1. Electricity and Circuits
Lesson 28
Part I
The slide show consists of 4 parts. The first part is provided to help work in some background materials and vocabulary dealing with electricity. It provides a few activities that involve the students in helping demonstrate some of the concepts listed previously. The activities and introduction lead into the second part of hands-on lab stations. The third part emphasizes cost and safety. Finally, the fourth part introduces solar power and more hands on materials. Not every school can afford to buy all of the resources listed, but the list is provided in order for the teacher to pick one or two to help in teaching these concepts from year to year.

2. GPS
S8P5. Students will recognize characteristics of gravity, electricity, and magnetism as major kinds of forces acting in nature.
b. Demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of series and parallel circuits and how they transfer energy.

3. What is Electricity?
Electricity is generated from the motion of tiny charged atomic particles called electrons and protons!
Protons = +
Electrons = -
Electricity
This slide introduces electricity at the smallest scale possible. The idea that things are charged should be emphasized over and over. It is good to mention static electricity. That is, shocking someone with electricity is simply the movement of these positive and negative charges. As a presenter of this material, I find it good to have the students repeat the words proton and electron, telling me whether it is positively charged or negatively charged. By doing it this way, I can say positive and negative charge throughout the rest of the presentation. It is not intended for the students to understand the principle parts of matter nor understand concepts related to the nucleus and creation of charge.
Nucleus
Energy
Levels

4. What is Electricity?
Electrons orbit the nucleus of an atom at different distances often referred to as levels. Each “energy level” contains a particular number of electrons at its maximum. Electrons in different energy levels can jump from one atom to another. These jumps change the overall charge of the atoms. The changes result in electricity.
Electricity
This slide introduces electricity at the smallest scale possible. The idea that things are charged should be emphasized over and over. It is good to mention static electricity. That is, shocking someone with electricity is simply the movement of these positive and negative charges. As a presenter of this material, I find it good to have the students repeat the words proton and electron, telling me whether it is positively charged or negatively charged. By doing it this way, I can say positive and negative charge throughout the rest of the presentation. It is not intended for the students to understand the principle parts of matter nor understand concepts related to the nucleus and creation of charge.
Nucleus
Energy
Levels

5. Electric Current Electric current is the flow of electric charges.
Electric current is measured in amperes (A), or amps.
Electric charges will always flow from a region of higher potential energy to a region of lower potential energy.
Electric Vocabulary
I use this slide to briefly give a definition of each of these terms, having the students repeat the words. I emphasize that a circuit requires a source (energy) and a load to power such as a lamp or light bulb. After explaining the basics parts of the circuit, describe to them that a power outage is a break in the circuit. A circuit has to be a connected loop for electricity to get where it is supposed to go. A transformer helps “transform” the electricity to a form (steps it down) that powers the things in your house. Without transformers, the electricity coming into our homes would break our appliances and TV’s(too much electricity). With insulator and conductor, it is easy to tell them that one allows electricity to flow through it (conductor) while the other does not (insulator). With proton and electron, I ask them the charge--positive or negative-- as explained earlier.

6. Electric Current
Potential difference is called voltage and is measured in units called volts (V).
A battery is a device that converts chemical energy into electricity.
In batteries the potential energy difference is created by the positive and negative terminals.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

7. Circuits A circuit is a path through which electricity can flow.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

8. Circuits Energy Source
A circuit needs an energy source to push a charge through the circuit
A battery is the energy source.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

9. Circuits . Conductors Loads
A conductor is a material that allows electrical energy to flow through it easily.
Metals make good conductors, so wires from metals are most often the conductors in circuit.
Loads
A load is a device in a circuit that operates using electrical energy.
Examples of loads are light bulbs, bells, radios, and motors. .
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

10. Circuits
A circuit may also have a switch . A switch is a device that is used to control the flow of current through a circuit.
When a switch is open, the path is broken, so no electricity flows through the circuit
When a switch is closed, it creates a continuous path through which an electric charge can flow.
Energy flows only through a circuit that is closed.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

11. Series Circuits
A series circuit is a circuit that provides only one possible path for the flow of current.
In a series circuit, the loads are set up in a series, or line, that requires current to flow through one load before passing through the next.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.

12. Parallel Circuits
A parallel circuit offers more than one path for the flow of electricity.
Each load in a parallel circuit has its own closed circuit pathway to the energy source.
Loads in a parallel circuit use the full voltage of the energy source.
No Electricity
Electricity is beneficial to us all the time. This slide helps put a realistic perspective on how much electricity plays a role in our everyday life. Asking a few simple questions helps the students think about how their lives would be affected without electricity.