ELECTRICITY AND ENERGY CIRCUITS

I. Topic/Grade Level: Electricity and Energy Circuits

II.

4th Grade/Science

Standards: 4-5.6 Identify and summarize the components of a complete simple circuit
and properly connect them.
4-5.7 Create and label a schematic drawing in order to light 2 bulbs. Illustrate the
path of electric current in series and parallel circuits.

III.Goals and Student Learning Outcomes (Objectives):

Goal 1: Students will create and label a schematic drawing showing how to light 2 bulbs in a
parallel circuit.
Student Learning Outcome 1: Schematic drawing and labeling is correct on all
components.
Student Learning Outcome 2: Students will discuss, analyze, and explain their drawing
and why it will work to light 2 bulbs in a parallel circuit.
Goal 2: Students will perform an investigation of a parallel circuit and its components to see
what will happen if 2 light bulbs are connected to one battery with 4 wires and then two
batteries with 6 wires. Students will also be investigating adding a motor along with the light
bulbs to the parallel circuit.
Student Learning Outcome 1: Perform an investigation and create a chart of the parallel
circuit created. Test each scenario to score the level of brightness of the bulbs with the change
in materials.
Student Learning Outcome 2: Justify their findings through a claims and evidence session
through discussion and sharing of findings with their classmates through the creation of a
Chart that indicates their findings.
IV.

Learning Environment(s):
This lesson will be in a face to face environment

V.

Resources:
Parallel Circuit PowerPoint
http://thefusebox.northernpowergrid.com/page/circuitbuilder.cfm
http://interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html
http://www.physics-chemistry-interactive-flashanimation.com/electricity_electromagnetism_interactive/components_circuits_as
sociation-series_parallel.htm

VI.

Diversity / Differentiation:
Students with special needs will be partnered with a study buddy for extra help and
the teacher will individualize instruction tailored to the students accommodations
according to the students IEP.
The lesson will have visual, auditory, and kinesthetic parts to reach many different
modalities and learning styles.

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VII.

Technology Inclusion:
Students will have access to computers to play games were they have to create a
parallel circuit. Students will create different series circuits using different
materials to see which bulb is brighter and why.
Students will have tablets with access to Electricity apps such as Easy Electricity
and Connect the Bulb.
The teacher will use the Team Board located in the classroom to allow students to
come up the board and move parts of a simple circuit to create one that will work
properly.
Students will correctly identify parallel circuits verses series circuits.

VIII. Prior Knowledge: Students have worked with simple circuits, series circuits, conductors,
and insulators and will now begin working with parallel circuits.
Lesson Placement in the Unit: This is lesson _4_ of _4_.
1. Procedures:
Teacher will read engaging scenario to begin the third lesson on electricity and energy
circuits. Teacher will begin working through the series circuit PowerPoint. Teacher
and students will discuss focus questions, predictions, charts, diagrams, energy flow,
etc. Students will work together to create a series circuit. Details below.
2. Lesson Introduction / Anticipatory Set:
(Teacher will begin lesson by rereading the ENGAGING SCENARIO:
Yesterday you made the bulb work, but the light was not enough for you to see
inside the cave. Once again your group searches the backpacks for materials that
might give you a brighter light. Your partner discovers more things that could help.
He finds another bulb and another D-cell (battery). He also finds 2 wires, 2 bulb
holders and 2 battery holders. What problem do we need to solve now?
3. Direct Instruction:
Students will work together as a group to create parallel circuits 4 wires, 1 or 2
batteries, 2 light bulbs and a motor to determine if they have created a parallel circuit.
They will know if they have a parallel circuit by removing one of the loads/recievers
from the circuit and the rest of the loads/recievers will continue to work.
4. Student Interaction with lesson content / Guided Practice:
Students will be working with materials to create parallel circuits. Students will be
given 2 D cell batteries, 2 battery holders, 4 wires, 1 motor, and 2 lightbulbs. They will
investigate a variety of ways to create parallel circuits using the 2 lightbulbs and then
the 2 lightbulbs with the motor.
5. Independent Practice:
Students will actually begin creating the parallel circuits they have designed using their
materials in different ways to see how and why different ways of connecting wires with
different amounts of batteries and lightbulbs will create different levels of brightness of

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the bulbs if connected correctly and how they can have multiple loads connected to one
circuit and if one load/receiver is removed all the others will continue to work.
Students will also be working with tablets and will be playing a variety of games that
challenges them with electricity. One app that will allow students to play with
electricity is Easy Electricity by Alexandre Minard. There are 3 modes of play: easy,
hard, and a creation mode which allows students to create their own electric circuits.
The other app students can choose from is Connect the Bulb. There are 150 levels and
they can play against and challenge other classmates.
6. Review / Closure:
Claims and Evidence (Each student)
What claim can we make when adding more light bulbs to a series circuit with only
using 1 D cell battery?
What if we add another D cell battery to the series circuit?
What does your data tell you about removing a component from a circuit that has only
one path for energy to flow through?
Teacher will see students individually as they write their claims and evidence based on
the guiding questions.
Example sentence structures:
I claim that 2 light bulbs can be equally lighted by __________. I know this because
_______________.
I know that in a parallel circuit __________________. I know this
because______________.
Share and discuss claims and evidence with the class
Check and provide feedback
7. Presentations:
Students will share their findings with the class through the use of their schematic
drawings and correct labeling of the drawings. Students will display their illustrations
of parallel circuits and the path of energy in the classroom.
IX.

X.

Evaluation/Assessment:
1. Teacher observation, parallel circuit investigations, science journals, schematic drawings
and labeling, and illustrations of the path of electricity.
Risk Analysis:
Dead batteries, burned out lightbulbs, internet connection, bad wires, etc. could cause
students projects not to work correctly so the teacher would need to make sure that he/she
had extra parts on hand.

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XI.
References:
Circuit Builder. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://thefusebox.northernpowergrid.com/page/circuitbuilder.cfm
Science. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://interactivesites.weebly.com/science.html
SERIES or PARALLEL CIRCUIT. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.physics-chemistryinteractive-flashanimation.com/electricity_electromagnetism_interactive/components_circuits_associati
on-series_parallel.htm