Electricity

By: May Abdelhaq

Fourth Grade/ Physical Science

Common Core Standards:

PHYSICAL SCIENCE (PS)
Topic: Electricity.
This topic focuses on the conservation of matter and the processes of energy transfer
and transformation, especially as they apply to heat and electrical energy.
Grade 4 Concepts:
Electrical conductors are materials through which electricity can ow easily. Electricity
introduced to one part of the object spreads to other parts of the object (e.g., copper
wire is an electrical conductor because electricity ows through the wires in a lamp from
the outlet to the light bulb and back to the outlet).
Demonstrating Science Knowledge:
Build a circuit that contains two light bulbs.
Analyze the difference between working and nonworking circuits and determine
patterns and trends in the experimental evidence.
Interacting and communicating science concepts:
Pictorially represent ways to assemble the circuit and note which are able to light the
bulbs and which are not.
Compare and contrast circuits that light the bulbs with circuits that do not light the
bulbs.
Outline the functions of the components of a simple electric circuit (conductor, insulator,
energy source, light bulb, switch).

Lesson Summary:
This lesson designed to teach students the basic components of electricity, and to define basic terminologies
such as (electrical charge, neutral, static electricity, series circuits, parallel circuits, conductors and so many
related terminologies). And learn how do charged objects behave, how do electrical charges move. I will
prepare a Prezi for every part of the lesson to illustrate the knowledge by presenting some videos and pictures
related to the topic and to define all needed information and display it in the classroom.
During the second part of the lesson students will do their own experiments by applying two kinds of simple
electrical circuits which are series circuits, parallel circuits and they should find the difference between the two
types. And from their results they will be able to know the type of electrical circuit that have been used in their
homes, in the streets or any other facility. The students will create accounts on emaze to present their work as a
comparison between the two types and provide examples for each one. At the end we will discuss the meaning
of short circuit, and how its dangerous, and what are the safety procedures for electrical accidents. Finally, the
advantages and disadvantages of electricity.
Estimated Duration:
The Total time estimated for the lesson is 145 minutes.
Dividing into three days, the first day 45 minutes, the second and third day will be 50 minutes each.

Commentary:
I am planning to start the lesson by ask students to do a short quiz about electricity and then discuss the
answers at class. And to keep students interested on the lesson, I will present Prezi starting with a video that
illustrate the simple science of electricity, then we will move to define the important component of it, each
definition will be combined with a picture to keep the students focused and interested. We will apply a simple
experiment to address the static electricity, and another experiment about circuits. I will teach them how to
create an account on emaze and how to use it in classroom and in real life after school by showing them some
people work on emaze in different life sectors. I will ask them how and why we use electricity on our daily life
and what are the risks of using it, these questions will open the door to another topic to be discussed such
environment issues, and how to deal with any electrical incidents.

Instructional Procedures:
Day 1: 45 minutes
As a teacher I would like to know what are my students know about electricity, so I will give them 10 minutes
to open their accounts on Brainpop on their IPads to do a short quiz.
We will discuss their answers in 10 minutes this would be an introduction of the lesson. I will start presenting
my Prezi by showing them 2 minutes video that illustrates the basics of electricity.
Then in another 15 minutes by continue presenting my Prezi to define the following terminologies, electrical
charge, neutral, attract, repel, electron and static electricity each definition attached with a picture that explains
the daily life implementation on it.
At the end I will divide the students into four groups to do an experiment on static electricity, the experiment
procedures would be presented at the Prezi with 2 minutes video to help them applying the experiment in 6
minutes, and then make a quick discussion about the results and where we can see the static electricity in our
daily life.
Day 2: 50 minutes
I will make a quick review for the previous portion of lesson in 5 minutes, by asking the students to define
some terminology, what is the electron, electrical charge and static energy?
How lighting could be an example on static electricity?
What makes the objects attract or repel?
I will start the new part of the lesson by encourage the student to think about electricity circuits how can they
define it and where they expect we find them and what are their types; this discussion will take about another
5 minutes.
I will start viewing my Prezi by presenting a video electricity circuits for about 3 minutes, and then we will
continue the discussion by defining electrical current, circuits, conductors, series circuit and parallel circuits
for 7 minutes.
Then I will be dividing the students into four groups each group have to apply to experiments, the first one to
create a series circuit the other one is to make a parallel circuit, the needed materials will be listed in the
presentation with the diagrams for each type of circuits; the two experiments need 15 minutes.
The materials of the experiments for the four groups are:
1- Wires; about 6 ft. and 4 tape rolls.
2- Light Bulbs; count 16.
3- Batteries 3 volts; count 8.
4- Switches, counts 8.

