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
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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
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