Lesson 1 – The Beginnings of a Shoebox Parade!

Grade 4/5 Science

Lesson 1 – The Beginnings of a Shoebox Parade!

Teacher: Miss MacQuarrie

Grade/Subject: Grade 4/5 Science Unit: Electricity Lesson Duration: 40 Minutes
OUTCOMES FROM ALBERTA PROGRAM OF STUDIES
Overview of lesson:
In this lesson, students will be introduced to the challenge of creating electronically powered floats for a
classroom parade. The floats will be required to have a moving component powered by electricity,
electrical lights and an additional component of their choice which demonstrates their knowledge and
understanding of electricity and magnetism. Students will also begin to develop and appreciate some of the
risks that are associated with working with electricity and address ways to minimize the risk.

This end-of-unit task will serve and the framework for the entire unit as the students will be creating their
floats using the knowledge and skills they obtained during the lessons. This final activity gives the students
something to work towards and consider during the unit. By starting with the end in mind, they should be
more focused and willing to participate.

General Learning Outcomes:

 5–5 Demonstrate safe methods for the study of magnetism and electricity, identify methods for
measurement and control, and apply techniques for evaluating magnetic and electrical properties of
materials.
 5–6 Construct simple circuits, and apply an understanding of circuits to the construction and
control of motorized devices.

Specific Learning Outcomes:

 Recognize and appreciate the potential dangers involved in using sources of electrical currents:
 understand that household electrical currents are potentially dangerous and not a suitable
source for experimentation
 understand that small batteries are a relatively safe source of electricity, for
experimentation and study, but that care should be taken to avoid short circuits
 understand that short circuits may cause wires to heat up, as well as waste the limited
amount of energy in batteries
 Identify example applications of electrical devices in the school and home environment, and
classify the kinds of uses. Categories of electrical use may include such things as: heating, lighting,
communicating, moving, computing

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Students will (be specific)
1. Students will get to know the purpose of this unit which is to create floats which are safe and
functional.
2. Students will brainstorm some ideas for their final project keeping in mind the different uses for
electricity reflected in the criteria.
3. Students will understand the inherent risks of electricity and be able to recognize ways in which
they can diminish that risk.

Inquiry Question:
When designing an electric parade float, what must we consider in order to ensure that it is safe and
functional?

LEARNING RESOURCES CONSULTED

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Lesson 1 – The Beginnings of a Shoebox Parade! Grade 4/5 Science
Resource #1: Rose, Dawn. Everyone Loves a Parade: An Intergrated Unit for Electricity and Magnetism
Resource #2: Moore, Nancy. Electrically Charged: The Complete Guide for Teaching Elementary Electricity
Resource #3: Alberta Program of Studies for Grades 1-6: Science
MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT
 White board for brainstorming
 Electricity Unit Workbook
 Pencils and Colouring Materials
 Work booklet 1 – Float Ideas
 Extra paper
 Bin labelled “Electricity”
PROCEDURE
Introduction (5-7 min.):
Hook/Attention Grabber:
 Ask for a volunteer to help hand out a work booklet to each student in the class.
 Have each student write their name on the front of the booklet on the white label (this ensures that
the duotangs can be used again in following years or with different subjects).
 Have students open the booklet to the first page and introduce the subject (electricity and
magnetism) and the project (a shoebox parade).
 Explain that they will be learning about how to create a float that uses electricity to create some fun
effects (lights, sound, moving pieces, etc.)

