Lesson Plan: Exploring Electricity

Subject: Science

Grade: 3

Lesson Objective: To explore how electricity is used in simple devices

Starter:

Say:

 How do you use electricity? (Range of answers expected, but students should explain how they,
personally, use electricity during their day.)

Main:

Say:

 We have talked about the different ways that electricity is made.

 Today, we are going to talk about how electricity is used.
 Many different devices and things use electricity to make them work.
 An electric circuit (cir-cut) is a pathway that is made of wires. The pathway of wires lets electrons
flow through it
 Electricity is what makes electrons move. The electrons then move through the wires and give it
power to work.
 When no electrons are moving, there is no power.
 A circuit sends electrons to a device and it also takes them out of the device.
 The electrons need to be able to flow through the device, so circuits are circular.

Draw the following diagram on the board:

Say:
 Look at the picture that I drew on the board. The circle shows where the electricity comes
from. It pushes the electrons into the device, which is the rectangle.
 Then, the electrons leave the device and flow back toward to where the electricity came from.
 Many circuits or devices have a switch so that they can be turned on and off.
 When a device is turned off, the electrons are not able to flow through it. The device does not
allow the electricity to push the electrons.
 This is how simple devices use electricity. Does anyone have any questions?
 We just talked about how electricity works.
 Now, you are going to think of as many different things that use electricity.
 Please take out your notebooks. You are going to make a list of everything that you can think of
that uses electricity.

Allow about 10 minutes for the students to make a list of the things that use electricity.

Walk around the room and check to be sure that the students are on task and understand what to
do.

Feedback:

Say:

 Who would like to share their list of things that use electricity? (Allow the students to answer.)