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Electricity Unplugged
Grades: 2nd-9th Grade
Program Duration: 30 Minutes
Program Type: Demonstration
Program Description
Play a part in “hair-raising” experience learning about static electricity, alternating current, electromagnetic, insulators and conductors.
Guaranteed to give you thrill!
Louisiana GLEs and NGSS:
Grade 2
Science
1. Ask questions about objects and events in the environment (e.g., plants, rocks, storms) (SI-E-A1)
2. Pose questions that can be answered by using students’ own observations, scientific knowledge, and testable scientific
investigations (SI-E-A1)
25. Investigate ways of producing static electricity and describe its effects (PS-E-C4)
Grade 2
Structure and Properties of Matter
2-PS1-1. Plan and conduct an investigation to describe and classify different kinds of materials by their observable properties.
2-PS1-2. Analyze data obtained from testing different materials to determine which materials have the properties that are best
suited for an intended purpose.
Grade 3
Science
1. Ask questions about objects and events in the environment (e.g., plants, rocks, storms) (SI-E-A1)
2. Pose questions that can be answered by using students’ own observations, scientific knowledge, and testable
scientific investigations (SI-E-A1)
29. Determine which materials insulate best by using experimental data (PS-E-C3)
30. Demonstrate and explain the movement of electricity in closed and open circuits (PS-E-C4)
31. Compare and describe the common forms of energy and explain how they are used in everyday life (e.g., light,
electricity, heat, mechanical) (PS-E-C6)
32. Give examples of how energy can be used to move or lift objects (PS-E-C6)
Grade 3
Forces and Interactions
3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine the cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two
objects not in contact with each other.
Grade 4
Science
1. Ask questions about objects and events in the environment (e.g., plants, rocks, storms) (SI-E-A1)
2. Pose questions that can be answered by using students’ own observations, scientific knowledge, and testable scientific
investigations (SI-E-A1)
4. Predict and anticipate possible outcomes (SI-E-A2)
36. Test and classify materials as conductors and insulators of electricity (PS-E-C4)
37. Demonstrate how a complete circuit is needed for conducting electricity (PS-E-C4)
Energy
4-PS3-2. Make observations to provide evidence that energy can be transferred from place to place by sound, light, heat, and
electric currents.
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Grade 5
Science
3. Describe the structure of atoms and the electrical charge of protons, neutrons, and electrons (PS-M-A2)
14. Identify other types of energy produced through the use of electricity (e.g., heat, light, and mechanical) (PS-M-C6)
Structure and Properties of Matter
5-PS1-3. Make observations and measurements to identify materials based on their properties.
Grade 6
Science
1. Generate testable questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through scientific investigation
(SI-M-A1)
12. Use data and information gathered to develop an explanation of experimental results (SI-M-A4)
22. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations (SI-M-A5)
30. Trace energy transformations in a simple system (e.g., flashlight) (PS-M-C2)
Grade 7
Science
1. Generate testable questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through scientific investigation
(SI-M-A1)
12. Use data and information gathered to develop an explanation of experimental results (SI-M-A4)
22. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations (SI-M-A7)
Grade 8
Science
1. Generate testable questions about objects, organisms, and events that can be answered through scientific investigation
(SI-M-A1)
12. Use data and information gathered to develop an explanation of experimental results (SI-M-A4)
22. Use evidence and observations to explain and communicate the results of investigations (SI-M-A7) (PS-H-G2)
Middle School
Forces and Interactions
MS-PS2-3. Ask questions about data to determine the factors that affect the strength of electric (and magnetic) forces.
MS-PS2-5. Conduct an investigation and evaluate the experimental design to provide evidence that fields exist between
objects exerting forces one ach other even though the object are not in contact.
Grade 9-12
Science and Inquiry
2. Describe how investigations can be observation, description, literature survey, classification, or experimentation (SI-HA2)
Physical Science
44. Illustrate the production of static electricity (PS-H-G2)
47. Explain how electricity and magnetism are related (PS-H-G2)
High School
Energy
HS-PS3-5. Develop and use a model of two objects interacting through electric (or magnetic) fields to illustrate the forces
between objects and the changes in energy of the objects due to the interaction.
Key Terms:
Alternating Current – Also called AC; electricity that flows back and forth through a wire
Atom – The smallest particle of matter that exists in nature.
