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Lesson Plan

Let’s Throw an Electric Science Party!

Curated and Reviewed by Lesson Planet
This Let’s Throw an Electric Science Party! lesson plan also includes:

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. They then, like Franklin's kite and key demonstration, create a game or activity that demonstrates what they have learned.

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CCSS: Adaptable
Concepts
benjamin franklin, electricity, controlled experiments, making observations, deductive reasoning, critical thinking, drawing conclusions, the scientific method, batteries, static electricity, electroscopes, american inventors, inventors, famous people, famous scientists, electric forces, motion
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Additional Tags
social studies
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Instructional Ideas
  • Review safety protocols before conducting the experiments
  • Ask class members to record their observations in their science journals
  • In preparation for the lesson, have volunteers research the date of Franklin's birthday
  • Conduct the lesson as an Electric Science Birthday Party
Classroom Considerations
  • Links for materials do not work; however, most can be found online with a little searching
  • Set aside extra prep time to gather required materials
  • Requires access to a sink with running water
Pros
  • Step-by-step directions are provided for each of the four experiments
Cons
  • None