Its Electric!

Designed by: Priscilla McPheeters, Caughman Road Elementary

Grade Level: Fourth     Subject: Science

Core Curriculum Objective: Demonstrate and distinguish between static and current electricity. (IV-B1-b)

Overview: Students will plan and conduct a simple investigation to demonstrate and distinguish between static and current electricity. Students will work with a partner to formulate their own questions about static and current electricity. The partners will select and use the appropriate equipment and tools to gather their data and demonstrate the differences between static and current electricity. The partners will use the data they collect to construct an explanation that distinguishes between static and current electricity. The partners will communicate their findings to their peers.

Focus Question: How can we demonstrate static and current electricity? How can we show the difference between static and current electricity?

Time Frame: Four hour lessons

Resources/Materials: 

www.brainpop.com/science/electricity/electricity/\

www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html

ippex.pppl.gov/ippex/module_4intro.html 

Electric Slide song 

Classroom text set 

Make it Work Electricity by Wendy Baker& Andrew Haslam 

Exploring Electricity by Ed Catherall 

A New True Book: Experiments with Electricity by Helen J. Challand 

World Book's Young Scientist Light and Electricity 

Eyewitness Science: Electricity by Steve Parker 

Electric supplies

 Single core wire (cut into 6-8 inch lengths, you will need two for each group) 

Electrical tape 

Small 6-volt bulbs (enough for each group) 

Bulb holders (enough for each group) 

Supplies to have the children bring in: Combs Balloons D-batteries (One per group) 

Averkey

Culminating Assessment:

The students, using the focus questions as their starting point and working with a partner, will share their inquiry into electricity with their peers. They will share their questions and what equipment they used to investigate their questions. They will demonstrate static and current electricity. They will explain the difference between static and current electricity. The activity will be assessed by a student-teacher-negotiated rubric.

Teacher-Student Negotiated Current and Static Electricity Rubric 

The students demonstrated static electricity 
The students demonstrated current electricity 
The students distinguished between static and current electricity 
The students communicated their investigations by creating a "map" of their inquiry 
The students chose appropriate tools for their investigations

The teacher and the students can negotiate the other aspects of the rubric and the point values for each aspect.

Instructional Activities

Activity One

To make this an authentic inquiry, watch for someone in class to be shocked by static electricity, pull off their sweater and have their hair stand up on end, or even wait for a thunder storm with lightning!

The teacher should bring the classes attention to the event, static shock, hair-raising, or lightening. The teacher should ask, "What's happening here?" The teacher should listen to all the predictions the students want to offer.

The teacher can then propose the inquiry "Lets find out what's going on!" "We know it has something to do with electricity lets see." The teacher should then pull up the website www.brainpop.com/science/electricity/electricity Using an Averkey watch the movie on Electricity. The movie outlines that there are two types of electricity Static and Current. This leads you to the focus questions.

The teacher can now pose the inquiry using the two focus questions. The students should draw a partner from a random cup. The teacher and the students should negotiate how they want to pursue the inquiry. The teacher needs to confirm with the students the requirements in the rubric and others that the students and the teacher negotiate. 

The teacher needs to go through then steps of the inquiry process with the students. 

1)The focus questions- We already have that! How can you demonstrate static and current electricity? How can we show the difference between static and current electricity?

2) Select and use appropriate equipment and tools to gather data and extend the senses. The students and the teacher can brainstorm where the students can find information and what materials they would need. (i.e. the school library, public library, Internet, classroom text set on materials list)

3) The students will use the data to construct a reasonable explanation. The teacher should explain that the partners should develop a working definition of static and current electricity from their inquiry.

4) The partners will then communicate their investigations and explanations with the class. Here is another opportunity for the teacher and the students to discuss what is expected in the presentation and to come up with the final rubric. The class should be closed by recapping the rubric and preparing the students for the research for the next two days.

Homework: Bring in a D-Battery, comb or balloons for class room supplies.

Activity Two- Three) 

Play The Electric Slide at the start of class to get everyone interested in the lesson.

The teacher should handout the final copy of the rubric, the inquiry map and tool/equipment list (provided at the end of this lesson) that should be filled out by each group. 

Show the students the classroom text set, bookmark the following websites:

www.sciencemadesimple.com/static.html - Website on static electricity

http://ippex.pppl.gov/ippex/module_4/ - Website on Electricity

The students should be working with their partner. They should be allowed to go to the school media center to get extra print resources.

The teacher should gather the supplies the children brought in and place them in an accessible area with the other supplies listed on the materials list. Electrical tape, single core wire, bulbs, and bulb holders. As the students begin to actively demonstrate static and current electricity the teacher should circulate around the room facilitating the inquiry in the classroom. Students should be encouraged to pose new questions, keeping track of their inquiry! The students should be reminded that their presentations to their peers would be on day four. Any group that finishes early can help the other groups and the teacher by giving feedback to their peers.

Activity Four

The students should be ready to communicate their inquiry findings to their peers. The student's presentations should be assessed by the student-teacher negotiated rubric.