Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
Name of Activity: Circuitry Lab
Purpose: to learn how to wire a “room” using parallel and series circuits, switches, and a power source
(battery/solar panels).
Grade Level: 8th
Estimated Time: 5 – 10 days (depending on how in-depth you want to go)
Learning Outcomes (Objectives): students will learn how to build series and parallel circuits and
demonstrate energy transfers from a power source all the way to the light coming out of the bulbs.
Links to Standards: physical science
Pre-requisites: students will need to know:
- the difference between a conductor and an insulator
- the difference between series and parallel circuits
- that electricity is the flow of electrons
- how electricity flows (or does not flow)
- the six forms of energy
- how a switch works
- the law of conservation of energy
Tools (Materials): a shoe box, wire, lights, paperclips, brass fasteners, battery/solar panels, electrical
tape, wire strippers, and materials for decorating
Pedagogical ideology (Best Practices): Students should collaborate in groups of four. They must decide
on which structure they would like to build (a house, a school, a hotel, a nightclub, etc.), then each
group member will build their own room. When all rooms are done, they must attach them all to form
the whole structure. To receive full credit, they must have the whole structure’s wiring lead to two
wires which will connect to one power source. Students receive two individual grades and two group
grades. See grading rubrics below…
Literacy Links:
Lesson Links (technology links): the SMART board has interactive pages where students can build
circuits, measure current, measure voltage, and set up an alarm system for a museum. They are in the
gallery…just search “circuit” in the search box and they will come up.
Also, I have created several powerpoints on the parts of a circuit, the difference between series and
parallel circuits, the difference between conductors and insulators, voltage, and the symbols used when
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
drawing circuits. I have used the analogy of a racetrack for circuits. The car will go off the racetrack if
it’s not connected, just like the electrons have nowhere to flow if the circuit is broken. Also, I use
several real world examples for which students can relate.
Background information: Christmas lights work really well for this project. Really, this project can be
done without spending much money. I do this project around the holidays and I offer a small amount of
extra credit for kids who bring in old Christmas lights. The wire and the bulbs work really well. Also,
students must bring in their own shoebox and I will offer extra credit for those who bring in extra boxes.
For switches, they can use a paperclip attached to two brass fasteners. When the paperclip touches
both fasteners (which the wires are attached to), the circuit is completed. The only thing I had to
provide were wire strippers (which I borrowed from the tech ed teacher) and electrical tape.
Procedure:
Pre-Activity: students should explore circuits using wires, switches, power sources, and light
bulbs before doing this activity so they are familiar with wiring and circuits. Also, they should have a
basic understanding as to what happens when you increase the number of batteries, number of lights,
number of circuits, etc. Also, there is a Phet simulation for building a circuit that is great. See below for
pre-lab activity…
Also, I have students draw a blueprint of what their room is going to look like and where their lights and
switches are going to be placed. See project outline…
Procedure: Students each create their own room which is wired the way they choose. They will
receive more credit for parallel circuits and having several switches. They must also decorate their room
as creatively as they would like. Once their room is finished, they must attach it to two or three other
rooms to make an entire structure. Students will be required to meet certain goals as the project
continues through different phases. See pdf files for goals/phases…
Follow-up Questions: Troubleshoot and fix their wiring so that every light illuminates. They
must work together to get their entire structure to light up.
Extensions: Students will create a flowchart of the energy transfers that occur from the power
source all the way to the light being emitted from the bulb.
Teacher Notes: I usually use a battery as their power source for their structures, however, solar panels
would work great and it would be a good way to tie in renewable energy and the solar on schools
program.
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
Electric Circuit
Learning Goals
1. What are the defining characteristics of an electrical circuit interaction?
2. What are some variables that influence the electric circuit interaction?
3. What are the two types of circuits?
Explore
Exploration 1: When does an electric circuit interaction occur between the bulb and cell?
Step 1 Mount the cell in the cell holder and screw the bulb into the bulb holder.
Use two hook-up wires and connect the cell to the bulb to make the bulb light up. The closed loop is
called an electric circuit. When the bulb is lit, there is an electric-circuit interaction between the cell and
the bulb.
Step 2 Add a switch to the circuit that can be used to turn the bulb on and off. You will need a third
hook-up wire.
