Jeff Davis Elementary School

Fifth Grade Teachers

GPS StandardsGPS Standards

• S5P3.A- Investigate static electricity.• S5P3.B- Determine the necessary

components for completing an electric circuit.

• S5P3.C- Investigate common materials to determine if they are insulators or conductors of electricity.

• S5P3.D- Compare a bar magnet to an electromagnet.

CRCT DescriptorsCRCT Descriptors

• Describe static electricity.

• Determine the necessary components for completing an electric circuit.

• Classify common materials as insulators or conductors of electricity.

• Compare a bar magnet to an electromagnet.

Unit Essential Questions

• What is static electricity?

• What is electric current?

• What is a magnet?

• How do electromagnets work?

BrainPop! Ben Franklin

Animated Hero: Ben Franklin…The Inventor

Lesson 1: What is Static Electricity?

EQ: What is static electricity?

Vocabulary: static electricity, electric charges, protons, electrons, attract (attraction), and repel (repulsion)

static electricitystatic electricity

Static electricityStatic electricity is a buildup of electric charge on an object. It can “jump” from one object to another.

electric chargeselectric charges

Electric chargesElectric charges are tiny particles that carry units of electricity. There are two kinds of electric charges, positive(+) and negative(-).

protonsprotons

ProtonsProtons are

positively charged

particles located

inside the nucleus

of an atom.

electronselectrons

ElectronsElectrons are negatively

charged particles

circulating outside of

the nucleus.

attract (attraction)attract (attraction)

Unlike charges attractattract one

another, meaning they pull

toward one another.

repel (repulsion)repel (repulsion)

Like charges repel repel one another, meaning they push each other away.

Read interactive textbookpp. 140-143.Optional: textbook pp. 228-233

Preview: BrainPop! Electricity

What is Static Electricity?What is Static Electricity?

Static electricityStatic electricity is a buildup of electric

charge on an object. Unlike electricity used

in your home, static electricity doesn’t flow.

If the charge is strong enough, static

electricity can “jump” from one object to another.

Static electricity is what causes dust to collect on

your television screen at home!

BrainPop! Static Electricity

Where Does Static Electricity Come From?

Everything is made of matter. All the equipment and supplies located in your classroom are made of matter (even you). Matter is made up of tiny particles. These tiny particles contain different kinds of electric charge…positive (+) and negative(-), and neutral (no charge).

Electric Force

Electric ForceElectric Force is the push or pull between charged objects. Objects that have like charges repel, or push against each other. Objects that have unlike charges attract, or pull on each other.

Electric Force

Electric forces and magnetic forces are very similar... opposite poles/forces attract each other. Objects do not have to actually touch to exert either an electric force or a magnetic force on each other.

Provide students with sets of horse-shoe magnets to experience the magnetic force of attraction and repulsion The students should feel the pull just before they touch!

Charging an Object

When two objects rub against each other,some electrons may move from one to theother. The object that gains electrons willthen have a negative charge. The other object will have a positive charge.

So…

Charging an Object

If you rub a balloon on your hair, electrons movefrom your hair to the balloon. The balloon willhave a negative charge (-). Your hair would havea positive charge (+), because electrons havebeen taken away.

If you bring the balloon near a wall, it will stick to the wall because the wall will have an opposite charge (+).

Plasma BallsPlasma Balls

Touch The Power Of Static ElectricityStatic Electricity And Create A Living Work Of Ever-Changing Art

The Plasma Globe, or Inert Gas Discharge Tube, as Nikola Tesla (it's inventor) first called it, is perhaps one of the most beautiful manifestations of plasma (4th State of Matter). Also known as "Plasma Spheres", "Lightning Globes", "Thunder Domes", and others, these glass spheres with dancing streams of plasma inside them have been looked at, and admired, by people all over the world, in sci-fi movies, science museums, and even some shops.

A plasma ball is a glass globe filled with low pressure gases such as neon, argon or xenon. An electrode is placed in the center of the globe and connected to the power supply which gives a high-voltage, high frequency, alternating current.

Balloon ExperimentBalloon Experiment

Experiment with static electricity. using balloons.

Tear little pieces of paper…rub the balloon on your head, then hold it near the bits of paper. What happens? Have Have

Fun!Fun!

