Vocabulary:  charge, negative, positive, conduct, resistance, insulate, gauge, friction, voltage, magnetism, opposite, similar, load, alternate, direct, terminal, velocity,

Here is a worksheet for other vocabulary words.

Books:

Magnetism by Darlene R. Stille (ages 4-8)

Electricity by Darlene R. Stille (ages 4-8)

Magnetism by Peter D. Riley (ages 9-12)

Electricity by Peter D. Riley (ages 9-12)

The Facts about Electricity by Rebecca Hunter

Electricity by Chris Woodford (gr. 4-7 has timeline information)

The Complete Book of Science grades 5-6

Resources:

An easy to understand interactive lesson about circuits, insulators, and conductors

This site explains what electricity is.  It is better understood by kids in 5^th and up depending on reading ability.

Here you’ll find an easy to understand interactive demonstration on electricity.

What is electricity?  (High school)

Introduction to Electricity (older kids)

How batteries work

Easy to understand explanation of static electricity

What is electricity?

Just a few fantastic facts

Why can some birds sit on power lines and not get zapped?

A simple circuit picture you can use for your lapbook.

A picture of 2 magnets

A black and white image of an outlet

Activities:

1. Timeline
2. Vocabulary
3. What is electricity?
4. Negative and Positives
5. Static Electricity
6. Types of Circuits
7. Insulators, Conductors, Resistors
8. Magnets
9. Electric Meters
10. Batteries
11. AC/DC
12. Electric Safety
13. Taking Electric Experiments a bit further

Activity 1: Timeline

Use an accordion fold for the timeline.  Have them record milestones and discovers concerning electricity.

Activity 2: Vocabulary

For the vocabulary I thought we would make cards the size of business cards writing the word and definition on front and a picture representation of the word on the back.  We’ll then make a pocket fold to hold the cards in our lapbook.

Activity 3:  what is electricity?

First I will have them write a short report on what electricity is using this form.

I’ll have them use this sheet to give them an idea of what to put in their report and to take notes on. What’s electricity worksheet?

Electric force is an interactive activity to help students understand it.

The Voltaic pile (it is the 2^nd experiment on the page)

http://library.thinkquest.org/6064/exper.html

Electricity word search

Do page 288 of TCBOS

Activity 4: Negatives and Positives

Like charges repel each other.  So if we were to charge two things with negative charges they should repel each other.  You’ll need 3 strips of newspaper and a piece of plastic wrap.  Holding 2 strips of newspaper up but not touching take the plastic wrap and rub it up and down the strips of newspaper.  Now try and touch them together.  They should repel each other.  Now put one strip down and pick up the other.  Rub only one strip with the plastic wrap and then put the strips close to each other.  They should attract. 

What we are seeing is that two like charges repel each other but opposite charges attract each other.  You can not put 2 positives or 2 negatives together.

Here is another thing to demonstrate this.  You’ll need two balloons, about 2 to 3 feet of string, and tape.  Blow up the balloons and tie the strings to the end.  Now hang them beside each other in a door way.  They should be close but not touching.  Now rub them in your hair or use a piece of wool cloth.  Let go and see what happens.  They should push away from each other.

Making and electroscope

Have the kids use a simple rectangle folded in half to write what they learned about negative and positive charges.  They’ll write Negative and Positive charges on the front.  I’ll have the younger kids draw pictures of what we did and the older ones will write about the experiments.

Activity 5: Static electricity

To help them get more of an idea of how static electricity works I will have them do a series of experiments.  I’ll have them use this book for recording information.   On the front they’ll write Static Electricity.  The tabs will go like this – what is it, Runaway cola, dancing paper, light by friction, super sparker, the charger, the comb, flea circus.  On the tab what is it they should write a brief description of what static electricity is.  For the lab tabs they should write what they did, observed and why they think it happened.  (I also thought they could draw some lightning bolts on the front cover)

Runaway cola can experiment

Dancing paper experiment

Light by friction

Super sparker experiment

The Charger (4^th experiment on page)

http://library.thinkquest.org/6064/exper.html

Picking up things with a comb

Electrical flea circus

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/electrical_fleas.html

Activity 6: Types of circuits

First they do these online activities to get an understanding of circuits before we start playing with them.