Assessment of Prior Knowledge:

 Ask questions to gauge their prior knowledge and understanding:
 Ask students to raise their hand if they have seen a parade before. This could be a big
parade like those that you see at the Calgary Stampede or Disney Land or they can be
smaller parades for Canada day or other celebrations.
 What sorts of things can be found in a parade? Some examples might include marching
bands, dancers, floats, etc.)
 What kind of floats were there in the parade? What did they have on them? Were there any
lights? Did they play music or make other sounds? Could parts of them spin or move on
their own?
 How did the floats move? Were they pushed or pulled by people or a vehicle? Or could
they move on their own?
Expectations for Learning and Behavior:
 Students participate in class discussion. If they are not comfortable with speaking up, they are
encouraged to listen carefully to they ideas of their classmates. Those ideas, questions and
suggestions of their classmate might help them with their learning.
 For this lesson, students will not rush ahead in their workbooks so that all students are on the same
page with the lesson. It is very important that they fully understand all the expectations for the
project and all the rules for safety so that the project is successful.
Transition to Body:
 Now that the project has been introduced, we have to go over the rules for safety for this unit and
this project so that everyone can have fun learning and so that no one gets hurt.

Body (25-30 min.):

Learning Activity:
 The risks of electricity:
 It is important to keep in mind that electricity can be really cool and fun to explore but it
can also be dangerous. Does anyone have any ideas why electricity can be dangerous? (It
can shock you, it is usually invisible, electrical bulbs can heat up if they aren’t set up
properly etc.)
 How can we keep ourselves safe? Have students brainstorm some ways that they can keep
themselves and others safe during this project. Have them turn to the next page in their booklet

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Lesson 1 – The Beginnings of a Shoebox Parade! Grade 4/5 Science
about Rules for Safety. Then go over the first 4 classroom rules with them having them write out
the bolded sections on their page. (10 MINUTES)
 Listen closely to instructions. It is important that you know what you will be doing before
you start working. I will explain what you need to know and then I will give you time to
work. So, do not work when I am talking please.
 Work with dry hands. It is important to have dry hands when working with electricity
because, as we will learn later, water is a good conductor, that means that if you have wet
hands, you might get a bit of a shock when working with electricity.
 Use batteries, not outlets. Electrical outlets can be used to supply electricity to big
household appliances like a refrigerator or a microwave. But, they are way to powerful for
what we will be working with in class. NEVER stick anything into an electrical outlet that
does not belong there (i.e. fingers, wires, pens etc.). In class, we will be using batteries as a
power source.
 Ask a teacher before using electronics from home. While we are working on our
projects, you might find that you have something at home that you may want to use on your
float (a buzzer from an old toy, an electric motor from a remote-controlled car, etc.). If you
have something at home that you want to bring in to class, ask a teacher first before using
it. We can help you decide if your idea is safe for the classroom.
Explain to them that they will be adding to these rules throughout the unit and that is why there are
a couple extra blank spaces.
 Introduce the challenge of designing and creating a float for the Christmas shoe box parade.
Because we are learning about electricity and magnetism, they will have to meet certain criteria
with their floats: (5 MINUTES)
 They must use electricity to light up a part of their float.
 There must be a moving component to their float which is powered by electricity.
 They most have an element which uses electromagnets, an electronic sound making device
or another electronic or magnetic element of their choice.
Explain to them that they will be brainstorming some ideas today for a Christmas parade float. Let
them know that at the present moment, it is not important for them to know how exactly they are
going to create their float because we will be investigating these things throughout the electricity
and magnetism unit. This time is just for them to be able to brainstorm potential ideas that will
meet the criteria that were just given to them. They might have ideas later that they want to add or
remove from the design, and the designs will change as they move on.
 On the 3rd page of their work booklet (Design Ideas and Questions), students can draw or write
some ideas for their floats. They may choose to sketch a few different designs, or they might draw
and colour one design. During this time, they can talk to their neighbors and share ideas with one
another. If they need extra paper, it will be provided, and they are free to get an extra sheet or two.
On the bottom of the 3rd page, have them brainstorm some questions that they might have about
how they might achieve a particular effect or problems that they may have to solve to build their
float. (15 MINUTES)

Closure (5-7 min.):

Consolidation/Assessment of Learning:
 Review with the students the first four rules about working with electricity in the classroom.
 If there is time at the end of class, students can volunteer (by raising their hand) to show off their
design ideas to their classmates. They can also share the questions that they came up with as well to
spark ideas in their peers.
 Have students tidy up materials and put their duotang into the bin labelled “Electricity” before
leaving.