Summarizer

In your journal, answer the following question.

Be prepared to share your answer!

A charged ballooncharged balloon attracts small

bits of paper. Why does this

happen? How is it like a

magnet attracting paper clips?

Think…Pair…Share!

Lesson 2:

Electric CurrentElectric Current

Lesson 2: Electric CurrentLesson 2: Electric Current

EQ: What is electric current?

Vocabulary: conductor, electric cell, electric circuit, electric current (electricity), insulators, simple circuit, parallel circuit, series circuit

conductorconductor

People are good conductors of electricity, especially if they are in contact with water on a damp floor or ground. Never use an electric appliance in a tub, shower or pool. Never touch an electric cord or appliance while your hands are wet.

A conductorconductor is any material that allows negative charges to move through it. Metals make the best conductors.

electric cellelectric cell

• An electric cellelectric cell is a device that changes chemical energy into electrical energy. Electric cells are found in car batteries.

electric current (electricity)electric current (electricity)An electric currentelectric current is the flow; or movement, of negative charges through a material.

Movement of electrons along the electric pathway!

electric circuit

The pathway that electric current follows is called an electric circuit.

pathway

insulatorsinsulators

• Materials that electric charges do not flow through easily are called insulatorsinsulators.

parallel circuitparallel circuit

The parts of a parallel circuitparallel circuit are connected so that electric current passes along more than one pathway.

series circuitseries circuit

The parts of an electric circuit are connected so that electric current passes through each part, one after another, along a single pathway.

• Read interactive textbook• pp. 144-149.• Optional: textbook • pp. 234-241

What is Electric CurrentElectric Current?For electricity to be useful, it must be moving continuously. So static electricity is not very useful. Negative charges can move freely from place to place in a solid. An electric currentelectric current is the flow; or movement, of negative charges through a material. The energy provided by the moving charges is called electrical energy, or simply electricity.

Electricity can be used to do work. However, the energy of the moving charges that make up electricity must be controlled. You must be able to make electricity move and stop moving when you want. And you must be able to control where it goes.

When you plug something into an outlet, you tap into an electric current. The electricity flows through the plug and into the object you plugged in

BrainPop! Current Electricity

Once electricity reaches the place where it is to be used, it is changed into some other kind of energy, such as light in a lamp, heat in a toaster, or motion in a fan.

Think about how energy is used and controlled in the school. Cords are plugged into outlets. Switches are flipped, and electric charges move or stop moving through wires. Dials and knobs are turned to change the amount of charge that moves through the wires. This is controlled energy.

What is Electric CurrentElectric Current?

Electricity being used in the home.

http://www.actewagl.com.au/education/Energy/Electricity/MakingElectricity/HowGeneratorsWork.aspx

ConductorsConductors

Wires are the pathways through which negative charges flow. Wires are made of materials that carry these charges. A conductorconductor is any material that allows negative charges to move through it. Metals make the best conductors. Copper is the most common metal used for that purpose. The wires used in your school and in your home are probably made of copper.

You may be familiar with the expression “live wire.” The word live is used to describe any conductor in which charges are moving. Moving charges can be dangerous. Your body is a good conductor. If you were to touch a live wire, the charges in the wire would move through your body and you would receive an electric shock. If the wire is carrying enough current, the shock can cause serious injury, or even death.

Negative charges do not flow freely through some materials. These materials are called insulatorsinsulators. Some good insulators are rubber, wood, glass, and certain plastics. To make electricity safe to use, conductors and appliances are covered with an insulator. This covering is called insulation. The negative charges can continue to move freely through the conductor, but the insulation will protect a person from the live wire.

As long as negative charges have a complete path to follow, they will continue to move through a conductor. But where do all these negative charges come from? Somewhere, there is a device that provides a steady supply of negative charges. It may be a huge generator at an electric power plant, or it may be the chemicals in a tiny cell that runs a wristwatch or calculator.

InsulatorsInsulators

The metal cables and metal clips of the jumper cables are conductors. You are protected by rubber insulation.

Other Resources to ExploreOther Resources to Explore

Quia - Electricity: Conductors and Insulators Matching Game

Fun with Insulators and Conductors

In order for electricity to flow, a closed circuit is required. The following image shows a closed circuit with flowing electrons.

