Jordanian International Schools
Academic Year 2025-2026
Second Semester
Science/Physics
Chapter 4
Lessons 2+3
Electric Circuit + Electric Current
Worksheet # 5
Grade 6 (D, H, F)
Name: ____________
Lesson 4.2: Electric Circuits
Electricity is an essential part of our daily lives, powering everything from our home
appliances to hospital equipment. But how does it actually work?
To understand electricity, we need to look at both the big picture—how we connect
components to build functioning circuits—and the microscopic picture—how tiny particles
move inside the wires.
Part 1: Understanding and Drawing Electric Circuits
An electric circuit is a complete pathway that allows electricity to flow and power
components like lamps, buzzers, or motors.
The Importance of Circuit Symbols
Instead of drawing realistic pictures of electrical parts, scientists and engineers use
standardized circuit symbols. This ensures that anyone, anywhere in the world, can read and
understand a circuit diagram.
Component
Symbol
What it Does in a Circuit
Wire
───
Connects components together.
Cell
Provides electrical energy. The long line is the positive
terminal (+) and the short line is the negative terminal (-).
Battery of
cells
Two or more cells connected together to provide more power.
Lamp
──⊗──
Converts electrical energy into light.
Open switch
Breaks the circuit, turning the current off.
Closed
switch
Completes the circuit, turning the current on.
Buzzer
Converts electrical energy into sound.
Motor
──Ⓜ──
Converts electrical energy into physical movement.
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Rules for Drawing Perfect Circuit Diagrams
To make your circuit diagrams accurate and easy to read, always follow these rules:
• Use a ruler to draw wires as straight lines.
• Draw right-angled (90°) corners to keep the layout
neat and square.
• Leave no gaps in your drawing; lines must touch the
symbols directly, or it implies the physical circuit is
broken.
• Align terminals correctly when drawing a battery.
You must connect the positive terminal of one cell to the negative terminal of the next
for electricity to flow.
Questions:
1- What component is used to turn a circuit on and off?
______________________________________________
2- Identify the symbol: Look at the symbols below. What electrical component does it
represent?
Symbol
Component
──⊗──
3- True or False: When drawing a circuit diagram, you should sketch the components so
they look like real objects. ___________________
4- Draw a circuit diagram using a cell, a lamp, and a switch.
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Part 2: Conductors and Insulators
Not all materials interact with electricity in the same way. We classify materials into two
main groups based on whether or not they allow electricity to flow through them.
The Continuity Test
You can determine if a material conducts electricity by setting
up a simple testing circuit. Connect a cell, a lamp, and wires
together, but leave a gap between two bare wire ends. Place
the test material across the gap:
• The lamp lights up: The material is a conductor.
• The lamp stays off: The material is an insulator.
Conductors
• What they are: Materials that allow electricity to flow
through them easily.
• Examples: Most metals (e.g., copper, aluminum, iron, and gold).
• Important Exception: Graphite is a non-metal form of carbon that conducts electricity. It
is the material found in the center of a pencil.
Insulators
• What they are: Materials that do not allow electricity to flow through them easily.
• Examples: Plastic, glass, rubber, dry wood, paper, and string.
Real-World Application & Safety
Electrical wiring perfectly combines both types of materials for safe use:
• The inside of an appliance cord is made of copper wire because copper is an excellent
conductor that carries the electricity efficiently.
• The outside is wrapped in plastic because
plastic is an excellent insulator. This keeps the
electrical current safely contained and prevents
us from getting a dangerous electric shock.
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Questions
1. In your own words, explain the difference between a conductor and an insulator.
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
2. Classify materials: Sort the following materials into the correct column in the table
below:
Iron nail - Plastic ruler - Glass rod - Aluminum foil - Wooden stick - Copper coin
Conductors
Insulators
3. Most non-metals are insulators. Name one non-metal that is a good conductor of
electricity. ____________________________
4. Predict the result: You set up a continuity tester circuit. You place a metal paperclip in
the gap.
a. Does the lamp light up?________________
b. What does this tell you about the paperclip? _______________________________
5. Why are electrical wires made of copper on the inside but wrapped in plastic on the
outside?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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Part 3: What is Electric Current?
To understand why some materials conduct electricity while others do not, we must look at
what is happening at an atomic level inside the materials.
The Flow of Electrons
When electricity flows through a metal wire, what we are actually measuring is an electric
current.
• Electric Current: The flow of electrical charge per second.
• The Charged Particles: In a metal wire, this charge is carried by tiny, negatively charged
particles called electrons.
The "Sea of Electrons" in Metals
Inside a metal like copper, the atoms have lost some of their outermost electrons, turning
the atoms into fixed copper ions.
•
•
Because these outermost electrons are not tightly bound to their atoms, they can move
around freely between the ions.
This creates what scientists call a "sea of electrons."
In insulators (like plastic or wood):
The electrons are tightly bound to their atoms and cannot move freely. This is why
insulators do not conduct electricity.
What Makes the Current Move?
Even though electrons in a metal are always moving
around randomly, they do not create a steady
current on their own.
To make a current flow in a specific direction, you
need a push.
This push is provided by a cell or battery.
When connected to the circuit, the battery pushes
the free electrons, causing them to flow steadily through the wire.
This continuous movement of charge is the electric current.
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Questions
1. Fill in the blanks:
A- The tiny, negatively charged particles that flow through a metal wire to create a
current are called ______________________.
B- When an atom in a metal wire loses its outer electrons, it becomes an
________________.
2. The "Sea of Electrons": Why can electricity flow easily through metals like copper, but
not through materials like wood or plastic?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
3. The battery's job: If there are already free electrons inside a copper wire, why do we
still need to connect a battery to make a current flow?
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
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