Short Circuit
Resource ID#: 76131
Primary Type: Lesson Plan
This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org
Students will build a simple circuit to discover the basics of electricity. Through this lesson students will have the opportunity to see how electricity
travels. Students will create a visual representation that will allow them to see that electricity travels through a closed circuit and requires a power
source.
Subject(s): Science
Grade Level(s): 5
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter,
Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD
Projector, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s)
Resource supports reading in content area: Yes
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: battery, current, wire, insulator, conductor, switch, flow, electricity, positive charge, negative charge
electron
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan,
Worksheet, Virtual Manipulative, Formative
Assessment, Learning Goal, 3D Modeling
Resource Collection: FCR-STEMLearn Physical Sciences
ATTACHMENTS
Sumative assesment.docx
circuits..pdf
circuitsanswers .pdf
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: Learning Cycle (5E Model)
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
Students will be able to Identify what an open and closed circuit is.
Students will be able to draw and label a closed and open circuit.
Students will be able to explain the importance of each component required in a closed circuit such as the function of a battery.
wires
battery
light bulb
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students have previously been taught the content necessary to complete the lesson in grades 3 and 4.
SC.4.P.8.4
Investigate and describe that magnets can attract magnetic materials and attract and repel other magnets.
SC.3.P.10.1
Identify some basic forms of energy such as light, heat, sound, electrical, and mechanical.A basic understanding of what batteries are.
Energy can change forms
Electrons have a negative charge
page 1 of 4 Like charges repel
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
What do we mean when we say a circuit is closed?
answer: The current travels a complete path through a power source with no open areas or breaks in the wire.
What do we mean when we say a circuit is open?
answer: The current can not travel through the circuit due to breaks in the wire or has no power source to push the electrically charged particles.
When a light does not come on when we flip a switch, what might be causing the light to be unlit?
answer: The circuit is either not complete or there is no power source in the circuit.
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
Act out a Circuit! (Known PBS Activity with a few tweaks that really kick it up a notch!)
1. Give each student a small object such as an eraser (the object isn't important as long as it is the same for each student.)
2. Ask students to form a circle including the teacher (you will serve as the battery)
3. explain that we will be passing the objects in a clockwise rotation.
4. Explain to the students that they may not give their eraser away until they are given a new one
5. This is where we crank it to 11! The teacher should have 2 buckets One with a + on it filled with erasers and the other has a - on it which is empty
6. The teacher will start passing erasers to the student nearest to him on the + side. This should be rapidly repeated until the + bucket is empty
7. as the erasers go around the circle the student nearest the - bucket should be placing the erasers in as they receive them.
8. IMPORTANT NOTE Each student should be receiving and passing the erasers simultaneously. (ideally they should never have multiple erasers in their hands,
obviously they will have 2 for a brief second as they are giving one away and likewise receiving at the same time)
9. When the + bucket is empty watch to make sure the students do not pass their erasers. All movement should stop because they are no longer receiving erasers (at
this point they should conclude the battery is dead. This can be explained now or you could wait until the end to have this discussion.)
10. At some point the teacher should create a gap among the students, ask them "What happens based off of our preset rules to the movement of the erasers?" (they
should conclude that the erasers can no longer move because their is a student in the circle who is not receiving an eraser which means they can no longer pass
the eraser they currently have.
11. Lead students to describe the circle without a gap as a CLOSED circle and the the gap as an OPEN circle
12. Students should walk away from this activity with the understanding that circuits must be CLOSED to flow and when their is a gap they are now OPEN which means
their is no movement.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
1. Place students into groups (I prefer to do groups of 3)
2. Give each group the following components: Light bulb, 2 wires (wires already stripped at the ends), a D cell battery
3. Have the students make a T chart in their journals with Predictions on the left and Observations on the right.
4. Tell students to illustrate a prediction of what they think these components need to look like in order for the light to turn on. (be sure to include labels)
5. Tell students, "make the light turn on" Facilitate the students by encouraging them to try multiple combinations,have them record any combinations that work under
the observations section. (they should draw a rough picture with labels)
6. Once all the groups have made the light bulb light up tell them that they have successfully made a Simple Circuit. (this should be the title of the their drawings)
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
1. Ask students to discuss in their groups what they think the purpose of each component is: Battery, Wires, Light Bulb (Possible answer, the battery serves as the
power source. The light shows us the circuit is on and the wire provides the path for the electrons to travel.)
2. Whole group: Have students share their findings and results with the whole class. Allow students to draw their pictures on the whiteboard. Facilitate a discussion
with probing questions such as
1. What worked? why? (Possible answer, when the wire was attached to both ends of the battery and the light bulb turned on because this created a closed
circuit.)
