organize scientific information in appropriate tables, charts, and graphs, and identify
relationships they reveal.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Physical Science  GRADE 8  Building a Wet Cell
JULY 2008  Page 1 of 5
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Physical Science – GRADE 8
Enduring Understandings:
Electricity is a general term used to refer to the presence and/or flow of electrical charges. It is
usually associated with the movement or position of those charges.
A wet cell or dry cell can be used to produce electricity through a chemical reaction.
Insulators are poor conductors and resist charge movement while conductors are poor
insulators and tend to allow charges to easily move.
Closed circuits allow current flow while open circuits do not have an unbroken path for current
movement.
Essential Questions:
How is electricity produced and used?
How are insulators and conductors used in the movement of charges?
How is static electricity different from “regular” electricity?
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Physical Science  GRADE 8  Building a Wet Cell
JULY 2008  Page 2 of 5
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Physical Science – GRADE 8
ADMINISTRATION PROCEDURES
Outcome /
Performance
Expectations:
General
Teacher
Instructions:
Students will build a wet cell that creates about 1 volt of potential difference.
There is also the possibility of connecting several cells together into a battery and
increasing the voltage.
Students will clip a strip of zinc to one side of beaker (inside) and a strip of copper
to the other side using alligator clips. Begin by using a 250 ml beaker and filling
with about 200 ml of water. Using alligator clips and wire, connect the zinc and
copper strips to different leads of a multimeter or voltmeter to detect a potential
difference (voltage). Replace the water with grape juice then lemon juice, and then
vinegar and record the variations in voltage. Students can try other acidic
solutions to see if they increase the voltage. Also, the size of the metal strips can
be altered to check for difference.
This cell will not produce enough voltage to light a bulb. However, if you hook a
small digital clock to it, it should produce enough voltage to make the clock work.
Also, a small Light emitting diode (LED) can potentially function on this level of
voltage. The voltage can also be increased by connecting several cells in serried
by connecting the zinc from one to the copper in the next. If enough cells are
hooked together, a very small flashlight bulb may be lit.
Substitute other metals such as iron nails, lead, and tin to see if results change.
Materials
Needed:
Safety
Precautions:
Task with
Student
Directions:
A simple voltmeter can be used to check the voltage. However, a digital
multimeter would allow testing a much smaller voltage more accurately. There are
many low cost multimeters available in common stores or auto parts stores.
The following materials are needed:
Per student or group:
1 250 ml beaker,
1 strip zinc metal
1 strip copper metal
2 lengths of insulated wire preferably with alligator clip connectors
1 multimeter to detect voltage or a voltmeter
several acidic solutions (grape juice, lemon juice, vinegar)
Also for expansion: LED, small digital clock
Glass breakage is always a possibility when using beakers. Be sure not to use
concentrated acids.
Obtain the following materials:
1 250 ml beaker,
1 strip zinc metal
1 strip copper metal (and other metals your teacher provides)
2 lengths of insulated wire preferably with alligator clip connectors
1 multimeter to detect voltage or a voltmeter
several acidic solutions (grape juice, lemon juice, vinegar)
small LED
digital clock
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Physical Science  GRADE 8  Building a Wet Cell
JULY 2008  Page 3 of 5
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Physical Science – GRADE 8
Place a strip of zinc into the beaker and use an alligator clip connected to a
wire to hold it in place against the side of the beaker as shown below.
Place a strip of copper on the other side of the beaker using the same
procedure.
Copper strip
Alligator clips holding
metal to beaker
Zinc strip
Acidic solution
beaker
Voltmeter
Or
multitester
Create a data table that shows each combination of metals and the resulting
voltage from the cell as well as other observations you may make.
If provided, attach a small LED or digital clock to your cell to see if you can
actually power them with your cell.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Physical Science  GRADE 8  Building a Wet Cell
JULY 2008  Page 4 of 5
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved
One Stop Shop For Educators
Georgia Performance Standards Framework for Physical Science – GRADE 8
Resources:
Homework /
Extension:
Attach your cell in series with other groups to see what results you get. To
connect in series, connect the wire from your zinc to their copper and the wire
from your copper to their zinc while their wires are still connected to a meter
or bulb. You can also connect in parallel with the other groups cell by hooking
your zinc to theirs and your copper to theirs and observe the results. How does
this experiment relate to an actual battery you may purchase in the store?
Describe how the energy was transformed.
http://teachers.net/lessons/posts/317.html
Have students hook LED’s to the cells or small digital clocks.
Have students research other devices that require small voltage that could be
powered by these cells
Have students experiment with larger pieces of metal and more solution
volume to see if they can increase the current.
Georgia Department of Education
Kathy Cox, State Superintendent of Schools
Physical Science  GRADE 8  Building a Wet Cell
JULY 2008  Page 5 of 5
Copyright 2008 © All Rights Reserved