What to Expect
The exhibit is located in the main Science Center building on the second floor. There are
three entrance ways: through Changing Earth, from The Giant Heart, and through the
Franklin Pathway. As the name implies, the exhibit invites you to feel the force of Electricity.
The exhibition is organized into seven sections, each of which is highlighted below.
Ben’s Mark
The “electric fire” sparked Ben Franklin’s curiosity, leading him to attach a key to his kite string and
venture out one stormy night. Ben experimented with electrical forces for years and artifacts of his
investigations are on display in this area of the exhibit.
Lightning Origins
Static charge generators, including a Van de Graaff generator, allow students to experience the feel of
static charge. They won’t be struck by lightning, but the intent is to help them understand that lightning
is actually a massive build-up of static.
Electricity in Me
The life-size model of the human nervous system might seem out of place in an exhibit about electricity,
but students should understand that electricity is essential to human life. This section shows how
electrical signals are conducted throughout the human body.
How it Works
Look overhead or you will miss the giant Tesla Coil. Although, with its powerful flash and crackle it
would be very hard to miss. The lightning-like plasma filaments will arc out in a display that illuminates
the force of electricity.
Educator’s Guide
Altering Our Lives
Sustainability is a key issue in this section. Students can put the power in the party by dancing. The
“sustainable dance floor” area uses dance energy to power the lightshow.
Sustaining Supply and Demand
Does replacing one light bulb really make a difference? Students can compare the variety of bulb designs
and choices. Replacing incandescent with compact fluorescent will make more sense than ever before.
Making a Difference
“Compromising Choices” demonstrates how sustainable electricity generation requires social decisionmaking. In this game, each student leads a nation through technological and economic development,
balancing energy sources with environmental damage and resource depletion.
Where does electricity come from?
How do we use electricity in our
everyday lives?
How can we make more electricity?
The Electricity exhibit invites you and your students
to consider these questions and find answers.
What to Expect
The exhibit is located in the main Science Center building on the second floor. There are
three entrance ways: through Changing Earth, from The Giant Heart, and through the
Franklin Pathway. As the name implies, the exhibit invites you to feel the force of Electricity.
The exhibition is organized into seven sections, each of which is highlighted below.
Ben’s Mark
The “electric fire” sparked Ben Franklin’s curiosity, leading him to attach a key to his kite string and
venture out one stormy night. Ben experimented with electrical forces for years and artifacts of his
investigations are on display in this area of the exhibit.
Lightning Origins
During
your visit
toa Van
Electricity,
students
Static charge generators,
including
de Graaff generator,
allow studentswill:
to experience the feel of
static charge. They won’t be struck by lightning, but the intent is to help them understand that lightning
is•actually
massive
build-upFranklin
of static.and his contemporaries learned about electricity.
Explorea how
Benjamin
• Investigate sources of electricity.
Electricity
in Me
• Discuss
the impacts
of using
electricity
ourseem
everyday
The
life-size model
of the human
nervous
system in
might
out of lives.
place in an exhibit about electricity,
but students should understand that electricity is essential to human life. This section shows how
electrical signals are conducted throughout the human body.
After
How it your
Worksvisit to Electricity, students will:
Look overhead or you will miss the giant Tesla Coil. Although, with its powerful flash and crackle it
• Understand how charged particles interact.
would be very hard to miss. The lightning-like plasma filaments will arc out in a display that illuminates
the•force
oftwice
electricity.
Think
about wasting electricity in their homes.
• Want to conserve electricity in their everyday lives.
Altering
Our Lives
Sustainability is a key issue in this section. Students can put the power in the party by dancing. The
“sustainable dance floor” area uses dance energy to power the lightshow.
Quick Tips
Sustaining Supply and Demand
replacing
one
light
bulb really
make
a difference?
Students
canThere
compare
variety
of bulb
designs
√ The exhibit Does
is located
in the
main
Science
Center
building
on the second
floor.
are the
three
entrance
ways:
through Changand choices.
Replacing
incandescent
with
compact
fluorescent
will access
make more
thanelevators
ever before.
ing Earth, from
The Giant
Heart, and
through the
Franklin
Pathway.
Elevator
is viasense
the main
located at the
front of the building. Use the ramps in the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial to make your way around to the entrance.