1. Draw a realistic picture of the circuit when the bulb is lit.
2. Draw a picture of the circuit when the bulb is lit using symbols scientists would use.
3. Look carefully at how the wires are connected to each of the circuit elements – the cell (in its
holder), the bulb (in its holder), and the switch. How many connections are there?
4. When does an electric circuit interaction occur between the bulb and cell?
Exploration 2: What types of materials are necessary for an electric-circuit interaction to occur?
In the previous experiment, you discovered that if you hook up a circuit similar to the one shown on the
right and close the switch, the bulb will glow. That provides evidence that there is an electric-circuit
interaction occurring between the cell and bulb.
Step 1 Add another hook-up wire and attach the ends of two hook-up wires to an iron nail.
When you close the switch, does the bulb glow? Record your observation in the table.
Step 2 Open the switch and replace the iron nail with the piece of paper.
When you close the switch, does the bulb glow? Record your observation in the table.
Step 3 Repeat Step 2 for at least three other metals and three other nonmetals.
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In each case, record in the table the type of material and your observation about whether the bulb
glows or not.
Table 1: Materials that Allow the bulb to Glow
Material
Does the Bulb Glow? (Yes/No)
5. Examine your table, and complete the following statement:
In order for an electric circuit interaction to occur, the type(s) of materials that must be included
in the circuit is (are) __________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
The evidence is _______________________________________. Materials placed in a circuit
that allow the bulb to glow are called conductors. Materials that do not allow the bulb to glow
are called non-conductors.
Exploration 3: How can you hook up more than one bulb to a cell?
Step 1 Hook up one cell and two bulbs in a single loop. Use as many hook-up wires as needed. This
circuit is called a single-loop circuit (or series circuit).
6. Draw a realistic picture of this circuit and label it series circuit.
7. Draw a picture of the circuit when the bulb is lit using symbols scientists would use.
8. What happens to the one light bulb when you unscrewed the other bulb?
Step 2 There is a different way of hooking up two bulbs to the same cell. Hook up each bulb in its own
separate loop to the cell. This circuit arrangement is called a multi-loop circuit (or parallel circuit)
9. Draw a realistic picture of this circuit and label it parallel circuit.
10. Draw a picture of the circuit when the bulb is lit using symbols scientists would use.
11. What happens to the one light bulb when you unscrewed the other bulb?
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12. Why do you think the result for question 11 was different from the result for question 8?
Exploration 4: If the number of cells in the circuit increases, what happens to the brightness of the
bulb?
Step 1 Hook up two cells and one bulb in a single-loop (series) circuit. Make sure you connect the plus
side of one cell to the minus side of the other cell.
Step 2 Borrow one additional cell and hook-up wire from another group. Hook up three cells and one
bulb in a series circuit.
13. How does the light bulb in this two-cell and one-bulb circuit compare to a light bulb in a onecell and one bulb circuit in experiment 1?
14. What happens to the brightness of the bulb when an additional cell is added to the circuit?
15. Write your conclusion for this exploration by answering the following question: If the number
of cells in the circuit increases, what happens to the brightness of the bulb?
Exploration 5: If the number of cells in the circuit increases, what happens to the amount of
electric current in the circuit?
When the bulb is turned on, something is flowing in the circuit. It is called an electric current.
Suppose you add cells to a single-loop circuit with one bulb.
16. Write a Hypothesis about the relationship between the number of cells and the amount of
electric current. Do not forget to include a reason for your prediction in the “because” portion
of your hypothesis.
A special computer program called a simulator can be used to test your hypothesis. The simulator
was programmed with real data from many experiments.
A device that measures the amount of electric current in a circuit is called an ammeter. The unit
commonly used for electric current is ampere (Amps).
There is one important difference between using a computer simulator and using real cells, bulbs,
switches, and ammeters to collect data. All real instruments (like ammeters) have uncertainties
associated with their measurements. If you performed the experiment many times with the same
circuit, you would get somewhat different values each time. You would then report the average as
your best value and include the uncertainty in your measurements.
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
The simulator you will be using, however, was programmed so that it always shows the same
amount for each measurement, no matter how many times you repeat it. Therefore, each single
measurement provides the best value. When you are collecting a lot of data, the simulator has an
advantage over real equipment because it is very easy to use.
