Circuits

In a boys vs. girls game show (they tie), students first review the basics of magnetism and electricity, guessing along with the elementary school contestants in the video. Then they dive into learning about and constructing a simple circuit, a parallel circuit, and a series circuit. Third graders have a hands-on lesson for simple circuits and insulators and conductors. 4^th-6^th graders have series and parallel circuit hands-on sessions.

Highlights:

Set on what appears to be a real game show, kids compete to win a trip. Students play along with answer sheets (provided).
Circuits are explained and shown both as animations and as real circuits being wired, close up.

Hands-on Activity:

Third graders physically wire a simple circuit, and explore insulators and conductors. 4^th and 5^th graders physically wire series and parallel circuits.

Lesson Outline:

Game 1: Poles of a magnet, magnetic field, attracting and repeling, four metals that make a magnet.
Game 2: Atoms, subatomic particles, charges, static and current electricity.
Lesson: Simple Circuit (with animation)
Series Circuit (with animation)
Parallel Circuit (with animation
Conductors and Insulators Overview
Game 3: Circuits

DVD Includes:

Main Lesson and Game Show (19:11 minutes)
Hands-on Simple Circuit ( 5:36 mins)
Hands-on Parallel Circuit (6:52 mins)
Hands-on Series Circuit (6:11 mins)
Hands-on Conductors and Insulators (5:05 mins)
Assessment with help (8:15 mins)
Assessment (6:59 mins)
Vocabulary (9:20 mins)
Review (1:39 minutes)

Welcome to our Circuits video hands-on lab. Our lessons are inquiry and standards-based. You’ll find them entertaining, educational, safe, and easy to implement. We’ve built them so you just have to make a few copies, then “press play”.

The objective of this unit is to review and/or teach your students about electricity and magnetism. They will learn the following:

The importance of the parts and pieces of the magnet
Two types of electricity
How do electrical circuits work?
How do you build a circuit? (simple, parallel, series)
What do insulators and conductors do?

This unit is set as a “game show”. Your students will be able to learn or simply review basic principles of magnetism and electricity along with the “contestants”. The more challenging segment of the unit teaches about circuits and conductors and insulators.

There are a few experiments that you can choose for your class. The hands-on experiments range from teaching how to build and operate a simple circuit, to how to build a simple, series, parallel circuit and the effects of an insulator and conductor. Younger grades may only want to do the simple circuit and insulator/conductor hands-on. Older grades can do them all. The parts that are included are used in ALL of the four experiments, but in different quantities.

This unit contains:

1) Quick Start Guide

2) Teacher’s Notes

3) One DVD

4) Master Sheets:

a) Test Master Sheet
b) Game Show Play-Along Sheet
c) Vocabulary Master Sheet
d) Tell the Parents Master Sheet
e) Student Worksheet Master

i) Word Search

ii) Crossword Puzzle

5) Kit Parts:

Description	Total in Kit	Simple Circuit	Insul/Cond.	Series	Parallel
Bulbs	24	11	11	22	22
AA Battery	11	11	11	11	11
Battery Holder	11	11	11	11	11
Leads/Wires	48	0	0	22	44
Light Holders	22	11	11	22	22
Metal Clips	24	0	0	0	22
Paper Clips	12	0	11	0	0
Craft Sticks	12	0	11	0	0
Circuit Board Mats	11	11	11	11	11

The DVD includes a main interactive lesson, a step by step video guide to all three hands-on activities, two versions of a test, vocabulary, a short review video for later, and printable worksheets (in case the masters included in the kit are lost).

Suggested Retail Prices:

DVD and Kit, $149.95