Electricity

Engage

https://www.youtube.com/v/ywHcssUjXD0?start=0&end=100

Lead with video of Bill Nye asking questions about electricity or ask what is electricity

Explore

Provide wires, battery, lamp, switch and challenge students to make the bulb glow

Discuss what worked and what didn't

Explain

Introduce idea of closed circuit, energy source (battery), electrons

Atoms

• basic building blocks of life and matter.
• exist in over a hundred different forms as chemical elements like hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and copper. 
• are tiny - a copper penny (if it actually were made of 100% copper) would have 32,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 atoms of copper inside it.
• are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons with a center and surrounding the nucleus are a group of orbiting electrons.

• electron can escape orbit of the atom and become free. Free electrons allow us to move charge, which is what electricity is all about.
• Elements with very mobile electrons, are called conductors. These are the types of materials we want to use to make wires and other components which aid in electron flow. Metals like copper, silver, and gold are usually our top choices for good conductors.
• Elements with low conductivity are called insulators. Insulators serve a very important purpose: they prevent the flow of electrons. Popular insulators include glass, rubber, plastic, and air.

 https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/what-is-electricity

Model a Circuit

• have students line up in circle - hand each a potato
• label one person a battery, one a light
• ask them to pass the potatos around pretending they are electrons, lighting up the light

Explain that a circuit is a closed, never-ending loop of conductive material. conductive wire? components? NO insulating gaps. Electrons are not generated, just passed around.

Elaborate 

Make a flashlight to take home

http://www.instructables.com/id/LED-Popsicle-Flashlight/step4/Add-the-LED-Enjoy/

http://www.energizer.com/science-center/how-to-make-a-flashlight

Need:

• 2 D cell batteries 
• Number 22 insulated copper bell wire 
• Cardboard tube (paper towel) cut to 5.125" in length 
• 3-volt flashlight bulb 
• 2 brass fasteners (brads) 
• Small cardboard piece for holding bulb 
• Paper clip 
• Electrical Tape 
• Bathroom-size paper cup

Demonstration: Make and Compare batteries

Potato Battery http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Potato-Battery vs.
Lemon Battery http://www.wikihow.com/Create-a-Battery-from-a-Lemon vs.
Range of household batteries

Need:

• batteries AA, AAA, C, D
• potatoes
• lemons
• LED light bulb
• galvanized nails
• pennies
• alligator clips
• voltmeter

Evaluate

Ask what would happen if light-bulb burns out?