Merit Winner: TMA Excellence in Science Teaching Awards
Julie Enis
Meadow Wood Elementary
Houston,Texas
Electricity and Energy
Lesson Plan
Overview
One of my favorite units and the unit that most children seem to
enjoy is my unit on electricity and energy. I teach four different
classes of fifth grade students. Each class has approximately 23
students. I have a variety of students with special needs in my
classroom. Not only do I need to address students with English as a
second language, but I also have many learning disabled, attention
deficit and gifted and talented students immersed in my classroom.
To reach all of these students I usually have my classroom set up
in groups of four to five students per table. I carefully integrate
all of these special need students so that they can learn from each
other. We all seem to remember more by teaching others information
than by any other format. Each child has so much to input during
the learning process. This year my students have been using their
science journals to record not only what they have learned in
class, but what they would like to learn more about outside of
class. Hopefully, this allows students to investigate further the
lessons I teach in my classroom.
Electricity is something the students use every day of their
lives. It is easy to relate the information learned in class to
real life. Children are fascinated by electricity and my lessons
seem to open the door to more inquiry about how it works. Students
often go home and research how things work after our class
activities. In the spring I have an Invention Convention. Many
students choose to make electrical inventions because they have
become "experts" in this field. This is why I think the
lessons are successful. The entire unit teaching open and
closed circuits, series and parallel circuits, conductors and
insulators and circuit boards takes approximately three weeks.
Objectives
- The students will demonstrate that electricity can flow in a
circuit.
- Students will demonstrate safe practices during lab
investigations.
- Students will use scientific method during lab
investigations.
- The students will use critical thinking and scientific
problem solving to make informed decisions.
- Students will use a variety of tools and methods to conduct
science inquiry.
Materials needed:
Electricity boxes that consist of: batteries, wire,
bulbs, wire strippers, bulb holders and several conductor and
insulator items.
Methods of implementation
As the students enter my room I turn the lights on and off
asking them, "How does this work?" We brainstorm many ideas
and I let them know that in this unit we will discover the true
answer as to how this scientific process occurs. We review
all safety rules before beginning any hands-on, brains-on
lab. The students much prefer being participants rather than
observers therefore I seldom have problems with unsafe behavior.
Each table is given an electricity box which includes batteries,
wire, bulbs, wire strippers, bulb holders and several conductors
and insulators. I model how to make a circuit using a
battery, bulb and wire. The students then make their own
circuit exactly as I have modeled. Once the students have
made a complete, closed circuit I give them possible complete
circuit diagrams. They must first predict in their journal
whether or not they believe the circuit is open or closed and why
they make this prediction. From here they actually make the
circuits to see if their prediction is correct. At this point
the students should have a clear understanding of open and closed
circuits. They can then discover other circuits that are
closed, working circuits. At the end of class they show the
class the "new" closed circuit that they have invented.
Another part of the lesson consists of vocabulary
development. As new words are discussed and learned students
write the word in one column on a tag board and the definitions, in
random order, on the other. On the back of the board students
tape down aluminum foil to connect the correct word to the correct
definition. On the front of the circuit board, students touch
the correct word to the correct definition with a circuit
attached. If they are correct the light bulb will light.
Evaluation Tool
The first way to evaluate the students' knowledge is to see that
they can actually make the complete circuit using wires, a battery
and bulb. Another great way to evaluate what they understand is the
extension activity of having them invent new circuits. They
are not able to do this until they have a clear understanding of
open and closed circuits.
I'm able to assess students during lab time not just from the
written lab they may turn in, but also by listening to their
conversations during the activity. Children often discuss
with their classmates information they have learned prior to the
lesson and add this information to what they are discovering during
the lab to come up with a more advanced scientific idea of the
concept being investigated. I use many different types of
assessments throughout units that I teach. One of the most
valuable assessments that I have found is by having the students
keep a journal. The journals provide a complete understanding
of what the student really grasped from the lesson. I allow
them to use words, pictures, graphics, charts, anything that helps
them understand a process. It is also great for me because I
can respond to each child on an individual basis. The
journals allow the student to keep a record of what they know, what
they learned and what they would like to know.
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