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Circuit – An arrangement of electronic elements, including conductors, resistors, and the like, through which electric current
moves
Conductor – A materials that allows the flow of electrons
Current – The flow of electrons in a conductor (measured in amperes)
Direct Current – Also called DC; electricity that flows only in one direction through a wire
Electricity – A physical phenomenon caused by the movement of certain charged particles such as electrons, esp. between points
having different electrical charges, and seen in naturally occurring phenomena such as lightning and magnetic attraction and
repulsion.
Electron – A negatively charged particle, considered a fundamental unit of matter, which exists independently or outside the
nucleus of an atom.
Electromagnet – A magnet in which an iron or steel core is magnetized by the electric current in the coil of insulated wire
wound around it.
Insulators – A materials that impedes the flow of electrons
Magnet – An object that attracts iron and some other materials by virtue of a natural or induced force field surrounding it.
Magnetism – The class of phenomena exhibited by the lines of force surrounding a moving charged particle; these lines of force
are created by particles all moving in the same direction
Magnetic Field – Consists of imaginary lines of flux coming from moving or spinning electrically charged particles. Examples
include the spin of a proton and the motion of electrons through a wire in an electric circuit
Nucleus – The positively charged mass within an atom composed of neutrons and protons, and possessing most of the mass but
occupying only a small fraction of the volume of the atom.
Neutron – An electrically neutral particle, considered a fundamental unit of matter, which exists inside the nucleus of an atom.
Parallel Circuit – A closed electrical circuit in which the current is divided into two or more paths and then returns via a
common path to complete the circuit
Proton – A positively charged particle found in the nucleus of an atom
Resistance – A measurement (in ohms) of how much a material opposes the flow of electricity (Wood has high resistance so it is
a poor conductor of electricity. Copper has low resistance, so it is a good conductor of electricity.)
Series Circuit – An electric circuit connected so that current passes through each circuit element in turn without branching.
Static Electricity – An accumulation of electric charge on an insulated body; electric discharge resulting from the accumulation
of electric charge on an insulated body
Voltage – Electrical force or pressure (measured in volts); potential difference between charges
Connections to Permanent Exhibits:
These exhibits are located in the Electricity and Magnetism Cluster of the Physical Sciences Gallery, 2nd floor.
Voltage Divider: Slide the contact of a rheostat and see the light bulbs wired between the slider and the ends change in
intensity; balance the lights; meters show how the voltages are changing.
Polar Power-Electric Wand: Move the bar back and forth through the coil. What happens? Why?
Polar Power-Magnetic Force: Push the button. What happens? Why?
Polar Power-Motors: Push the button. What happens? Why?
Polar Power-Generators: Crank the handle on the right. Crank the handle on the left. How are they different? What do
they do? Why?
Plasma Tower: Touch a glowing tube of gas. The glow intensifies and reaches toward your fingers.
Series and Parallel Circuits: Wire up bulbs and other circuit elements in series and parallel circuits and observe the effects.
Bulbs and Batteries: Your students can connect bulbs and batteries to light up the bulbs.
What’s a Watt?: Pedal a bicycle generator; select a light bulb, hand drill or hair dryer to power by yourself.
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Horsepower: Crank the engine. How much horsepower do you generate?
Jumping Ring: When you push a button; electric charge causes an aluminum ring to leap up into the air.
Jacob’s Ladder: Send a high voltage charge between two metal rods to see electrical ionization.
Web Resources:
Electricity and Magnetism
Montessori Magnet Schools-Networking Group
http://www.networkinggroup.com/isp361/em/site/activities.html
This website has tutorials on electricity, magnetism and electromagnets. In the activities section there are all kinds of cool games
and puzzles like Hangman, the Conductor and Insulator Game, Light Up the Doghouse Game, and Who Wants to Be
Millionaire (magnets and electromagnets version) just to name a few.
Frankenstein’s Lighting Laboratory
Miami Science Museum
http://www.miamisci.org/af/sln/frankenstein/index.html
This site has a great interactive electrical safety lesson along with lessons about fruity electricity and static electricity.
Lesson Plans
IEEE
http://www.tryengineering.org/lesson.php?from=&to=&cat_id=26&keyword
IEEE has developed several lesson plans as part of the Teacher In-Service Program for use by engineers and teachers. Each
lesson plan is tied to education standards and includes teacher summaries, student worksheets, and activities. Some of the lessons
include Electric Messages: Then and Now, Electric Switches, Flashlights and Batteries, Get Connected With Ohm's Law,
Insulators and Conductors, Series and Parallel Circuits, Two Button Buzzer Circuit and much more.