Making a Difference
√ The learning experience is greatest when students engage with the hands-on devices and multimedia presentations located
“Compromising Choices” demonstrates how sustainable electricity generation requires social decisionthroughout the exhibit. For logistical reasons, however, you might recommend that students spread out in small groups in
making. In this game, each student leads a nation through technological and economic development,
order to enable
everyone
to see
and hear
presentations.
balancing
energy
sources
with the
environmental
damage and resource depletion.
√ On average, most groups will spend about 40-50 minutes in the exhibit, if interacting with all of the devices.
What to Expect
The exhibit is located in the main Science Center building on the second floor. There are
three entrance ways: through Changing Earth, from The Giant Heart, and through the
Franklin Pathway. As the name implies, the exhibit invites you to feel the force of Electricity.
The exhibition is organized into seven sections, each of which is highlighted below.
Ben’s Mark
The “electric fire” sparked Ben Franklin’s curiosity,
leading him to attach a key to his kite string and
venture out one stormy night. Ben experimented
with electrical forces for years and artifacts of his
investigations are on display in this area of the exhibit.
Lightning Origins
Static charge generators, including a Van de Graaff
generator, allow students to experience the feel of
static charge. They won’t be struck by lightning, but the
intent is to help them understand that lightning is
actually a massive build-up of static.
Electricity in Me
The life-size model of the human nervous system
might seem out of place in an exhibit about electricity,
but students should understand that electricity is
essential to human life. This section shows how
electrical signals are conducted throughout the
human body.
How it Works
Look overhead or you will miss the giant Tesla Coil.
Although, with its powerful flash and crackle it
would be very hard to miss. The lightning-like
plasma filaments will arc out in a display that
illuminates the force of electricity.
Altering Our Lives
Sustainability is a key issue in this section. Students
can put the power in the party by dancing. The
“sustainable dance floor” area uses dance energy
to power the lightshow.
Sustaining Supply and Demand
Does replacing one light bulb really make a difference?
Students can compare the variety of bulb designs
and choices. Replacing incandescent with compact
fluorescent will make more sense than ever before.
Making a Difference
“Compromising Choices” demonstrates how sustainable
electricity generation requires social decision-making. In
this game, each student leads a nation through technological
and economic development, balancing energy sources
with environmental damage and resource depletion.
Curriculum Connections
For teachers in the School District of Philadelphia.
A visit to the Electricity exhibit supports curriculum
and instruction in grades 4 through 8.
Grade 4: Second Marking Period = Magnetism and Electricity
Grade 5: First Marking Period = Solar Energy
Grade 8: Third Marking Period = Force, Motion, and Energy
Educational Standards
The exhibit is located in the main Science Center building on the second floor. There are
three entrance ways: through Changing Earth, from The Giant Heart, and through the
Franklin Pathway. As the name implies, the exhibit invites you to feel the force of Electricity.
The exhibition is organized into seven sections, each of which is highlighted below.
National Science Education Standards
An exploration of the Electricity exhibit can be used to support the National Science
Education Standards. (www.nap.edu/readingroom/books/nses)
In particular, the exhibit content can be used to help meet the following objectives.
Content Standards: K-4
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
• Simple instruments provide more information than scientists obtain using only their senses.
• Scientists develop explanations using observations and what they already know about the world.
• Good explanations are based on evidence from investigations.
• Scientists make the results of their investigations public.
Content Standard B: Physical Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
• Electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. Electrical circuits
require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.
• Magnets attract and repel each other and certain kinds of other materials.
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•The supply of many resources is limited. If used, resources can be extended through recycling
and decreased use.
•People continue inventing new ways of doing things, solving problems, and getting work done.
New ideas and inventions often affect other people.
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Science and technology have been practiced by people for a long time.
• Men and women have made a variety of contributions throughout the history of science and technology.
•Although men and women using scientific inquiry have learned much about the objects, events,
and phenomena in nature, much more remains to be understood. Science will never be finished.
Content Standards: 5-8
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Technology used to gather data enhances accuracy.
Content Standard B: Physical Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring electrical energy when heat, light, sound, and
chemical changes are produced.