Data:
Table 2: Amount of Electric Current vs. Number of Cells
Number of Cells
Amount of Electric
Current (Amps)
1
2
3
4
17. Make a line graph of your data.
18. Write a conclusion for this exploration (only B and C).
Analysis Questions
1. What kinds of objects are involved in an electric circuit interaction?
2. How are the objects connected together?
3. What is the evidence that an electric circuit interaction has occurred?
4. What happens to the electric circuit interaction when there is a break in the electric circuit loop?
5. What variables (there are at least 3) can influence the electric circuit interaction? For each variable,
include evidence for the claim you make.
1st Variable:
Evidence:
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
2nd Variable:
Evidence:
3rd Variable:
Evidence:
6. Consider how electrical devices are connected together at your home. Suppose you have a room
with two different lamps. Do you think the lamps are connected in a series circuit or a parallel
circuit? How do you know?
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
Model Home Project Rubric
Circuits (personal grade)
A – 3 parallel circuits and 3 switches per box
B – 2 parallel circuits and 2 switches per box
C – 2 series circuits and 2 switches per box
D – 1 series circuit and 1 switch per box
Creativity (personal grade)
A – very creative and includes several pieces of furniture, flooring,
personal effects, etc.
B – pretty creative and includes a few pieces of furniture, flooring
C – lacks creativity and does not include much furniture or flooring
D – not creative
House/Building (group grade)
A – all circuits are connected to a renewable energy power source and
are working
B – all circuits are connected to an energy source and most are working
C – most circuits are connected to an energy source, but several are not
working
D – the circuits are not connected and do not work
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Collaboration (group grade)
A – the structure/building is complete and it is obvious you all worked
together to create it
B – the structure/building is complete, but one person did not
contribute to the project
C – the structure/building is complete, but two or more group members
did not participate
D – you did not work together to create your structure
Miscellaneous (personal)
 Must include a blueprint of each room and the entire structure
before you start building. It must include the circuits, room
layout, furniture, flooring, and what source of energy will be used.
 Must include a flow chart of the energy transfers that are
occurring from the source all the way to the lights in the
structure.
 Must use a different energy source than the one you just studied
while creating your website.
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Personal Grades
A
B
C
D
Circuits
Three working
parallel circuits
and three
working switches
Two working
parallel circuits
and two working
switches
Two working
series circuits
and two working
switches
One working
series circuit and
one working
switch
Creativity
Very creative
and includes
several pieces of
furniture,
flooring,
personal effects,
etc.
Fairly creative
and includes a
few pieces of
furniture and
flooring
Lacks creativity
and does not
include much
furniture or
flooring
Not creative
Personal Grades
A
B
C
D
Circuits
Three working
parallel circuits
and three
working switches
Two working
parallel circuits
and two working
switches
Two working
series circuits
and two working
switches
One working
series circuit and
one working
switch
Creativity
Very creative
and includes
several pieces of
furniture,
flooring,
personal effects,
etc.
Fairly creative
and includes a
few pieces of
furniture and
flooring
Lacks creativity
and does not
include much
furniture or
flooring
Not creative
Lesson Template – Solar on Schools
Group Grades
A
B
C
D
Structure
All circuits are
working and
connected to a
renewable
energy power
source
Most circuits are
working and
connected to an
energy source
Several circuits
are not working,
but connected to
an energy source
The circuits are
not connected
and do not work
Collaboration
The structure is
complete and it
is obvious you all
worked together
to create it
The structure is
complete, but
one person did
not contribute to
the project
The structure is
complete, but
two or more
group members
did not
participate
You did not work
together to
create your
structure
Group Grades
Structure
Collaboration
A
B
C
D
All circuits are
working and
connected to a
renewable
energy power
source
Most circuits are
working and
connected to an
energy source
Several circuits
are not working,
but connected to
an energy source
The circuits are
not connected
and do not work
The structure is
complete and it
is obvious you all
worked together
to create it
The structure is
complete, but
one person did
not contribute to
the project
The structure is
complete, but
two or more
group members
did not
participate
You did not work
together to
create your
structure