Science Matters
Static Electricity
Working with static electricity is sure to give the class a charge! Budding scientists experiment with balloons and different materials to discover how to create static electricity. They learn about the transfer of electrons and the...
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More About Static Electricity
Students examine the concept that static electricity is a phenomenon that involves positive and negative charges. They explore the Static Electricity section of the Science, Technology and Engineering website to learn more about the...
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Static Electricity and Lightning
Students study concepts related to static electricity, based on a single example: lightning. They explain how static electricity, lightning, and sparks are all related phenomena. They draw a diagram illustrating the negative and positive...
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How Powerful is Static Electricity?
Students break up into groups to complete a demonstration rubbing a balloon in hair make their hair stand up. Thus, they conclude static electricity. They also experiment with a paper station, ping pong station and a water station...
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A Shocking Experience
Learners differentiate between current and static electricity, conductors and insulators, explain how energy is converted from chemical to electrical, measure voltage of batteries, collect data on voltage, and predict voltage of...
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Static Electricity - Grocery Store Items
Students investigate static electricity using inexpensive "grocery store" items. They view demonstrations with video segments. They graph the data they collect.
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Static electricity: Ah, There's the rub!
Students experiment to investigate static electricity. In this static electricity instructional activity, students prepare a balloon head and draw a face on it. Students rub the nose and the balloon moves toward the student...
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Exploring Electricity - Four Activities
These are four classic activities used for instructing upper elementary electricians. The first involves experimenting with the Van de Graaff generator. The second is a series of hands-on experiences with static. In the third activity,...
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The Magic of Static
Students investigate static electricity. In this physics lesson, students participate in an experiment with balloons to demonstrate how static electricity works.
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How Powerful is Static Electricity
Students explore energy by participating in controlled electricity experiment. In this static electricity lesson, students identify the different sources that can create energy and how static electricity can be created very easily on...
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A Hair Raising Experience
Fifth graders conduct an investigation using glass, metal ,fur, latex balloon, plastic bag and hair to generate static electricity of varying amounts. They predict, observe, make comparisons, and draw conclusions about static electricity...
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Static!
Fifth graders explore static electricity. They listen to and discuss the book, 'All About Electricity,' participate in two experiments, and design and present a static electricity demonstration.
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Leyden Jar: Static Electricity
Pupils experiment with a Leyden Jar, a device that stores electrical charges. A large voltage can be built up in this jar by adding more and more charge. The modern name for this device is a capacitor.
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Van de Graaff Generator
Students explore static electricity using the Van de Graaff generator. In this physics lesson plan, students construct their own Van de Graaff using simple materials. They explain how charges accumulate on this device.
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Science Experiments
Students do a series of three experiments. In the first experiment, the students work with a partner to protect an egg from a 12 foot drop. In the second experiment, the students investigate static electricity using balloons and yarn. ...
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Electricity
First graders become aware of the presence of static electricity. They create static electricity using friction.
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Introduction to Magnets
Students explore magnetism, electromagnetism, and static electricity through a series of activities and experiments. In this magnets activity, students use magnets to observe the forces of attraction and repulsion between different...
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Lightning!
Young scholars use aluminum, a thumbtack, an eraser, and more to create static electricity. In this static electricity lesson plan, students use this experiment to simulate lightning.
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Electricity
Students explore electricity. After watching a PowerPoint presentation, students discuss the composition of electricity and how it is made. They participate in discovery activities by rotation through four activity stations set up on the...
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Sliders - Static and Kinetic Friction
Students work in groups to conduct experiments the demonstrate the differences between static and kinetic friction. They consider how friction affects us in our everyday lives, determine the effects of weight on friction and complete a...
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Simple Circuit: Electric Currents and Circuits
Through inquiry and exploration, 4th graders will learn and understand the functions of open and closed circuits. They will break into 2 groups, define vocabulary, hypothesize how to light a bulb, then test their hypothesis 4 different...
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Opposites Attract
Middle schoolers examine the properties of magnets and static electricity. They participate in experiments that demonstrate the behaviors of charged particles, and record their data on a worksheet.
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MINI-UNIT on ELECTRICITY
Students identify hypotheses related to static electricity, to begin to test the hypotheses, to begin to develop conclusions related to observations, to demonstrate that like charges repel and unlike charges attract each other, to name...
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Take Charge!
Students induce an electrical charge on various objects, and experiment with electrical repulsion and attraction. They define related vocabulary, play Bingo and complete a take-home quiz.