Science for Grades 3-6
Utah Education Network
http://www.uen.org/3-6interactives/science.shtml
Under fifth grade on this website there are three really fun interactivities that deal with magnetism and electricity. They include
Magnets in My Kitchen, Changing Electric Circuits and Electromagnetic Activity.
Pre-Visit Activities
Elementary Grades
Teacher Domain Tutorial of the Atom
http://www.teachersdomain.org/asset/lsps07_int_theatom/
This tutorial helps the students understand the structure of the atom as well as the function of each part of the atom, location of
those parts and the charge of the atomic parts.
What Will a Charged Balloon Attract?
Materials
Balloons
Styrofoam packing pellets or puffed rice cereal
Wool cloth
Salt and pepper (loose tea can be substituted for pepper) the tiny packets of salt and pepper from fast food restaurants
are perfect
Background
A balloon rubbed with a wool cloth becomes negatively charged. When this balloon is held a few inches above a pile of
Styrofoam pellets, the neutrally charged pellets become positively charged by induction and leap upward to cling to the balloon.
After several minutes, some of the electrons may drain off the balloon onto the pellets. This will cause the pellets to become
negatively charged and be repelled by the balloon. When this happens they may actually leap off the balloon and back to the table.
The repelled Styrofoam pellets may then transfer their excess electrons to the table after a few minutes and once again leap toward
the balloon. Grains of salt and pepper will react toward a charged balloon in much the same way, resulting in an amazing (if smallscale) display.
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Procedure
1. Give each student a balloon and a handful of Styrofoam pellets. After the students have inflated and tied off their
balloons, rub the surface of each balloon with a wool cloth.
2. Now have the students bring the balloons close to the Styrofoam and observe what happens. After the Styrofoam clings
to the balloon, students who are patient and wait several minutes may see some of the Styrofoam leap forcibly away
from the balloon back to the table.
3. After the students have experimented with the Styrofoam and balloons, have them predict what might happen if a charged
balloon is held a 2 - 3 inches above a pile of salt and pepper.
4. Give each student a small pile (1/4 teaspoon) of mixed salt and pepper on his or her desk, recharge the balloons
with the wool cloth, and let them do an experiment to find out. Students who observe very closely will notice that
the same grains of pepper and salt will alternately leap toward and away from the balloon.
Pre-Visit Activities
Middle School
Have your students do the two interactives listed below in preparation for their Electricity Unplugged Program.
Build an Atom Simulation-PhET Interactive Simulations University of Colorado at Boulder
http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/build-an-atom
There are two parts to this interactive. First the students can build an atom use either an electron cloud or an orbital model for
the atom. It also identifies the element, tells whether it is an ion or a neutral atom, classifies the atom as stable or unstable, and
provides the mass number of the atom and the charge. The student can then play a game that has 3 levels of difficulty. The
students’ response time can be kept and sound can be turned on and off. The game gives the students atoms and they must
identify the element by clicking on the correct element in the periodic table. Then the student must tell whether the atom is
neutral or an ion based upon the number of electrons. This interactive could be done in pairs on the computer or as a class using
LCD and computer or a Smartboard.
Electricity Book Part 2-The Physics Front-Physics and Physical Science Teaching Resources
http://www.thephysicsfront.org/items/detail.cfm?ID=10028
This item is an interactive Flash tutorial that introduces a very simple model of electron flow through an electric circuit. It was developed to help
students form correct qualitative concepts of electric current prior to studying the more complex properties of electric field and potential. Click on
the link to access the tutorial.
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks3/science/elecricity_2/electricity.swf
Post-Visit Activities
Elementary Grades
Dancing Paper Bunnies
Materials
Copy of Dancing Bunnies
A piece of thin Plexiglas® supported on two textbooks, or the clear plastic top of a take-out salad container
Wool cloth
Scissors
Background
This activity works for much the same reason as the What Will a Charged Balloon Attract? activity. The behavior of the paper
bunnies will be similar to that of the Styrofoam pellets.
Plastic will collect some electrons from wool when rubbed and will become negatively charged. This negative charge will induce a
positive charge in the paper bunnies. They will then jump up to the underside of the plastic. After a few minutes they may pick up
electrons from the plastic and fall back down to the table.
