6940 South Merrill Avenue Chicago IL 60649 (312) 535-0600
Grade Level: Primary Grades 1 and 2.
Objectives:
Students will correctly make a simple circuit using a battery, bulb, and a wire so that the bulb will light. (A)
Students will identify contact points in a simple electric circuit. (B)
Students will properly use a test circuit to identify conductors and non- conductors. (C)
Students will correctly construct and use a test circuit to test for conductors and non-conductors. (D)
Students will correctly connect a chemical battery that will light an LCD. (E)
Students will correctly use mechanical energy to make a bulb light up. (F)
Students will correctly use a solar cell to make a bulb light up. (G)
Materials Needed:
For a class of 20.
20--1.5v bulbs 06--light bulb sockets 20--D-size batteries 06--battery holders 10 yds.--insulated copper wire, Box of small ordinary items made cut into 10 inch lengths and stripped of metal, plastics, or fabric, money 1/2 inch on each end crayons, string, bottle caps, etc. 10--wood blocks, 1/2 x 3 x 5 inches 3 or 4-- phillips screwdrivers 1 dozen--paper clips 1 dozen--thumbtacks 1--hand generator 1--LCD chemical 1--solar cell 2--lemons 20--Christmas tree lights, separated into individual lights leaving 3 inches of wire on both ends. Strip off 1/2 inch on each end of wire. A light source from an overhead projector or a small lamp.
Activities:
Activity #1: This is an exploration and an individual activity. Meets objectives A and B.
Give each student one battery and one Christmas light. Without explanation, tell them to make the Christmas light come on. Allow 5-10 minutes for this activity, then have students demonstrate and discuss ways they were successful or unsuccessful in getting the lights to come on.
Concepts: Electricity travels in a path called a circuit. Wires must be correctly attached to the battery's contact points to complete a circuit.
Activity #2: The first part of this activity is a teacher demonstration; the second part is a student activity. Meets objectives C.
Using the test circuit (see instructions for making) review contact points on a battery. Demonstrate contact points using two batteries and show how two batteries, together, can make the 1.5 v light come on. Explain the use of a battery holder and its contact points. Demonstrate making the light come on using the battery holder.
Show students the circuit set-up and ask them why the light doesn't come on.
Student response: The circuit is not complete, or it is not a complete circuit. Accept all answers that refer to an incomplete circuit. The teacher selects an item from the mystery box and demonstrates how to complete the circuit. Have students select an item from the mystery box and attempt to complete the circuit by making the item touch both paper clips. Have them sort the items by keeping those that make the light come (complete the circuit) from those items that don't. Have students identify common properties of those items that make the lights come on.
Concept: Some materials conduct electricity (conductors) and some materials do not (insulators). Metals are conductors of electricity. When the circuit is incomplete, the path of electricity is interrupted.
Activity #3: This is a cooperative student activity. Meets objective D. Students will work in groups of four.
Each group will need the following materials: 2-'D' batteries, 1 battery holder, 1-1.5v light bulb, 1-light bulb socket, 2 paper clips, 2 thumbtacks, 2 insulated copper wires, 6 inches ea., 1 wood block, a screwdriver.
Students are to construct a test circuit that will make the light bulb light when completed with a metal conductor from activity #2.
Activity #4: This activity demonstrates electric power from mechanical, solar, and chemical energy sources. Meets objectives E, F, and G.
Connect a Christmas light to the hand generator; set aside.
Place the solar cell apparatus under the light source; do not turn on the light.
Take two lemons and the LCD chemical clock and place each a copper and zinc end of the LCD chemical clock into one lemon and do the same with the other lemon so that the time display comes on on the clock.
Ask for student volunteers to make the Christmas light come on using the hand generator; to make the solar apparatus work using the light source; and then the teacher disconnects the LCD chemical clock and has students re-connect it so that the clock comes on again.
Discuss with students chemical, solar, and mechanical energy and their uses.
Concept: Electricity can come from many sources, including chemical, solar, and mechanical.
Assessments:
Performance or authentic assessment is used for this topic. The students demonstrate or perform their understanding of the concepts when they make the light bulb come on, the LCD clock come on, correctly sort conductors and insulators, correctly construct a test circuit that will make the light come on when the circuit is completed with a conductor.
Extensions and teacher information:
A battery is a chemical source of electricity. This can be demonstrated by cutting a battery in half, lengthwise to show that it is made of carbon, nickel, and acid. Using a strip of copper and nickel in a beaker of acid such as vinegar, sulfuric acid, lemon juice or lemon, you can show the presence of electricity with a galvanometer. (Tolman and Martin, pp. 247-253)
Directions for making a test circuit:
Place 2 "D" batteries in battery holder. Using 2 strips of copper wire, connect one end of each wire strip to one end of the battery holder wires. Connect the exposed end of one of the copper wires to the light socket contact point. (A small screw on the light socket.) Connect one end of a third strip of copper wire to the other contact point on the light socket. You now should have 2 remaining unconnected copper wire ends. Wrap the exposed wire tightly around the end of a paper clip. Do the same with another paper clip. Secure the paper clips into the block of wood using two thumbtacks, positioning them into the wood so they do not touch and leaving a half-inch space between them. You can secure the light socket to the wood block using clay or screws. Screw the light bulb into the socket, check contact points, and test your circuit by laying a piece of metal across the paper clips to complete the circuit. The light should come on if correctly constructed.
References:
Physical Science Activities for Grades 2-8, Science Curriculum Activities Library Tolman, Marvin N. and Morton, James O. Parker Publishing Company, Inc. West Nyack, NY, 1986
Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires Glover, David Kingfisher Books, NY, 1993
Electricity Experiments for Children Reuben, Gabriel Dover Publications, Inc., NY, 1960