Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires Standard(s) Addressed: Physical Science Students know sources of stored energy take many forms, such as food, fuel, and batteries. Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves and sound waves, by electric current, and by moving objects. Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many useful applications in everyday life. As a basis for understanding this concept: a. Students know how to design and build simple series and parallel circuits by using components such as wires, batteries, and bulbs. Students know electrically charged objects attract or repel each other. Students know electrical energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion.
Lesson Objective: Students will understand that batteries produce electrons and these travel along a wire from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of a battery. They will learn that there are two contact points on a light bulb and that, for the bulb to light, they must create a complete path for the electrons to move from the negative terminal of the battery along the wire through the light bulb to the positive terminal of the battery. They will use batteries, bulbs, and wires as they work in pairs.
Materials: Flashlight bulbs, C or D batteries, and 8 inch lengths of aluminum foil folded into narrow strips, white boards with markers and erasers, cards with electrons (e -) for role play
Student Talk Strategies:
Think-Pair-Share Inside-Outside Circle
Classroom Management: CHAMPs Conversation: Students may talk to each other in inside voices, except during the probe when they work in silence alone. Help: They will help each other and, if they need help, one student will raise his/her hand quietly to let teacher know. Activity: Students will find the lowest number of wires to light the bulb. Then students will work in pairs to find 4 ways to light the light bulb. They will work at their desks. Movement: One student will get the materials. Students will be able to stand away from their desks during Inside-Outside Circle. Participation: Students will work cooperatively with both of them handling the materials. Lesson adapted from Keeley, P. , Eberle, F., & Dorsey, C. (2008). Uncovering Student Ideas in Science (Vol 3). Arlington, VA: NSTA Press. ENGAGE: Connect to Prior Knowledge and Experience, Create Emotionally Safe Learning Environment, Preview New Vocabulary Estimated time:10 minutes
Teacher’s Role
Teacher Questions
Students’ Role
Teacher administers Probe 7: Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires to determine what students know about electrical circuits. Teacher walks around the room and reads student responses quietly without talking to students. In particular, teacher looks at students’ drawings for insight into student thinking.
From probe: What is the smallest number of wire strips Kirsten needs to make the bulb light up?
Students respond individually without talking to an elbow partner. Students may answer: Two wires—both coming from the bottom of the battery to the bulb (clash model). Or One wire—coming from the bottom of the battery to the bulb (with no contact with the top of the battery) Naïve Conception: If wires are connected to a battery and bulb, no matter where, a complete circuit is made.
EXPLORE: Hands-On Learning, Contextualize Language, Use of Scaffolding (Graphic Organizers, Thinking Maps, Cooperative Learning), Use of Multiple Intelligences, Check for Understanding Estimated time: 30 minutes
Teacher’s Role
Teacher Questions
Students’ Role
1. Teacher tells students that they will now test out their answer on the probe. They will use a battery, one bulb, and strips of wire to find the least number of wires it takes to light the bulb.
1. Now you will test out your prediction on the probe. Try the number of wires you gave in your response.
1. Students work in pairs and discuss their responses with each other. They then test their predictions with the materials to actually make a complete circuit.
2. Teacher asks students to report out the least number of strips they used to make the bulb light.
2. Can you make the bulb light 2. They discuss their ideas and with fewer strips? explanations with their partner. Think, Pair, Share. Think, Pair, Share: Share your They show their arrangement ideas with the person next to for fewer wires on their white you and report to class. boards and display these for the class to see.
Teacher calls on a group with the correct arrangement to show theirs to the class. 3. The teacher then has every team build a circuit using 1 battery, 1 bulb, and 1 wire. Teacher may ask the teams who have shown 1 wire to
They record their set-up and ideas in their notebooks.
3. Now that you have seen this arrangement, show me that you can build one too.
3. Pairs show the teacher the arrangement with 1 battery, 1 bulb, and 1 wire.
walk around the room to help the others. Teacher walks around the room to verify student understanding. 4. Given a 1.5 V C or D battery, 1 bulb and 1 strip of aluminum foil, teacher asks students to now arrange the materials to make 4 complete, different circuits.
4. Now that you know how to make the bulb light with one strip, I have a challenge for you. Can you find 4 different arrangements using only 1 battery, 1 bulb, and 1 strip to make the bulb light?
4. Pairs use the materials to find the 4 different arrangements and record in their notebooks in a T-chart which arrangements caused the bulb to light and which arrangements caused the bulb to not light.
EXPLAIN: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing to Communicate Conceptual Understanding
Estimated time: 20 minutes
Teacher’s Role
Teacher Questions
Students’ Role
1. Teacher asks students to draw successful arrangements on their white boards. Teacher then asks selected groups to show their different arrangements to the class and to explain the path from the battery through the bulb back to the battery.
1. What arrangements light the 1. Groups record their bulb? drawings and statements on white boards and share with the large group.
