I really enjoy teaching lessons about electrical circuits to middle school students because there are lots of fun resources and hands-on electricity activities they can do. In fact, there are electricity standards in almost every school's curriculum. In this post, I am going to share some of my favorite ways to make learning about electricity and electrical circuits fun.
Guiding Questions for Teaching about Electricity:
Teaching about electricity can be fascinating and engaging! Here are some guiding questions you could use to support your lessons:- What is electricity?
- How is electricity generated?
- What are conductors and insulators, and how do they affect the flow of electricity?
- What is an electric circuit, and how does it work?
- What are the basic components of an electric circuit?
- What is the difference between voltage, current, and resistance?
- How do series and parallel circuits differ, and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
- What are the safety precautions to take when working with electricity?
- How does electricity reach our homes?
- What are the environmental impacts of electricity generation, and what are some sustainable alternatives?
These questions can help spark discussions, encourage critical thinking, and deepen students' understanding of electricity. As you're teaching your electricity unit, be sure to include the words in bold as part of your vocabulary instruction too.
Scientists Who Contributed to Electricity Discoveries
In a unit on electricity, you could introduce students to several key scientists and inventors whose contributions have helped us in understanding electricity how electricity works. Here are a few scientists and inventors commonly included:
- Benjamin Franklin is known for his experiments with lightning and the invention of the lightning rod. His work laid the groundwork for understanding electricity as a natural phenomenon.
- Michael Faraday is known for his work on electromagnetism and electromagnetic induction. Faraday's experiments led to the development of the electric motor and generator, as well as the concept of magnetic fields.
- Thomas Edison is famous for inventing the practical electric light bulb and the first electrical power distribution system to supply electricity to homes and businesses, among other things.
- Lewis Howard Latimer played a crucial role in the development of the light bulb. He significantly improved the incandescent bulb's carbon filament which made it more efficient and more practical for everyday use.
- Granville T. Woods played an important role in the development of the railway and streetcar systems. His most famous invention—related to sending messages between moving trains and stations—revolutionized communication in the railway industry and made train travel safer.
- Nikola Tesla is known for his contributions to alternating current (AC) electrical systems. Tesla's inventions and patents helped revolutionize the generation, transmission, and utilization of electrical energy.
- Georg Simon Ohm is known for Ohm's Law, which describes the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance in electrical circuits.
- Marie Curie did groundbreaking research in radioactivity. She is the only person ever to have won Nobel Prizes in two scientific fields.
Introducing students to these scientists and inventors can provide context and inspiration for understanding the principles of electricity and the technological advancements that have shaped our modern world.
Activities You Can Use for Teaching about Electricity
- Start with the basics of electricity. There are open and closed circuits, voltage and current. Wear a t-shirt with electricity cartoons. Show and discuss cartoons that illustrate the concepts. Check out the Cartoon Guide to Physics that illustrates electricity concepts for older students.
- Use multimedia presentations! There are a lot of good resources out there, including the Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy, among many others.
- If you have access to Snap Circuits, I recommend using them because the pieces are reliable and they are designed to prevent short circuits.
- Use this comprehensive Snap Circuits curriculum!
- Make paper circuits.
- Make dough circuits.
- Make an electromagnet.
- Make a quiz board. There are lots of instructions online; here is one and here is another.
- Bring a guest speaker to talk about electricity (such as a college professor) or how electricity impacts their career (for example, an engineer or someone who works at an electrical generating station or has a career in renewable energy) or electrical safety (firefighter) or even a career in the arts, such as music technology. If your speaker cannot travel, have them video conference in.
- Take a field trip to an electrical generating station, windfarm, solar farm, or similar.
For other resources for teaching electricity, check out my TPT store
here.
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