Curated OER
The Quest For Power
Students investigate and apply properties of math. In this algebra and physics lesson, students define important vocabulary words to create a basic understanding of keywords. They perform experiments using concepts of electricity and math.
Curated OER
Using "Student Power" to Generate Electricity to Run a Portable Compact Disc Player
Students conclude that magnets and magnetic fields can produce electricity. Students also understand how a small motor works and how gears work. Students describe how energy can transform along a pathway.
Curated OER
Peak Load Growth Along the Wasatch Front: What's Driving Electricity Demand in Utah?
Learners study how electricity is used in Utah. They create an advertising plan to educate consumers about peak cycles and energy costs for the cycling service of electricity. They present their advertising plan to the class for...
Bonneville
Phone Charger Efficiency
Be efficient in learning about efficiency. A fun hands-on activity has pupils calculate the efficiency of cell phone chargers by measuring the power in and power out. They also learn how to read and use circuit diagrams.
Bonneville
DC to AC to DC Efficiency
The power to learn about AC and DC power lies within everyone. The fifth of seven installments in the Off the Grid unit continues the investigation of the efficiency of a USB charger. Individuals use an inverter that converts DC power to...
Teach Engineering
Organic Solar Energy and Berries
You can eat a solar cell? A unit on solar energy begins with a discussion about organic solar cells, followed by directions on how to build your own. After following the teacher's directions to build an anthocyanin dye-sensitized solar...
Curated OER
Lightning
Students study lightening and the history behind how it was used for electricity. In this electricity lesson plan students complete several experiments on the invention of the lightning rod.
Curated OER
Greenewables
Learners form expert engineering teams working for the (fictional) alternative energy consulting firm, Greenewables, Inc. Each team specializes in a form of renewable energy used to generate electrical power: passive solar, solar...
Curated OER
Bulbs & Batteries Side by Side
Learners build parallel circuits, exploring how they function and looking at their unique features. They describe how current changes when batteries are added in parallel or removed from a parallel arrangement, demonstrate the process of...
Teach Engineering
Water Power
Young hydrologists observe a waterwheel which helps them investigate the transformations of energy that occur when the blades of a hydro-turbine are turning. They work together in pairs and pretend to be engineers who are building a new...
Curated OER
Electrical Battery
Students investigate the different types of batteries and how they work. In this energy instructional activity students experiment with batteries and see which ones last the longest.
Curated OER
Circuits and Conductors
Fourth graders investigate the concepts of circuits and conductors. In this circuits and conductors lesson set, 4th graders watch demonstrations of circuits and look at images to identify whether they are complete circuits. They test...
Curated OER
Poster Presentations
Students create visual displays explaining how nuclear power is used to produce electricity. They create a display board that shows the chain reaction, the fission process, and a schematic diagram of the reactor.
Curated OER
You Light Up My House
Students explore renewable and nonrenewable resources. In this electricity lesson, students consider way to reduce the energy that they use as they chart and analyze their own electricity usage.
Curated OER
Energy Generating a Culture: Early American Coal Miners and Coal Mining Culture
Students calculate how much coal they use based on their electric power usage. In this environmental science lesson plan, students trace the history of coal mining in US. They write a letter to USPS to encourage them to create coal...
Curated OER
More Power to You
Pupils construct a simple galvanometer in order to detect the presence of an electric current as well as determine the amount of the current. Activity is divided into two parts, first part as group work and second as individual.
Curated OER
Electric Circuits
Students model the flow of electrons in a circuit, draw diagrams of an electric circuit and build an electric circuit. Students explain how to tell when the path of an electric circuit is complete, and test the conductivity of a variety...
Curated OER
Stepper Motor
Students compare a stepper motor from a traditional motor. For this physics lesson, students summarize how it works. They build their own stepper motor and explore its uses.
Curated OER
Rechargeable Batteries
Students explore how rechargeable batteries work by conducting a series of experiments. In this physics lesson, students discuss the benefits of using rechargeable batteries over disposable ones. They build their own battery charger...
Curated OER
Power In Variety
Learners discover different types of energy. In this energy source lesson students compare different types of energy, renewable and nonrenewable. Learners answer questions about the different types of energy and their impact on the...
Center Science Education
Plugged In To CO2
Watt is going on here? Middle schoolers are learning about energy use and carbon dioxide emissions! In the first part of this lesson, learners measure how much energy different appliances consume and calculate the amount per day. In the...
Curated OER
Build a Tesla Coil
Students explore tesla coil through various experiments. In this physics lesson, students build their own tesla coils based on a given procedure. They discuss its real world applications.
Teach Engineering
Racing With the Sun - Creating a Solar Car
Here's an exciting and innovative lesson that's sure to get your charges fired up! In it, they use engineering design principles to construct and test a fully solar powered car. One caveat: the kits that each group needs to make their...
Curated OER
One Path
Students discover that charge movement through a circuit depends on the resistance and arrangement of the circuit components. In a hands-on activity, students build and investigate the characteristics of series circuits. In another...