Lesson Plan: Static Electricity
Lesson type: Module
Author: Anika Singh
Lesson Overview: In this module-based lesson, students will use everyday household objects to
visualize the effects of static electricity. Through this lesson students will learn what is static
electricity is and the science behind this force.
Teaching Goals:
• What is static electricity: build-up of excess charge on a surface
• when this excess charge comes in contact with a surface that has weaker or opposite
charge, excess charge is discharged
• What is an electrical insulator and what is an electric conductor? (you may only be able
to discuss this older students)
Background for Mentors:
Static electricity is defined as the excess electric charge trapped on the surface of an object. All
objects are made of atoms and these atoms consist of subatomic particles called protons
(positively charged) and electrons (negatively charged). When an electric insulator (an object
with high resistance to electrical current) and an electric conductor (an object with low resistance
to electrical current) come into contact with one another electrons are transferred from one the
object with excess charge to the object with less charge.
In the case of the balloon or PVC pipe in this lesson, excess charge can be built up on a
surface of an object by rubbing it against someone's hair. This causes a transfer of electrons to
the object and gives it an overall net negative charge. This negative charge attracts anything with
a positive charge and repels anything with a negative charge.
Agenda
* Lesson introduction: go over atoms, subatomic particles and basics of static electricity
There will be three modules in this lesson:
1. Rice Krispies and Static Electricity: uses rice krispies, and a charged balloon to make the
rice krispies jump off the table(estimated time: 10-15 minutes)
2. Static Repulsion with Balloons: use two balloons to demonstrate that like charges repel
(estimated time 10 mins)
3. Bending Water: bend a stream of water with a charged piece of PVC pipe
Lesson Introduction
•
•
•
•
introduce the concept of atoms and subatomic particles: protons and electrons,
what are there charges etc.
introduce static electricity
talk about opposites attract and like charges repel (use magnets as reference)
talk about transfer of charge when rubbing two objects together
Module #1: Jumping Rice Krispies
Introduction: In this module students will use rice krispies and balloons to make rice krispies
jump. Rubbing the balloon against someone's hair makes it negatively charged. This polarizes
the rice krispies and the positively charged sides of the rice krispies are attracted to the balloon.
Materials
Material
rice krispies
balloon
plates
Amount per Group
one box per site
one per group
one per group
Expected $$
$5
??
??
Vendor or on-line link
local grocery store
Wal-greens, CVS
BEAM has them I
think...
Teaching Material: In this module we want to highlight the following concepts:
• when a balloon is rubbed against someone's hair it accumulates electrons and the balloon
becomes net negatively charged
• when the balloon comes close to the rice krispies, the cereal accumulates a positive
charge at the point that is closest to the negatively charged balloon
• the positive end of the rice krispies are attracted to the negatively charged balloon and so
the rice krispies jump
Procedures:
1) Rub a balloon on someone's hair so it build up charge
2)Scatter some rice krispies on the table surface
3) Bring the balloon close to the rice krispies and observe what happens
Module #2: Static Repulsion with Balloons
Introduction: In this module, students will use balloons to demonstrate that like charges repel
one another. When an two inflated balloons are rubbed against a students hair both balloons gain
a negative charge and so they repel on another.
Materials
Material
balloons
Amount per Group
2
Expected $$
$2
string
tape
2 (1m long) pieces
bring enough for site
??
??
Vendor or on-line link
local drug store (Walgreens etc)
??
site leader can bring
or use tape on site
Teaching Material: In this module we want to highlight the following concepts:
• when a balloon is rubbed against someone's hair electrons are transferred from the
person's hair to the balloon making the balloon have a net negative charge
• when we try to bring two balloons that are negatively charged close to one another they
repel
• on the other hand when we bring this negatively charged balloon close to someone's hair,
they are attracted to one another since the hair has a net positive charge.
Procedures:
1) Hang two balloons from the ceiling with string and tape (make sure that the balloons are not
touching but are still pretty close together)
2) Rub both balloons on one student's hair
3) try to push the balloons together and observe what happens
4) bring the balloons close to the students hair that was used to build up the negative charge and
observe what happens
Note: this module will still work even if you don't hang your balloons from the ceiling and just
try to bring the two negatively charged balloons close to each other.
Module #3: Bending Water
Introduction: In this module students will bend a stream of water using a charged piece of PVC
pipe. Since water is a polar molecule, the positive side of the water molecules are attracted to the
negatively charged piece of PVC pipe and will bend towards it.
Materials
Materials
plastic cup with a hole
cut in the bottom
water
plastic tub or tray
piece of PVC pipe
Amount per Group
1
Expected $$
??
Vendor or on-line link
local grocery store
N/A
one per site
1
free
??
??
at site
??
local hardware store
Teaching Material: In this module we want to highlight the following concepts:
• water is a polar molecule meaning it has a positive and negative side (go over structure of
water molecule to clarify this maybe)
• like the balloon module, rubbing the PVC pipe against someone's hair makes the PVC
pipe have a net negative charge (transfer of electrons)
• this net negative charge attract the positive side of the water molecule and causes the
water to bend towards the pipe
Procedures: (this module needs 2 mentors)
1) Have one mentor hold the plastic cup with a hole in the bottom above a plastic tray
2) Fill the cup with water
3) Have the other mentor rub the piece of PVC pipe against their hair
4) Bring the PVC pipe close to the water stream coming out of the bottom of the cup and observe
what happens
Summary of Materials
Material
Amount per
Group
rice krispies
one box per site
balloons
one per group
paper plates
one per group
balloons
2
string
2 (1m long)
pieces
tape
bring enough for
site
plastic cup with a
1
hole cut in the
bottom
water
N/A
plastic tub or tray
one per site
piece of PVC pipe 1
Expected $$
Vendor or on-line link
$5
??
??
$2
??
local grocery store
local drug store (Walgreens etc)
BEAM has them I think...
local drug store (Walgreens etc)
??
??
??
site leader can bring or use tape on
site
local grocery store
free
??
??
at site
??
local hardware store