2. what didn't work? Why? (Possible answer, if wire wasn't attached well then the circuit wasn't fully closed so the light bulb wouldn't turn on.)
3. What was the purpose of the wire? battery? Light bulb? (Possible answer, the battery serves as the power source. The light shows us the circuit is on and the
wire provides the path for the electrons to travel.)
3. They should be roughly coming up with these explanations: Battery, provides the ENERGY SOURCE. Wires, are the PATH that directs the FLOW of electricity. Light
Bulb, EVIDENCE that the circuit is closed, it is the reason for having the circuit.
4. Students should conclude that for electricity to FLOW they need a CLOSED circuit or a "Complete Loop" with an energy source (For students who continue to
struggle tell them to trace the circuit with their finger, if they can go all the way around with no gaps or breaks they have a CLOSED circuit or a Complete Loop.)
5. Students should understand that electricity cannot flow if their is a break or gap in circuit, we call this an Open circuit because their is an "opening" or gap in the
circuit somewhere. (Once again for struggling students tell them to trace the circuit with their finger, if they go around and find a gap or break they have a OPEN
circuit.)
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
Attached is a worksheet with diagrams on circuits.
Students who finish early might want to check out some of these links to PBS to continue to deepen their understanding.
This is a free site for educators you just have to register.
Designing Electric Circuits: Door Alarm
Designing Electric Circuits: Steadiness Tester
page 2 of 4 Experimenting with a Lemon Battery
Exploring Conductivity: Kid Circuits
Summative Assessment
10 point multiple choice quiz (attached) to demonstrate proficiency on the chosen learning goals.
6 Diagrams attached with both student sheet and answer sheet
Formative Assessment
The teacher will ask students to show on a scale of 1 to 4 with their fingers how comfortable they feel with the items recently taught.
1 being little to no understanding
2 some understanding but still confused.
3 the student understands but has trouble explaining.
4 being able to explain the material to a friend.
After students self-evaluate, the teacher will formatively assess whether their self-evaluatation are accurate by asking the following questions:
What does a closed circuit look like?
sample answer: it looks like a closed circle
What does an open circuit look like?
sample answer: it looks like a circle that has not been closed; it looks like a c
What is required for electricity to be able to flow in a closed circuit?
sample answer: electricity needs a battery or any power source and a closed path to travel through
If there are several students who are not able to answer these questions the teacher needs to stop, go back, and reteach the material. If only a few students are
showing 1s and 2s then these students can be paired up with students who considers them selves as 4s. Students will be given time to have a discussion on the above
mentioned material. Before moving on the teacher will as students to show the scale of 1-4.
Feedback to Students
Feedback will be oral positive encouragement, and corrections/help if needed during exploration activities
Feedback on journal T-chart
stickers
stamps
short positive/ constructive criticism
Feedback on summative assessment
(Quiz) graded on a standard grading scale with specific comments explaining the reasoning
(Circuit explanation sheet) Written feedback will be provided.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations:
For students who continue to struggle tell them to trace the circuit with their finger, if they can go all the way around with no gaps or breaks they have a CLOSED
circuit or a Complete Loop. If they go around and find a gap or break they have an OPEN circuit.
Students could receive extended time on assessments.
Teacher should repeat instructions and possibly read them oral to the students.
Teacher should model experiments for the students.
The teacher should provide scaffolding whenever possible.
Extensions:
CPalms Resource which includes a virtual activity is an excellent extension of the lesson.
Additionally, to explore circuits and conductors/nonconductors, a virtual activity can be provided for self-paced learning.
Suggested Technology: Computer for Presenter, Computers for Students, Internet Connection, LCD Projector, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
pencils
paper
D-cell batteries (1 for each group)
light bulbs (1 for each group)
wire (2 for each group)
several erasers (enough for every student + an additional 20)
science journals ( composition books )
2 buckets (big enough to hold the 20 erasers)
Further Recommendations:
page 3 of 4 General Lab Safety
make sure to tell students to not put anything into an electrical outlet if it is not designed to be there, for example a plug.
never play with electricity unless in a controlled environment and supervised by an adult.
Note: Computers for students will be necessary to complete the extension activities.
Additional Information/Instructions
By Author/Submitter
I hope you enjoyed this activity!
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Robert Lackey
Name of Author/Source: Robert Lackey
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Broward
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
SC.5.P.11.1:
Description
Investigate and illustrate the fact that the flow of electricity requires a closed circuit (a complete loop).
page 4 of 4