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Procedure
1. Cut out the paper bunnies on the dancing bunnies page. Support a piece of Plexiglas¨ between two textbooks, so
that the distance between the plastic and the table is about equal to the height of a paper bunny. Alternatively, you
can place the bunnies under the inverted top of a clear plastic take-out salad container, which has its own
supports.
2. Place the bunnies under the plastic and rub the top of the plastic vigorously with the wool cloth. Continue
rubbing for 2 to 3 minutes and observe what happens.
3. What do the students predict will happen if you stop rubbing the plastic and wait for 10 or 15 minutes? What do
they think will happen if you then rub the plastic again?
Static tube
Materials
Clear plastic tubes with end caps
Styrofoam peas (filling from bean bag chairs) or tiny broken-up pieces of Styrofoam pellets
Empty bowl, shoe box, or large can
Wool cloth
Background
This activity will be most instructive if taught following other activities that involve experiences with induced charge such as
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Dancing Paper Bunnies and What Will a Charged Balloon Attract?
The plastic tube, when rubbed with wool, picks up electrons and becomes negatively charged. This induces a positive charge in
the Styrofoam peas which will cling to the plastic, pick up electrons, and later leap away.
When your finger approaches the negatively charged tube, the finger becomes positively charged by induction, just like the
Styrofoam peas. Therefore, your finger and the Styrofoam have like charges, and you will find that you can chase the peas around
inside the tube by moving your finger on the outside.
Procedure
1. If you can tolerate the possibility of having Styrofoam peas floating around in your classroom, your students will
have a wonderful time making their own static tubes. You may find it works well to set up one corner of the
room in which students will come to make their static tubes in small groups.
2. Give each student a clear plastic tube and two end caps. Have them insert one cap into one end of the tube.
3. Place all of the Styrofoam peas inside a large container such as a bowl, shoe box, or can. Challenge the students to
get about two tablespoons of Styrofoam peas inside their static tubes through the end that they have left
uncapped. This is not always easy, because the plastic tubes take on a charge with minimal handling and will
attract and repel the Styrofoam peas.
4. When the students have placed their peas inside the tube, have them insert the other end cap, and remove any
Styrofoam clinging to the exterior of the tube with a cupped hand. Rub the exterior of each tube with the wool
cloth.
5. Let the students experiment with their closed static tubes. Can they pour all of the peas from one end to the other?
How can they move any peas along that seem to be stuck? Using terms they have learned through other activities,
such as attract, repel, static charge, and induction, can they describe what happens when they bring a finger close
to the outside of the tube?
Post-Visit Activities
Middle School
Simple Electroscope
Materials:
Glass Jar or Glass
Aluminum Foil
Index Card
Paperclip
Tape
Background:
An electroscope is an instrument for detecting the presence of static electricity. It consists of two thin metal leaves suspended
from a metal hook. When the hook is brought near a source of static electricity, some of the electrons in the hook are pushed to
the leaves (if the source is negative) or pulled up to the hook from the leaves (if the source is positive). Either way, the leaves are
now charged the same way as each other and so they repel each other. The amount they open up is proportional to the charge of
the source (if the sources are always held at the same distance from the hook).
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Procedure:
1. Cut two strips of foil l cm by 4cm (1/3" by 1 1/2"). Open out the paperclip to form the shape below.
2. Push the hook through the middle of the index card and tape so that it is at right angles to the card. Lay the two
foil strips on top of one another and hang them on the hook by pushing the hook through them. Lay the card
over the jar so that the strips hang inside (see picture below).
3. Bring various charged objects near the hook and observe what happens. Notice what happens to the strips when
the sources are removed. Does anything different happen if the source actually touches the hook? If the strips do
not fall back together, gently touch the hook with your finger.
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Getting a Charge Out of Television?
Concept: The screen of an operating television is charged. As with an
electrophorus, an object brought close to the screen can be charged by induction.
A simple electrostatic motor may be constructed from two empty
soda cans, a short length of thread, a plastic pen, two square feet of
aluminum foil, and two connecting wires. After removing the tabs
from the cans, tie the thread to one of them; discard the other tab.
Tie the other end of the thread to the plastic pen. Use the cans,
separated by about three inches, as supports for the pencil. Tape the
bare end of one wire to the can on the left. Connect the other end
of the wire to ground (e.g. a water faucet). Use the second wire to
connect the can on the right to the aluminum foil.
After turning on your television set, press the aluminum foil onto
the screen. Electrostatic attraction will keep the foil in place after
removing your hand. The tab should begin swinging back and forth
between cans.
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