Grayce P. Storey
1. What is electricity?
Objective
The students will be formally introduced to what electricity
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is.
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a.) pre-test
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b.) static electricity
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c.) current electricity
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d.) vocabulary list
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e.) volts/amperes
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f.) Activities: Static electricity
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effect of electrons upon water, paper and a balloon
Materials
Rubber comb, wool strip, running water and small pieces of paper
Procedure
Rub the comb across a wool sweater several times and hold the charged comb over small pieces of paper. Bring the charged comb near a slow stream of running water from the faucet.
Record your observations and explain what happened and why. Explanation: Some of the electrons are rubbed off the atoms of the wool and join some of the atoms of the comb.
Electrons move when electricity is produced while the protons remain where they are in the nucleus.
The comb becomes negative charged because it has more negative electrons than positive. The sweater has become positive charged because it has lost some of its negative electrons.
An atom that has either more or less electrons than protons is called an ion.
The water will bend in the directions of the comb and the balloon after rubbing against a sweater will stick to the wall.
(figure available in print form)
Homework
Review an energy conservation contract.
2. Media Research.
Objective
The students will use the media center to do research on one of the following personalities in regards to electricity.
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a.) Alessandro Volta
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b.) Michael Faraday
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c.) Lewis Latimer
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d.) Benjamin Franklin
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e.) Samuel Morse
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f.) Thomas Edison
Homework
Prepare a 3 minute talk on the person to be given in class.
3. Source of Energy.
Objective
The students will listen to a lecture on the sources of energy.
a.) 3 minutes oral class presentations
b.) oil
c.) natural gas
d.) coal
*for the next 2 weeks be responsible for taking your family bottles, cans and newspaper to the drop off spots.
4. Construct a model for sending the morse code.
Objective
To use model in learning the morse code.
a.) a telegraph set
Materials
Dry cell battery, wire, switch, 2 nails, screw, piece of metal, block of wood and glue.
Procedure
Bend
the piece of metal into the z-shape shown in the diagram.
Glue
it to a block of wood.
Hammer
2 nails under the free end of the metal. Be sure the underside of the metal is not painted.
Connect
a long piece of wire to one terminal of the dry cell battery.
Wind
the wire several times around the nail. Begin at the top of the nail and work downward. Bring the wire across to the other nail. Wind it around as many times as before working upward.
Connect
a second wire between the free terminal of the dry cell and the switch.
Close
the switch. The sounder (the z-shaped metal) will be attracted to the 2 nails underneath it. Explanation: Electricity flowing through the coils of wire around the nails made the nails magnets.
(figure available in print form)
(figure available in print form)
5. Presentation from United Illuminating.
Objective
The students will listen to a guest lecturer from the United Illuminating Company and learn how to read the electric meter.
6. Film on electricity.
Objective
The students will view a film on electricity by Eye Gate.
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a.) write a critique on the film
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b.) observe the filament of a light bulb that the teacher will provide. Critique your observation (turn on a good bulb with head cut away, repeat with a bad light bulb).
7. Construct a spinning turbine wheel.
Objective
The students will construct a spinning turbine wheel.
Materials
knitting needle, clay, pins, cardboard.
Trace this figure onto card board and cut out carefully
(figure available in print form)
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A. Make a spinning turbine wheel.
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B. Place a knitting needle in the center and clay to hold it in place.
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C. Stick on a small piece of cardboard.
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D. After inserting the knitting needles into the cardboard wheel bend the blades slightly. This will make the turbine spin when you blow on it.
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E. Place the blocks on the table. Place the needle on the crossed-pins bearings. Use your breath and blow the blades just like the steam in a power station.
(figure available in print form)
Write up the outcome of the activity and tell why such an apparatus can be useful today.
(figure available in print form)
8. Conservation and Safety.
Objective
The students will debate on the pros and cons of energy conservation and safety in relation to electricity. The class will be divided into groups of fours.
Homework
Observe 30 minutes a day for 5 days the number of cars with their windows up using air conditioning and tell whether they were justified.
9. Energy Posters.
Objective
The students will bring in pictures to make posters on energy conservation. The class will take apart a flashlight to see how it works.
Materials
Flashlight and a piece of wire.
Procedure
Make sure that the flashlight works
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Strip
the insulation from both ends of a piece of wire about 6 inches long.
Wrap
one end around the base of the bulb that was removed from the flashlight. Then touch the bottom of the bulb to the center terminal of the cell.
Touch
the end of the wire to the bottom of the cell closing the switch of the flashlight, hence, completing a circuit and light goes on.
(figure available in print form)
Write the outcome.
10. Optional Activities and Post Test.
Objective
The students will be tested again to measure growth from the unit.
Optional Activities
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a.) construct a switch
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b.) connection of 2 dry cell circuits