American Chemical Society
Electrolysis of Water
Young scientists know that water is H2O, but can they prove it? Through a simple electrolysis of water demonstration, scholars see the two gases produced as a result of a chemical reaction. Because this reaction doesn't happen...
Science Matters
Solar Energy
The solar energy industry in the United States added more jobs in 2015 than the oil and gas extraction and pipeline industries combined. With the field growing so rapidly, it's essential to understand what solar energy is and how it...
Rochester Institute of Technology
Chemical Reactions and Electricity
After a discussion of chemical reactions and electricity, scholars break into groups and follow a scripted activity to discover if fruit can power a clock. After a concluding discussion, the class a presented with a challenge.
Exploratorium
Hand Battery
Get hands-on in your physical science class by having learners conduct electricity with their own hands! By placing one hand on each of two different metals, a current can be generated and measured on a microammeter. Make an experiement...
PBS
Locker Lights
Light up a locker for a more festive hallway! Scholars learn about electric currents, LEDs, and switches, then experiment with their own circuits. They use the circuits to design and build locker decorations that light up when turned on...
Bonneville
Illuminate Me: Merging Conductive Sewing, Technology, and Solar Power
Sew up a unit on solar energy with a hands-on project. Groups sew LED lights on clothing using conductive thread. Solar modules attached to a helmet provide the energy for the lights. A final presentation gives learners the opportunity...
Bonneville
Designing a Solar Phone Charger
What a bright idea! Working in groups, scholars design a solar phone charger by applying concepts from the unit. They use solar modules and buck and boost converters in their creations, which must be able to charge a phone after...
Bonneville
Designing a Solar Charger
The sun can even charge batteries. The fourth of five lessons in the Solar Transportation unit has pupils design a charger that uses solar modules to charge a 12-volt lead-acid battery. They estimate the charge that accumulates and...
Bonneville
Can Portable PV Charge Vehicles?
Take charge of learning about electric vehicles. Instructors first provide the class with information about PV modules and batteries. Learners then conduct an experiment where they connect PV modules in series and in parallel to...
Bonneville
Copper Oxide Solar Cell Construction and Testing
Who knew some pieces of copper and some saltwater would be enough to generate electricity? The fifth of 14 lessons in the Cost Effective Solar Cells unit challenges scholars to create a solar cell. They take two copper sheets, use a hot...
Museum of Science
Circuit Board
Light up the solutions. By following a set of directions, pupils build a circuit board with six different circuits. Learners use the circuit board to create a matching activity by connecting the questions to the correct answers via a...
Benjamin Franklin Tercentenary
Let’s Throw an Electric Science Party!
Are you looking for a shockingly good lesson? Check out one that has middle schoolers recreate four of Benjamin Franklin's experiments. Groups investigate, observe, and draw conclusions about static electricity and electrical current....
Teach Engineering
Powering a Device Using Food
Eat up a resource on using food to power electrical devices. Future engineers first experiment with different fruits and vegetables to determine the amount of electrical energy they provide. Based on the data, they design and create an...
Purdue University
Design of a Door Alarm
How does electricity work? Budding scientists explore the concepts of electrical currents and open and closed circuits with class discussion and a hands-on activity using a battery to turn on a light bulb. Learners also make predictions...
PBS
Real-World Ratio and Rate Reasoning: How to Power the Skate Park
Bring on the lights! Using an interactive, characters try to figure out how to light a skate park by examining area and ratios to determine the number of solar panels needed to power them. Pupils design a house with a roof to hold solar...
Magic of Physics
Franklin's Lab
Get energized! Circuitry scholars follow the path of energy from its beginnings as a fossil fuel all the way to bulbs and batteries using an interesting interactive. Groups or individuals help Ben Franklin discover how to convert and...
Magic of Physics
Electric Circuits
Teaching about circuits can be as easy as flipping a switch! Science scholars explore the world of electricity using a fun interactive. The resource uses drag-and-drop images to promote an understanding of circuit components, types of...
Kenan Fellows
Electricity: Sources, Usage, Challenges, and the Future
What does the future of energy look like? Junior engineers collaborate to discover a solution to the global energy crisis during a very hands-on instructional activity. The unit focuses on learning through collaboration to develop a deep...
Cornell University
Electric Vocabulary
Practice electric vocabulary using multiple methods. Learners begin by watching a video that explains vocabulary related to electric currents. They match vocabulary cards to practice and then create an electric circuit. Using the...
Cornell University
Splitting Water with Electricity
Explore how electricity splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen. Learners begin by calculating the voltage necessary to separate the water. They then perform the experiment and measure the ratio of hydrogen and oxygen bubbles.
Cornell University
Making a Battery
Don't be shocked when your class has a blast making their own batteries! Science scholars examine a dry cell battery, then design and construct a wet cell battery. The activity guides them through the parts of a battery, the variables...
CK-12 Foundation
Battery
Don't take for granted the technology behind power packs. Build an understanding of the chemical mechanics of a battery pack that charges your phone. The simulation allows young scientists to manipulate the type of elements in a pack and...
Chymist
Batteries
Young scientists study the construction of a battery through experimentation. They engage in five experiments which combine to create a thorough study of the history of batteries beginning with a model of the first battery.
Science Geek
Electrochemistry
Introduce redox reactions including how to identify and solve them. After reviewing the rules for assigning oxidation numbers, a presentation presents trends and vocabulary. Finally, it explains voltaic cells, electrolytic cells,...