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Internal and external processes of the earth system cause natural hazards, events that change or
destroy human and wildlife habitats, damage property, and harm or kill humans. Natural hazards
include earthquakes, landslides, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, floods, storms, and even possible
impacts of asteroids.
•Human activities also can induce hazards through resource acquisition, urban growth, land-use
decisions, and waste disposal. Such activities can accelerate many natural changes.
•Science and technology have advanced through contributions of many different people, in different
cultures, at different times in history. Science and technology have contributed enormously to
economic growth and productivity among societies and groups within societies.
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Many individuals have contributed to the traditions of science. Studying some of these individuals
provides further understanding of scientific inquiry, science as a human endeavor, the nature of
science, and the relationships between science and society.
Content Standards: 9-12
Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry
Activities meet this standard when students learn that:
•Scientists rely on technology to enhance the gathering and manipulation of data.
•New techniques and tools provide new evidence to guide inquiry and new methods to gather
data, thereby contributing to the advance of science.
Content Standard B: Physical Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•The electric force is a universal force that exists between any two charged objects. Opposite
charges attract while like charges repel. The strength of the force is proportional to the charges,
and, as with gravitation, inversely proportional to the square of the distance between them.
•Between any two charged particles, electric force is vastly greater than the gravitational force.
Most observable forces such as those exerted by a coiled spring or friction may be traced to
electric forces acting between atoms and molecules.
•Electricity and magnetism are two aspects of a single electromagnetic force. Moving electric
charges produce magnetic forces, and moving magnets produce electric forces. These effects
help students to understand electric motors and generators.
•In some materials, such as metals, electrons flow easily, whereas in insulating materials such as
glass they can hardly flow at all.
Content Standard E: Science and Technology
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Scientific inquiry is driven by the desire to understand the natural world.
•Sometimes scientific advances challenge people’s beliefs and practical explanations concerning
various aspects of the world.
Content Standards: 9-12
Content Standard F: Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Human populations use resources in the environment in order to maintain and improve their
existence. Natural resources have been and will continue to be used to maintain human populations.
•The earth does not have infinite resources; increasing human consumption places severe stress
on the natural processes that renew some resources, and it depletes those resources that cannot
be renewed.
Content Standard G: History and Nature of Science
Activities meet this standard in part when students learn that:
•Scientists are influenced by societal, cultural, and personal beliefs and ways of viewing the world.
Science is not separate from society but rather science is a part of society.
Benchmarks for Science Literacy
The content of the Electricity exhibit supports student understanding of key ideas from
the American Association for the Advancement of Science Benchmarks for Science Literacy.
(www.project2061.org/publications/bsl)
4. The Physical Setting
4g. Forces of Nature
By the end of the 2nd grade, students should know that:
•Magnets can be used to make some things move without being touched. 4G/P2
By the end of the 5th grade, students should know that:
•Without touching them, a magnet pulls on all things made of iron and either pushes or pulls on
other magnets. 4G/E2
•Without touching them, an object that has been electrically charged pulls on all other uncharged
objects and may either push or pull other charged objects. 4G/E3
By the end of the 8th grade, students should know that:
•Electric currents and magnets can exert a force on each other. 4G/M3
•Electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass. 4G/M4
•A charged object can be charged in one of two ways, which we call either positively charged or
negatively charged. Two objects that are charged in the same manner exert a force of repulsion
on each other, while oppositely charged objects exert a force of attraction on each other. 4G/M5
By the end of the 12th grade, students should know that:
•In many conducting materials, such as metals, some of the electrons are not firmly held by the
nuclei of the atoms that make up the material. In these materials, applied electric forces can
cause the electrons to move through the material, producing an electric current. In insulating
materials, such as glass, the electrons are held more firmly, making it nearly impossible to produce an electric current in those materials. 4G/H4ab
•Magnetic forces are very closely related to electric forces and are thought of as different aspects
of a single electromagnetic force. Moving electrically charged objects produces magnetic forces
and moving magnets produces electric forces. 4G/H5ab
•The interplay of electric and magnetic forces is the basis for many modern technologies, including
electric motors, generators, and devices that produce or receive electromagnetic waves. 4G/H5c
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The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute
222 North 20th Street
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
www.fi.edu