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STC Second Edition
Electric Circuits Unit
In-Service Training Outline
Carolina Biological Supply Company
2700 York Road • Burlington NC 27215
800.334.5551 • www.carolina.com
0508
Electric Circuits
(using the Second Edition Teacher’s Guide)
NOTE: Unless otherwise specified, all page numbers provided in this outline refer to
Section 4, Unit Investigations and Blackline Masters, in the Second Edition Teacher’s
Guide.
Recommended Length for Full Workshop: 4 hrs.
Site Requirements: overhead projector, blank overhead transparencies, transparency markers,
flat-topped work tables, one 6-ft. or longer table for materials setup
Recommended Work Groups: individuals (lessons 1-3, 5, 12, 17); teams of 2 (lessons 7-11)
Recommended Activity Sheet: 1 (p. 19)
Recommended Overheads: Activity Sheet 1 (p. 19), Fig. 4-1 (p. 22), Fig. 5-3 (p. 28), Fig. 6-1
(p. 34), A Secret Language (p. 57), Fig. 11-3 and 11-4 (p. 61), Fig. 12-1 (p. 66)
Pre-workshop Preparation: construct a hidden circuits box, or plan to do this as part of your
On-site Preparation
On-site Preparation: place a meterstick, yardstick, tape, etc., on a table as a guide for cutting
wire. Cut an 8" (20-cm) piece of wire for each participant and strip both ends. Set out a
wire, battery, and bulb (microlamp) for each participant.
Set out the battery holders and bulb sockets for easy pickup.
©2005 Carolina Biological Supply Company. The STC® unit Electric Circuits was researched and developed by the National Science
Resources Center, Washington, DC, and is available exclusively from Carolina Biological Supply Company. This document may be reproduced
only by educators in schools and districts in which the Electric Circuits unit will be taught.
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Electric Circuits Workshop
Introduction to the unit:
1. Electric Circuits is a 17-lesson unit for fourth graders (it can also be used with third and fifth
graders).
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In lessons 1-6, students learn about electric circuits and the parts of a light bulb.
•
In lessons 7-10, students learn about conductors, insulators, and electrical symbols.
•
In lessons 11-16, students explore different kinds of circuits, learn to use an electrical
switch, and wire a cardboard box house.
•
In lesson 17, students return to their work from lesson 1 to review what they’ve
learned about electricity.
2. Explain the use of icons for curriculum integration.
3. Briefly go over Teaching Strategies (Section 2, Unit Overview, p. 10-11). Also review
Assessing Students’ Progress (Section 2, Unit Overview, p. 12) and Student Assessment
(Section 5).
4. Briefly explain Materials Management and Safety (Section 3), and Student Notebooks
and Writing, Student Reading Resources, and Additional Learning Resources (Sections
6 through 8).
The lessons
Lesson 1
Thinking about Electricity and Its Properties
Explain the purposes of brainstorming. Then write on an overhead, “What we know
about electricity.” Ask the teachers to give what they think will be student responses.
Lesson 2
What Electricity Can Do
1. Direct attention to the wire, battery, and bulb. Instruct them to use these materials to light
the bulb.
2. Observe their efforts and gauge skills/knowledge levels.
Lesson 3
A Closer Look at Circuits
Have them fill in Activity Sheet 1. They can try any combinations they are uncertain of.
Show the activity sheet as an overhead and go over the answers. Emphasize the
progression toward the concept of a complete circuit.
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Lesson 4
What Is Inside a Lightbulb?
1. Demonstrate how to remove the base from a bulb. Go over the parts of a bulb, using Fig. 4-1
as an overhead.
2. Use batteries to light the household bulb as directed on p. 23.
Lesson 5
Building a Circuit
1. Demonstrate the use of the battery holder and bulb socket. As part of the explanation, use
Fig. 5-2 as an overhead to introduce the use of the Fahnestock clip.
2. Demonstrate the use of the wire stripper tool. Have each person cut two 8" pieces of wire
and strip the ends. At the same time, they can pick up a battery holder and a bulb socket.
3. Each participant should now put the batteries and bulbs in their respective holders and
connect them with wires to light the bulbs.
Lesson 6
What’s Wrong with the Circuit?
Use the faulty bulb to demonstrate troubleshooting.
Lesson 7
Conductors and Insulators
1. Give out the packages of assorted objects. (As there are 15 packages, they may have to work
in teams of 2.) Ask them to divide the objects into insulators and conductors.
2. Show Fig. 6-1 as an overhead. Have the participants assemble the circuit testers and use
them to check their predictions.