Simple Circuit

Series Circuit

Parallel Circuit

Make a

Foldable!BrainPop! Electric Circuits

Simple CircuitSimple Circuit

The simplest electric circuit needs an energy source and a material that electrons can easily flow through. All components need to be connected to complete the circuit.

Series Circuit Series Circuit In a series circuit, the electric current flows in a single path… first through one bulb (or battery), then through the next. The more bulbs that are connected in series, the more dimly all will glow. If one bulb burns out or is removed, all the bulbs in the series go out (because the path would be broken).

Parallel CircuitParallel Circuit•In a parallel circuitparallel circuit, the different parts of the circuit are connected in connected in separate branchesseparate branches. The electric current travels to each branch.

•A parallel circuit is more difficult to put together than a series circuit, but it has an advantage.

•What is the advantage?

If one path (branch) is broken, the current will continue to move along another path! If there are multiple bulbs connected in a parallel circuit and one bulb burns out…the other bulbs will stay lit because they will continue to receive the electric current passing through the wires.

Battery or Energy Source

Conductor…usually wire

Object that uses the energy

The Switch

Please note that a circuit can still be complete without a switch. The switch is for convenience of turning the circuit on or off.

The Battery or Energy SourceThe Battery or Energy Source

A batterybattery is an energy source often used in a circuit. Itprovides the “push” to keep electrons moving ina circuit. A simple battery has two parts. One part tendsto give up some of its electrons. The other part tendsto take in electrons. If you connect the ends of a wireto the top and bottom of a battery, electrons will flowthrough the circuit. A terminal is a place on a batterywhere electrons go in or out. Often, the positiveterminal, where the electrons go in, is on top. Thenegative terminal is on the bottom. Some batterieshave both terminals on top.

BrainPop! Batteries

The Conductor…Usually WireThe wire used in a circuit is often made of copper. Copper is a metal. The electrons can easily move from atom to atom in a metal. The wire should have a plastic or rubber coating on it. The electrons cannot easily go through the coating. It lets you safely touch the wire.

The Switch

The bulb in this picture is not lit

because the switch is flipped up.

An open circuit is an electrical

path that is not complete.

Electrons will not flow when the

circuit is open.

A switch is a device that can open or close a circuit.

The bulb in this picture is lit because the switch is down. The circuit is closed and the circuit is complete. A closed circuit allows electrons to flow.

The Bulb or Object to Receive the Energy

Most circuits have more in them than just a wireand battery. For example, imagine a circuit thathas a bulb. A bulb has a thin wire called a filamentinside. This wire is so thin that electrons canhardly pass through. When they do, the wirebecomes hot. It begins to glow. This glow is thelight you see from a bulb.

Adding To and Taking Awaywith Simple Circuits

You can add more bulbs to a simple circuit. Currentwill flow first through one bulb and then through the other. Devices such as bulbs or buzzers resist the flow of electrons.Adding an extra bulb to a circuit resists the flow even more. Asa result, two bulbs in a circuit glow less brightly than one bulbalone does. A switch does not resist the flow of electrons. Taking a switch out, or adding another switch, will not affectthe brightness of the bulb.

What do you think would happen if you remove the battery or ifyou remove one of the bulbs?

Junior Electrician: Current Electricity (15 min.) United Streaming Video Presentation

Problems? Look in the folder for the video.

Let’s Try to Build a Simple CircuitLet’s Try to Build a Simple Circuit

Use handout provided in class to build your

simple circuit. Be sure to answer the

questions about simple circuits in complete

sentences!

SummarizerSummarizer

In your journal…

Reflect on the experience of building asimple circuit. What procedures did youfollow? Were you able to build a “working”simple circuit? Did you have any problems?Explain and draw a picture to demonstrate

how a simple circuit works!

In your journal…Sort the following items as

conductors conductors or insulatorsinsulators of electricity.

Discuss with a partner. Can you think of others?

Lesson 3: MagnetsLesson 3: Magnets“Bar Magnets and Electromagnets”“Bar Magnets and Electromagnets”

Lesson 4: Bar Magnets Vs. Electromagnets

EQ: What is a magnet?

