Lesson+Plan+-+Switches

Michelle Lapointe ELD 376 Lesson Plan for Electrical Circuits

Grade: 4 Objective: For students to create a working switch (switch to turn on and off a light blub… breaking the complete loop) for their complete simple circuits. Standard: 5.2.4.D.1 Electrical circuits require a complete loop through conducting materials in which an electrical current can pass. Materials: Batteries, battery holder, bulbs, bulb sockets, wires, paper clips, index cards, brass fasteners, washers, Fahnestock clips Time: 40 minutes Resource: Mrs. Mulloy-Rasheed

Engage: Talk about what has previously been taught in science class. And use it as a refresher and a jumping point into the next lesson which is switches.

Good Morning my friends! Today we are going to be working with electricity some more and circuits. Can a few of our friends tell me what you have learned so far about circuits? [Take three responses and validate] At the end of the day you are going to make a design for your very own flashlight. What are some important parts of a flashlight? (On the board write two columns for Useful and Necessary. Be sure to include under Necessary: a power source, a light, wires or conductors, a way to turn the flashlight on and off, and that it needs to be portable) – some answers expected are the plastic covering the flashlight, the glass around the bulb, the plastic protecting the blub – these go under useful.

Exploration: Rules and Safety: No throwing batteries. If the light bulb is broken please call the teacher. Do not poke each other with the wires or wrap them around anything.

Set up the switch for the children; walk them through setting it up. Then allow students to create a switch circuit. They should be able to set up the simple circuit they have been working on and attach on wire to each Fahnestock clip and when the paper clip is closed the light bulb should light. Students should try creating the basic circuit first to insure that all their materials work and they have a properly working circuit then expand it to include the switch. If they encounter problems at any of these points they should refer to their list of trouble shooting circuits before asking for help.

Okay scientists, I would like my paper passer to come pass out the index cards and one member from each group to come get your box. We are going to do the first part together. Please watch me and listen to directions, do not do anything until I say go. Please draw a one-inch line in the middle of the index card with a pencil. Once you have done that please put your paper clip on the brass fastener and put it through the index card at the end of one side of the line. Once you have the fastener through the index card put on the Fahnestock clip then the brass washers. Open the brass fastener so that nothing falls off. Once you have done this please put your hands on your head so I know you are finished. Do this to the other side but without the paper clip. Watch me one more time. Once you have this assembled please use all your previous knowledge to create a circuit using the switch where you can turn on and off the light bulb. Please assemble your index card switch and create a switch. When you have created a working on off switch raise your hands. Questions that may need to be asked: What makes the light bulb turn on? What has to be touching for it to work? Where should the wires touch? Where can they not touch in order for the current to flow? Why does the light bulb turn off if you open the circuit? How can you connect the wires to the index card? How many wires do you think you need? Why do you think that? Have you used your trouble shooting worksheet to make sure all components of your circuit are correctly working? Are you making a series circuit or a parallel circuit? How will that affect the way your switch is working? What can you do to fix that problem so it no longer affects your switch?

Potential Misconceptions/Mistakes: Students will have the paper fasteners on the back thinking that they made a switch that way. Students will put the fasteners too far apart so the paper clip will not touch then. Students may create a parallel circuit and the circuit will not work. Students will think that the wired are unhooked to create a switch. Essentially students will have trouble actually creating the switch. Students may not understand the concept of a flashlight with can cause issues when using it as an example. Students will include parts of a flashlight that are not necessary because they think it has to be a part of every flashlight. Students may think flashlights needed to be plugged in. They may refer to a lamp(which is not completely wrong, it still has a switch)

Explain: Take the time for students to explain what they discovered, the difficulties they encountered when they were creating a switch. What other options did you try? Did they work? Why did they or didn’t they work?

Scientists I want everyone to put their hands on their head and look at me. Lets talk about how we created a switch. What is the paper clip? [conductor] What did the paper clip do? Why did it shut off the light? When it is closed what happens? Correct it is a conductor so the electricity flows through it. Can anyone share some of the options they tried and why they did or did not work? [take three responses]

Talk about how the switch works and make sure it is clear to students. Talk about and introduce closed and open circuits. When the paper clip is not touching the fastener, the circuit is open because the electricity cannot flow through it completely, it stops because there is no where for it to go. When the paper clip touches the other paper fastener the circuit is closed and complete which causes the light bulb to light because the electricity can flow in a complete circle. So when something is on what kind of circuit is it? When something is off?

Okay my friends please take apart your simple circuit and place it back into your box, then please write your names on your switch. cCan one person from each table bring back all the boxes to the cart. And another person from each table collect the switches and put them in this basket. Everyone else please take out your science notebook.

Elaborate: Scientists open to a clean page in your notebook. First I want you to draw in the secret language what your WORKING circuit looked like and label all the necessary parts that make it work. (drawing for those who have trouble expressing their ideas solely though written word.)Then, I want you to imagine that you are an inventor. I want you to invent a new flashlight, using all the information we talked about today including the necessary items and creating a closed circuit. Please write a description of your flashlight. Be sure to include why you include the items you do. You may even draw if you can your flashlight. You may discuss your ideas with your science partner only.

Evaluate: I will know that the students have understood the concept because they will have been able to successfully create a complete circuit with a switch. They will have correctly drawn it in their notebook. Since I asked each group to raise their hand when they have successfully created a switch circuit, I can make sure it is correct as the experiment goes along. I also will take a look at their notebooks where they have invented a flashlight looking for the necessary components we have talked about in class.

For my students who have trouble writing and need more time, I will allow them to take it home. Or they may only draw one or the other of the flashlight or the secret language circuit.

Problems that may arise: Students will have trouble setting up a circuit if they were absent. Students may have trouble grasping the concept of a switch. Students needed something to read because they are not visual learners. Students may have trouble troubleshooting the circuits that don’t work and this takes up their time to create a switch. Students that do not get enough time to experiment may not get full understanding. Students who were absent and missed the previous lessons will have their learning interrupted because they do not understand. Students may have trouble creating a switch because they need to see in shorter steps then I have set up. Students may need a poster or drawing on the board to create a switch or a circuit.

Where to go from here: The lesson after this would include a motor and switch. Students will be able to create a series of things that turn off and on in a circuit. Possibly there will be a project where students put many of the things they learned in a circuit and display how they all work and can work together.