2. Teacher takes out larger clear bulbs for students to view.
2. Now I am going to give you a clear bulb. Be careful. It is made of glass. In your notebooks, sketch carefully, with detail, what you see.
3. As teacher moves from group to group, teacher asks students to look carefully at the base of the bulb.
3. What do you see here on the 3. A bump. base? What is attached on the inside to that “bump”?
The wire that is inside the bulb
4. After having a conversation with each group, the teacher calls the students back together to discuss the 2 contact points in the base of the light bulb.
4. Based on what you have seen in these first tests, what statement or statements can you make about what is needed to light a bulb? Teacher asks other students to ADD ON (one of the
4. a battery, a wire, and a bulb
2. Students now work in groups of 4 to look at the clear bulb and draw in their notebooks what they see.
the two contact points have to be part of the path
5. Teacher shows the Bill Nye “Electricity” DVD to show direct current (DC) then tells students they are going to act out what is happening with these circuits. Teacher asks some of the students to line up in a straight line. They are electrons in a wire. 6. After role play, teacher checks for student understanding. Teacher sketches what the students offer for a complete circuit.
productive talk moves). 5. Each of you is going to be an electron, a tiny negatively charged particle that is in wires and metals and in the battery. On my signal one electron is going to jump out of the battery and the next electron is going to move away. The next electron is also going to move away and so on. 6. What conditions are necessary for a circuit to be completed? Teacher uses REASONING (one of the productive talk moves) to support student learning.
5. Students act as electrons moving in a complete circuit from the battery through the bulb back to the battery.
6. a source of electrons (battery), something to help the electrons move (wire), something to use the energy of the moving electrons (bulb)
EVALUATE: Thinking Maps, Summarize Lesson and Review Vocabulary, Variety of Assessment Tools, Games to Show Understanding
Teacher’s Role
Teacher Questions
Teacher checks for understanding by asking questions, looking at responses, and looking at student responses in notebooks.
Estimated time: 10 minutes
Students’ Role Students revisit their probes and decide whether they want to change their answer. They cross out any incorrect responses. DO NOT ERASE.
I am going to show you some pictures of batteries, wires, and bulbs and you are going to choose one and use it for Inside-Outside Circle. Students count off 1-2, 1-2,.. The 1s are Inside and will choose an arrangement that is unsuccessful. The 2s are Outside and they choose a successful arrangement.
Students receive a sheet of arrangements of wires, batteries and bulbs. They look at each drawing and make decisions about whether the drawing represents a complete circuit and whether the bulb will light. In Inside-Outside Circle, they will use the following sentence frame. 1s: This arrangement is missing some of the three things for a circuit: , and , 2s: This arrangement shows the three things for a complete circuit: ,
, and . EXTEND: Group Projects, Plays, Murals, Songs, Connections to Real World, Connections to Other Curricular Areas Estimated time: 5 minutes
Teacher’s Role
Teacher Questions
Students’ Role
Teacher leads the students in singing “The Circuit Song”.
We are now going to sing a song related to our investigation.
Students sing the “Circuit Song”.
Teacher asks students to go home to look at items that use electricity there. Make a note of the items that use batteries (direct current).
Student Talk Strategies Adapted from Avenues, Hampton Brown, 2007.
Circuit Song
[to the tune of A-Tisket, A-Tasket]
Pam Brusic, NMUSD
A circuit, a circuit, A circuit’s like a circle— It must be connected all around In order to do work. A circuit, a circuit, A circuit needs a source— A negative terminal, positive, too, In order to do work. A circuit, a circuit, A circuit needs conductors— Conductors carry the electrical flow In order to do work. A circuit, a circuit, A circuit has a resistor— It gives off light, sound, heat or moves— It’s the part that does the work. A circuit, a circuit, An e-lec-tri-cal circuit— Electricity flows from the source and back In order to do work.
Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires (Student Recording Sheet as a model for what students should write in their notebooks)
Task 1. Draw an arrangement of 1 battery and 1 bulb that uses the fewest number of wires.
galileo.phys.virginia.edu
Task 2. Challenge. Find 4 Ways to Light a Bulb. Data Table: 4 arrangements that cause the bulb to light
Arrangements that cause the bulb to not light
Task 3. Sketch (draw) details of the clear light bulb. Make the image large. Fill this space.
Meaning Making: What did you see when you made a complete electric circuit?
Claims and Evidence: (adapted from California Reading and Literature Project “Focused Approach” Beginning: Students use one word responses to name the parts of a complete circuit as the teacher points to them. Or students point to the part of the circuit that the teacher names. Early Intermediate: We need three things for a circuit: Intermediate: The arrangements that lit the bulb all had . Early Advanced:
,
, and
.
,
, and
The light bulb lit when I but the arrangements that did not light the bulb
. .
Advanced: Since I
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, the light bulb
Home School Connection At home, find all the objects that use batteries. These use direct current. Be prepared to show the complete path in the circuit.
List the objects here.
Draw the objects here.
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http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/u9l2b.cfm
http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/u9l2b.cfm