Vocabulary:

magnet, magnetic field, electromagnet, generator, and motor

magnetmagnetA magnetmagnet is an object that attracts iron and

certain other metals.

magnetic polesmagnetic polesThe force of a magnet

is greatest at two areas called the magnetic polesmagnetic poles.

Magnetic fieldMagnetic field

The area around a magnet where it can push and pull on other magnets is called the magnetic field. A magnetic field is all around a magnet, but it is strongest at the poles.

electromagnetelectromagnet

An electromagnet is a strong temporary magnet that uses electricity to produce magnetism.

generatorA generatorgenerator is a device that

uses magnetism to convert energy of motion into electrical energy.

motormotorAn electric motorelectric motor is a device that changes

electrical energy into energy of motion.

http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/~umallik/adventure/nov_06-04.html

Inside of a motor

• Read interactive textbook• pp. 150-159• Optional: textbook • pp. 242-255

Just What are Magnets?A magnetmagnet is an object that can push or pull on iron and a few other kinds of metal without touching the metal.

Each end of a magnet is called a pole. The poles of a magnet are usually labeled N for north and S for south. Some magnets have a bar shape. Magnets with a U shape are called horseshoe magnets.

If the north poles of two magnets are close, the magnets repel, or push apart. The magnets also repel if the south poles are close. If a north pole and a south pole are positioned toward each other, the magnets attract, or pull together.

Magnetic FieldMagnetic Field

A magnetic fieldmagnetic field is the area around a magnet where it can push and pull on other magnets. A magnetic field is all around a magnet, but it is strongest at the poles. The push or pull from a magnet is strongest close to the magnet. The strength of the field is weaker farther from the magnet.

BrainPop! Magnetism

Did you know?

• No matter how many timesa bar magnet is cut in half,there is always a north andsouth pole, even in thesmallest piece.

ElectromagnetsElectromagnetsMagnets and electricity are related. An electric current produces a magnetic field. When a current flows through a wire, a magnetic field surrounds the wire. If you form the wire into loops, the magnetic field is like that of a bar magnet.

Just like a magnet, the wire loops with a current have a north pole and south pole. The magnetic field is strongest at the poles. You can increase the strength of the magnetic field if you add more loops. You can also increase the field if you increase the current in the wire.

BrainPop! Electromagnets

Making an ElectromagnetMaking an Electromagnet

An electromagnet is a magnet made by winding a wire with a current around an iron bar. When the iron bar is placed in the looped wire, the iron itself has a magnetic field. This makes the field of the looped wire stronger.

You can make an electromagnet if you loop wire around an iron nail and attach the ends of the wire to a battery. The current in the wire will cause the iron and wire to be a magnet. You can then use the electromagnet just as you would use a bar magnet. It will attract paper clips and other iron objects.

Did you know you already use

electromagnets ?

Electromagnets are found in may devices. Doorbells, computers, audio speakers, and telephones have electromagnets in them. A crane uses an electromagnet to pick up heavy loads of iron or steel. A wire coil in an electric motor spins because it is an electromagnet.

Comparing a Bar Magnet and an Electromagnet

Think about what you have learned about

basic bar magnets and

electromagnets.

How are these magnets similar?

Comparing a Bar Magnet and an Electromagnet

1. Both types of magnets have a north and south pole.

2. The field around them is strongest at these poles.

3. They both attract iron filings and other magnetic objects.

Advantages of Electromagnets Over Bar Magnets

They can be turned on and off by turning the current on and off.

They can be made stronger or weaker by either changing the strength of the battery or by changing the number of wire loops.

The direction of the field can be changed (switching the poles) by switching the ends attached to the battery.

Magnets (17 min.) United Streaming Video Presentation

Problems? Look in the folder for the video.

Let’s Try to Build an Electromagnet

Use the handout provided in class to build an electromagnet!

SummarizerSummarizerIn your journal…

Draw a picture of a bar

magnet and an

electromagnet.

Describe the similarities

between the two

magnets.

https://www.vtunnel.com/index.php/1010110A/ecbc83adfa346c8e3be5486d78a1d6130682de97e95b4bfb2cc1249de2b5a6d5cfb68c7525821323c0cd8039616e213d888652bcb8ed721275c0086d95342c18696