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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrical Circuits

For Teachers 4th - 5th
Learners explore parallel and series circuits. In this electrical circuit lesson, students  investigate the differences between series and parallel circuits.  Learners observe the benefits and drawbacks of series and parallel circuits.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

TE Lesson: Factors Affecting Friction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students investigate the effect of weight on normal friction or the friction due to surface roughness. They tell about the effects of contact area that occurs as a result of molecular attraction by looking at data on line graphs.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Wimhurst Electrostatic Generator Interactive Demonstration

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students participate in an interactive demo using the Wimhurst generator. In this physics lesson, students draw the charge distribution in the pith ball. They explain how they acquire charges without actually touching the generator.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Lightning?

For Teachers 3rd - 4th
Students experiment with electricity to understand lightning. In this lightning lesson, students show how static electricity causes lightning. Students discuss questions about their experiment and gather important facts. Students...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Cleaning Air with Balloons

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Young scholars examine how a pollutant recovery method functions in cleaning industrial air pollution. They listen to a teacher-led discussion, conduct an experiment with balloons, static electricity, and pepper, and observe and record...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lightning in a Jar

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Students create lightning with two common objects and observe the colorful "discharge" of electrons on a smaller scale. By exploring the phenomena of static electricity, students relate their knowledge to the real-life weather phenomena...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Exploring Meteorite Mysteries: Building Blocks of Planets

For Teachers 7th - 8th
Students simulate the formation of chondrites and asteroids. In this astronomy lesson, students demonstrate accretion using balloons and static electricity. They compare and contrast their models to the actual process of chondrites and...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Focusing Event to Electricity

For Teachers 7th - 9th
Students explain how electrical charges behave. In this electricity lesson, students determine how far away lightning is when it strikes. They research how fabric softener reduces static electricity and share their findings in class.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrostatics

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Students explore charges using balloons and soap bubbles. In this chemistry instructional activity, students analyze the Van de Graaf generator to see how charges flow using charged particles, static electricity and lighting. This...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electrical Resistivity

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students examine how materials oppose the flow of an electrical current.  In this resistivity lesson students complete several experiments on the differences between resistance and resistivity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Its Electric!

For Teachers 4th
Fourth graders define the differences between static and current electricity by participating in an investigation.  In this energy lesson, 4th graders utilize electrical supplies to demonstrate the differences between static and current...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What is Electrical Potential and How Does a Relational Causal Model Explain It?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Pupils examine models of electrical potential. Students discuss the concept of electrical potential and relational causality. They compare models based on electric potential to those with cyclic simultaneous causality.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lights Out!

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
Students examine static and current electricity, and discuss what their lives would be like without electricity. They listen to a teacher-led lecture about electrons and atoms, and explore static electricity using a comb or a balloon...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Static Cling

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders examine the principles of static electricity and positive and negative charges. They observe and then perform experiments with static electricity. They record examples in their journals.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Will it Hold A Charge?

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders discuss which materials they believe hold an electric charge. In groups, they experiment with different objects and charging them. They discuss their results after the activity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Discovering Friction

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students watch a demonstration that introduces them to the idea that friction is a force that impedes motion when two surfaces are in contact. They work in groups to experiment with frictional force using a coffee cup on which they alter...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Storms and Extreme Weather

For Teachers K - 5th
Students explore hurricanes and tornadoes by conducting an experiment. In this weather pattern lesson, students define many extreme weather vocabulary terms and discuss the relationship with static electricity. Students utilize plastic...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Dancing Paper: Static Charge, Science

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Students use glass, plastic, paper and various other materials to investigate the properties of static charge and develop scientific inquiry skills.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lightning

For Teachers 5th - 9th
Students uncover the science behind lightning and thunder.Theyexamine electrical attraction between like and unlike charges, and the force that creates lightning, is first explained using static electricity.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Lightning

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Learners study lightening and the history behind how it was used for electricity.  In this electricity lesson students complete several experiments on the invention of the lightning rod.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Electroscope

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Students examine what an electroscope is and who invented it.  In this electrical instructional activity students build their own Emergency Radiation detector Electroscope.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Balloons

For Teachers K - 12th
Students explore the different types of balloons.  In this materials instructional activity students can complete several experiments including building their own hot air balloons, making balloon animals and experimenting with static...
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Physics of Electricity: Real or Magic?

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders participate in various demonstrations on electricity. In this physics lesson, 8th graders explore static and current electricity. They apply concepts to real world situations.
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Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Introduction to Friction

For Teachers 11th - Higher Ed
Students study the properties of the frictional force between two surfaces in contact. They inspect various phenomena in nature where friction plays an important role and demonstrate