Electric Currents and Circuits

Williams, Claudette               Dever Elementary School
                                  1-312-889-9188
                           

Objectives

1) To create an awareness of the importance of electricity in everyday life. 
2) To introduce basic electrical terms and to illustrate how electricity moves, both 
   in series and parallel circuits. 
3) To show the need for a complete electric circuit, how to control electron flow 
   with a switch and to teach series and parallel circuits. 
4) Students should be able to wire dry cells either in series or in parallel when 
   given several dry cells, pieces of wire and bulbs. 

Equipment and Materials

ammeter                       hand crank generator
voltmeter                     Christmas tree lights 
insulated copper wire         Manila folders
1.5 - volt dry cells          1.5 - volt light bulbs and sockets
foil                          brass fasteners or paper clips

Recommended Strategy

Have materials displayed on table or desks. (make sure there is an obvious display of 
examples of series or parallel circuits, such as Christmas tree lights) 

Review the part/importance of electricity in everyday life

Discuss and review the vocabulary you will be using

     circuit             volt                    voltmeter
     current             dry cell                ammeter
     series              resistance              terminal
     parallel            conductor               ampere
     ohm                 watt                    fuse

Have students divide into groups in order that they may work cooperatively with each 
set of materials. 

     a. The first activity should be a simple bulb, battery, and foil assembly.  The 
object of this activity is to reinforce the understanding of what is necessary for a 
circuit to be completed. A worksheet should accompany the set-up. 

     b. The second activity will be a human circuit - students holding hands and then 
touching the generator 
     
     c. The third activity will enable each group to devise its own circuits through 
the use of provided panels and materials. By the process of trial and error along 
with previous knowledge the students should be able to trace both types of circuits. 

A culminating activity will be for the students to begin a take home project which is 
a question/answer game circuit board.