IT'S ELECTRIC! UNIT PLAN Lesson 2: Wired Up! - Building Electrical Circuits Science Force, Motion, & Energy Electricity Disclaimer: This Starter Sheet should be regarded as a guide only. Teachers should make adjustments in accordance with the individual learning needs of their students. INTRODUCTION DURATION 60 min REQUIRED RESOURCES A 60 minute lesson in which students will read and draw circuit diagrams. LESSON PLAN PREPARATION Should circuit building kits be unavailable, locate an appropriate online circuit building simulator to use in the lesson. Tuning In Watch The Power of Circuits video on YouTube. Afterwards, revise the key concepts of the video and allow the students to ask clarifying questions if needed. Introduce the statement to be investigated in the lesson: Circuits need to be complete (closed) to allow the flow of electricity. Teacher Instruction Display and discuss slides 8-9 the It's Electric! PowerPoint. On slide 9, point out the components in the top diagram. Highlight how each component is represented on the corresponding circuit diagram. Display the Circuit Diagram Symbols Poster and examine each symbol. Model how to draw a circuit diagram using a selection of the components. Discuss whether electricity would flow through the circuit. Repeat this activity several times, giving some examples of circuit diagrams where electricity would not flow. Guided/Independent Learning Distribute the Circuit Diagrams Worksheet to the students. Read through the questions on the worksheet as a class and check that the students understand the task. Monitor and support the students as they complete the activities. Optional: To answer Question 3, students could predict a result on the worksheet, then use circuit construction kits or an online circuit simulator to perform the test. Once the students have finished, encourage the students to share their answers. Draw particular attention to Question 3, discussing the reasons why the bulb would or would not illuminate. Collect the students’ worksheets. These could be included in a portfolio of work samples and used to assess the students’ understanding of the unit objectives. Wrapping Up Revist the Electricity Word Wall. Add the words 'circuit' and 'component' to the display. DIFFERENTIATION Page of Supporting Students Encourage less confident students to use the circuit building kits or the online circuit simulator to assist with the activity. Extending Students Allow fast finishers to further explore the circuit building kits or the online circuit simulator. MONITORING STUDENT UNDERSTANDING Used strategic whole class or individual questioning Observed student participation during learning activities Recorded student progress on a checklist Annotated student work samples Collected and reviewed student work samples Facilitated whole class or peer feedback sessions Encouraged student self-reflection Administered formal assessment tasks Page of