Do this online activity to learn about circuits.

An online gizmo for building virtual circuits

Open circuit online game (very simple)

http://www.culverco.com/sse/wires/game.html

Next we are going to use this octagon shape to make a 3 page book.  The first page they’ll write electric circuit and what an electric circuit is.  The next page will be a series circuit and definition.  I will also have them make a series circuit diagram.  The third one will be for a parallel circuit done in the same fashion.

http://www.abcteach.com/basicshapes/octagon.htm

Now we’ll have some fun trying to build these circuits. We’ll record the experiments on a mini book. 

Open and short circuit experiment

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/open-short-circuit.html

Simple circuit

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/basic.shtml

Series Circuit

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/series.shtml

Switched circuit

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/switch.shtml

Parallel circuit

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/parallel.shtml

A simple computer

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/adder.shtml

What happens when you blow a fuse?

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/short_circuit.html

Activity 7: Insulators, Conductors, Resistors

We are going to use a tri-fold for this mini book.  On the first section write Insulators and write the definition.  The second will be Conductors and the third Resistors. 

We are going to do an experiment to see what kinds of things are insulators and conductors.  You’ll need to gather a bag of things for them to try.  There is a form on this page where they can record the information and glue onto their lapbook.

Conductors and insulators

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/conduct.shtml

Resistors

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/resist.shtml

Do the understanding insulation experiment on page 299 of TCBOS.

Activity 8: Magnets

I’m going to use a fan book for this activity.  Here is a template so you can get an idea of what I’m talking about.  I’m going to make the fans larger though. 

The front will say magnets.  The second will tell what a magnet is and the rest will record each of the following activities.

Investigating magnets

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/magnet.shtml

Magnetic fields

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/fields.shtml

Magnetic insulators

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/maginsul.shtml

Make a magnetic toy

Create a magnet using electricity

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/electromagnet.html

Magnetic suction

A magnet exerts a force on current carrying wire.

http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/motor_effect.html

Magnetism writing paper

Maze

Activity 9: electric meters

Reading an electric meter

Activity 10: Batteries

Do the battery diagram on page 295 of TCBOS

I’m going to use this to make a shape book for this activity.  It will be 5 pages. 

Homemade battery experiment

Battery life experiment

http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/battery.html

Build a battery holder

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/holder.shtml

Activity 11:  AC/DC

I’m going to use this to make a shape book for this activity.

http://school.discovery.com/clipart/clip/radiomtr.html

Ac/DC current what’s the difference?

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/edison/sfeature/acdc.html

A simple explanation of AC/DC power

http://www.culverco.com/sse/wires/hp.html

Make a galvanometer to check for AC or DC current.

http://www.culverco.com/sse/wires/electro.html

Do page 296 of TCBOS.

Activity 12: electricity safety

I’m not quite sure how I’m going to add this to the lapbook.

Is electric safe?

http://www.galaxy.net/~k12/electric/safe.shtml

Ground fault circuit interrupter

http://www.culverco.com/sse/waters/grounded.html

Louie the Lightning bug coloring book

This demonstration will demonstrate why children should never play with electricity.  You will need a pickle an old extension cord and a pan.  Place the pickle in the pan and then attach the pickle to the wires of the extension cord.  Then plug it in.  The pickle will burn, glow, and smell.  This is very dangerous.  Make sure they understand they are to never try these themselves.  The pickle represents what could happen to a human

Activity 13: Taking electric experiments a bit further

This is the clip art image I’m going to use to make a shape book for this activity.

http://school.discovery.com/clipart/clip/safetgls.html

A stripped down motor

Building an electric car

http://www.miamisci.org/girlsrise/session2/beta/Car.html

Design an electric car.  There are no instructions just a list of materials to give them.  They come up with the design on their own using the knowledge they have gathered. 

Build a planetary land rover.

http://www.life.uiuc.edu/boast1/sciencelessons/rover.htm