Lesson 8
Making a Filament
Either give each participant an extra battery and holder or let them work in pairs to
complete this activity.
1. Explain that nichrome is an alloy of chromium and nickel that has a high resistance to the
passage of electricity. Illustrate the energy conversion by the analogy of rubbing the palms of
your hands together to produce heat:
mechanical energy + friction → heat energy
and
electrical energy + resistance → heat energy
Point out that as the element of an electric range heats up, it glows. Nichrome wire is used in
the heating elements of many household appliances such as toasters and hair dryers.
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2. Following the directions on p. 47, show how to build the device pictured in Fig. 8-1 (p. 46).
(Do not spoil things by completing the electrical connections and making your filament glow.)
Warn them to connect the nichrome wire before connecting the batteries; otherwise, they get
burned. Go over the Safety Reminders on p. 46.
3. Let the teams cut nichrome wire and begin work. Remind participants to hold a thumb over
the roll of nichrome wire so it will not “spring” off the roll. The most common problems are
too much nichrome wire between the uprights, more than one strand of nichrome wire
between the uprights, poor connection of nichrome wire to the uprights, and batteries
pointing in opposite directions.
4. Once teams are successful, disconnect the batteries to avoid draining them.
Lesson 9
Hidden Circuits
Note: If time is short, this can be a demonstration only.
1. Show the hidden circuit box that you constructed earlier. Explain that some of the contact
points are connected by wires that are hidden inside the box. Demonstrate how a contact
point is made with a paper fastener, washer, and Fahnestock clip. Then show a circuit tester
and remind them of its use. Ask, “Without opening the box, how could we use this circuit
tester to determine which of the contacts are connected?” Wait for their responses, then ask
them to come up with a logical plan to most easily and quickly identify the connected contact
points.
2. Have each team pick up a box (flat), 8 Fahnestock clips, 8 paper fasteners, and 8 washers.
They must share screwdrivers and rolls of masking tape.
3. Demonstrate how to fold a box.
4. Have the teams construct hidden circuit boxes.
5. Have the teams exchange boxes and identify the connected contact points.
Lesson 10
Deciphering a Secret Language
Show p. 57 as an overhead. Explain the symbols and why they are used (see
Background p. 53). Using the symbols, diagram a circuit showing a battery connected to
a bulb. Ask them to tell you what the diagram represents. Use a battery in a holder, etc.,
to construct the circuit. Point out the corresponding parts of the diagram and actual
circuit.
Lesson 11
Exploring Series and Parallel Circuits
1. Refer to Fig. 11-2, p. 34 of the Student Investigations book (formerly known as the Student
Activity Book). Explain series and parallel. Spend some time comparing the illustrations to
the circuit diagrams.
2. Have participants follow the instructions on p. 34 to build and explore the 2 kinds of circuit.
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3. Show overhead of Fig. 11-3 and 11-4. Explain that in these circuits it is the bulbs that are in
series and parallel. Have the teams construct these circuits and explore them.
Lesson 12
Learning about Switches
1. Each person will need an index card, paper clip, 2 paper fasteners, 2 washers, and 2
Fahnestock clips.
2. Show the overhead of Fig. 12-2 and have them make the switch. Some groups will need to be
led step-by-step through the process. Others will need no further instruction.
3. Have them hook up the circuit shown in Fig. 12-3 on p. 39 in the Student Investigations
book, and demonstrate the use of a switch.
Lesson 13
Constructing a Flashlight
Students construct the circuit of a typical flashlight (2 batteries in series connected to a
bulb through a switch). Teams should construct the circuit and then diagram it. If you
need to save time, this lesson can be skipped or talked through.
Lesson 14
Working with a Diode
1. Give each team a diode. Explain that the wires are electrical contacts and that the diode is the
cylinder in the center.
2. Have the teams complete steps 1-3 on p. 44 of the Student Investigations book to explore the
electrical nature of the diode.
3. Point out that the diode is a basic electronic device. Its invention led to radio, television,
computers, microwave ovens, etc.
Lesson 15
Lesson 16
Planning to Wire a House, and
Wiring and Lighting the House
In most cases you will do these lessons as a talk-through or show-and-tell. Students use
all their knowledge and skills to wire a model house.
Lesson 17
Post-Unit Assessment
Teachers will review students’ responses from lesson 1 to determine how much they
learned in the Electric Circuits unit.
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Wrap-up
1. Give out any evaluation forms and ask that they be completed.
2. Ask for help in cleanup.
3. Be available for questions/discussion.
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