After the students create the two circuits I will let them write their observations and results on their
notebook, the other part of the experiment is to take off one light from each circuit, and write their
observation for this part.
In 5 minutes; students will open their IPads which connected to internet and open
Their browsers on emaze.com and students will create accounts on emaze, and we will go over some
examples of emaze applications, and I will have listed some steps on how to create a presentation on
emaze.
The last 10 minutes, a formative assessment will be applied by, letting the students do a short quiz on
emaze, to know what did they learn during the lesson.
Finally, the homework for students is to create an emaze presentation for the two part of the
experiments, by
1- making a sketch for series and parallel circuits, that have been created in classroom.
2-And draw them again after applying the second part of the experiments.
3- Insert a table to make a comparison between the two kinds of circuits, what are the advantages and
disadvantages of them, where each type of circuits could be applied, give examples for each type in our
life, depends on their observation and results of the experiments.
Day 3: 50 minutes.
I will start this part of the lesson, by make a review for the students by doing a quiz on Brainpop on
their computers about electrical circuits in 10 minutes.
Then we will start discussion about short circuit, the electricity risks, the safety procedure in using
electricity and the advantages, disadvantages of it for 10 minutes.
I will present the Prezi of this part by viewing a video about safety procedure in using electricity for
3 minutes.
I will continue presenting the Prezi to illustrate the short circuits, and what are the risks, and how to
avoid dangerous electrical incident, also what to do if an electrical incident occurs in 10 minutes.
Finally, we will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of electricity on our life and environment,
and who first invents the light bulb, in 15 minutes after I display a video about electricity risks for 2

minutes.

Pre-Assessment:
I will pre-assess the students in the first day by doing a quiz on Brainpop about the concept of electricity, at the
beginning of the lesson so as to get a useful feedback, and to decide the pace of the lesson. In the second and
third day, I will ask the students some questions before starting the lesson about the new material and make
a discussion with them to know what are they know about this topic.
During the second day I will let the student do a quiz on emaze, (formative test) about the material that have
been taught to them, to know the percentage of student who understand the idea of circuits and its types.
Beside doing reviews in the second and third day by asking about the previous part of the lesson to make sure
that they achieved the main goals.
Scoring Guidelines:
The quiz will be ten questions each question worth 1 point, then the total would be 10.
so if the majority of them get more than 7 point, this will allow me to move quickly in the beginning if
they are already having previous information about it, and I will keep in mind the students with low
scores to engage them in the discussion about these concepts and talk to them in more details.
But if most of the student get low scores which means less then 6, I will move slowly and go over
all the information in details.
Regarding the questions that would be discussed either as a pre-assess or as revision and formative test
, I will judge them depends on their answers and their interaction during the conversations. And
deciding the section that need more explanation or need more time to talk about to ensure the full
understanding of the main concepts.
Post-Assessment:
After we done with all the material of three days, I will evaluate the understanding of the students by doing
A summative test in the fourth day.
The test will be a written work includes, multiple chose, define some terminology and draw circuit types with
some description for each one.
Scoring Guidelines:
The full score of the test will be 100%, if the students get 80% or more they will be assessed to have

mastered the topic, the students who get scores between 78%-70%, I will be noted them to review the
content from the Prezi which was prepared for the lesson, while the students who get scores less than
70% will be classified not mastered the content and I will ask them to go over all the details in the
Prezi of the topic which is posted on my blog, beside makes groups of students who mastered the topic
with these students so as to collaborate and communicate with each others to help them mastered the
content.

Differentiated Instructional Support

Students who struggle with understanding the main concepts, I will let them open their account in Brainpop
during the lesson and spend more time in watching videos about static electricity, circuits and so on, and redo
some quizzes in which helps in retaining what they have learned. And encouraging them to review the Prezi
presentation of the lesson which is posted in my blog to strength their information, and making groups from
mastered and non-mastered students, to discuss the main ideas of the lesson and to redo the circuits
experiments in simple way to ensure that they get the goals of the lesson.
Students who mastered the lesson, will be asked to do an extra part in the homework on emaze, by adding
more lights to the two types of circuits in the diagram, and expect the results in the two cases. I will ask them
to do simple experiments at home about static electricity and record it as a video and email it back to me.

Extension
This is a great website to watch different videos about electricity, it has a wide number of different ideas of
electrical experiments.
http://wosu.pbslearningmedia.org/search/?q=electricity&selected_facets=grades_exact
%3A4&selected_facets=&selected_facets=
This is another website which contains ecards, quizzes, games about electricity and definitions for so many
terminology of electricity
https://quizlet.com/687727/electricity-4th-grade-flash-cards/

Homework Options and Home Connections

The homework for this lesson is to use emaze, to draw the two experiment that they did in the second day, and
add their observation and results in a table to do comparison between the two types and, where we use each

type in our life.

Interdisciplinary Connections
Students in this lesson will be learned about the disadvantages of electricity which will lead them to discuss the
risks of electricity on the environment and what are their effects on global warming and climate change and
this is a new subject to explore which is:
environment.
In the last day students will talk about the first inventor of the light bulb which would open a new subject in
social studies to explore his life and his inventions.
Social studies.

Materials and Resources:

For teachers

Computer or laptop connected to internet, projector, Brainpop account, emaze account,

google account, Classroom blog.

For students

IPad for each student connected to internet, account on Brainpop for each student,
emaze account for each student, the supplies for the first experiment (5 balloons, 5
tissue papers), for the second experiment students need (Wires; about 6 ft, Light Bulbs;
count 16, Batteries 3 volts; count 8, Switches, counts 8 and tape).

Key Vocabulary
electrical charge, neutral, attract, repel, electron, static electricity, electrical current, circuits, conductors, series
circuit and parallel circuits.

Additional Notes
This lesson could be an introduction for so many fields in science, so teacher should make sure that the
students have learned the main concept of electricity and can defined the main terminology related to it, beside
makes the lesson active by adding videos and experiments helps in getting the students attention and being
more focused during the lesson.