Wired!

Semester 1, 2016-2017

Day 5: November 18, 2016

1. Overview of home wiring: street feed, panel, circuit breakers, wiring, junction box, devices (lights, switches, receptacles)

2. Building codes exist and are enforced to prevent fire & electrocutions

3. Sample circuit: light, switch, outlet, plug

   1. how to strip the wire, hook the ends, connect to socket

   2. lightbulb in a receptacle then into a junction box

   3. connect to & through a switch to an outlet.

4. Wiring America (watch parts on high-tension line and household wiring)

Nov 11: No School

Day 4: November 4, 2016:

www.dcaclab.com

Oct 28: Conferences

Oct 21: No School

Day 3: October 14, 2016

1. Blobz

2. Circuit Builder

3. Demonstrate your understanding of voltage (volts) and current (amps)

4. Activity: adding a second battery so that it DOES make the bulb brighter, and so that it DOESN'T (but it is still in the circuit)

5. Activity 2: upstairs-downstairs switch

   1. 1. think, talk, draw, etc

      2. hint 1: what is on the outside of the switches that they use for this

      3. hint 2: what is inside the switches that they use

      4. hint 3: the answer as a diagram

      5. lets build it! video 1, video 2

Day 2: October 7, 2016

1. Circuit (power source, load, conductor) and short circuits

2. Resistance: flow through a wire, burning a wire and a pencil, conductor & insulator

3. Voltage: pressure, mmmph (levels in a battery, wall outlet)

4. Activity: adding a second battery so that it DOES make the bulb brighter, and so that it DOESN'T (but it is still in the circuit)

5. Activity 2: upstairs-downstairs switch

Day 1: September 30, 2017

1. What did the title and description cause you to expect/want?

2. What electricity-related words or facts or feelings or experiences do you know? (list)

3. Activity: light a bulb with a battery (MIT graduates) and a wire then add a "how come" or "what if" question

Semester 2, 2015-2016

Day 7 (4/22/15)

1. AC/DC

Day 6 (4/15/16)

1. Overview of home wiring: street feed, panel, circuit breakers, wiring, junction box, devices (lights, switches, receptacles)

2. Building codes exist and are enforced to prevent fire & electrocutions

3. Sample circuit: light, switch, outlet, plug

   1. how to strip the wire, hook the ends, connect to socket

   2. lightbulb in a receptacle then into a junction box

   3. connect to & through a switch to an outlet.

Day 5 (4/1/16) (rm 26 gone)

1. Make the 3-way switch again, this time simply & explainable.

Day 4 (3/25/16): Switches & Diagrams

• 1. Types of switches

  2. Battery, switch, light.

  3. How do the "upstairs - downstairs" switches in a house work?

     1. think, talk, draw, etc

     2. hint 1: what is on the outside of the switches that they use for this

     3. hint 2: what is inside the switches that they use

     4. hint 3: the answer as a diagram

     5. lets build it! video 1, video 2

Day 3 (3/11/16): Multimeter, diagram, simulations

• 1. Multimeter: device to test various aspects of a circuit (battery level, bulb burnt, resistance)

  2. Test some batteries individually and then in series. What does parallel do to voltage?

  3. How a multimeter can measure connectivity and resistance.

  4. Simulations

  5. http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/guide.html

  6. http://thefusebox.northernpowergrid.com/page/circuitbuilder.cfm

  7. http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

Day 2 (3/4/16)

• 1. What did you (who were here) learn last week

  2. Variable resistance devices

  3. Activity 1: light a bulb with a battery (MIT graduates) and a wire then add a "how come" or "what if" question

  4. Activity 2: adding a second battery

Day 1 (2/26/1)

• 1. Overview of my ideas for the class

  2. Your name and reason you chose (?) this class

  3. Circuit (power source, load, conductor) and short circuits

  4. Resistance: flow through a wire, burning a wire and a pencil, conductor & insulator

  5. Voltage: pressure, mmmph (levels in a batter, wall outlet)

  6. Safety: how to recognize a short circuit

Day 4 (3/18/16) Home Wiring

1. Overview of home wiring: street feed, panel, circuits & breakers, wiring, junction boxes, devices (lights, switches, recepticles)

2. Building codes exist and are enforced to prevent fire & electrocutions

3. Sample circuit: light, switch, outlet, plug

   1. lightbulb in a receptacle then into a junction box

   2. connect to & through a switch to an outlet.

Semester 1, 2015-2016

Day 14 (2/4/16)

1. History of electrical invention

   1. Making a simple motor: demo, build, troubleshoot, improve

Day 13 (1/28/16)

1. Edison and Tesla (episodes 5 and 6 of Men Who Built America)

Day 12 (1/21/16) Electronic Circuits

1. What types of things contain electronic circuits

2. Showing sample big (outdated) components

3. Using the DCAClab.com simulator and these instructions

Day 11 (1/14/16) Electricity & Magnetism

1. 8th graders: finish your LED tree with Thomas while the rest of us...

2. Watch part 1 and 2 of the PBS video segment on Farraday

3. Thomas' demonstrations of the relationship between electricity & magnetism

Day 10 (12/17/16) Finishing the LED Tree (with Thomas)

-8th grade is at the Exploratorium

Day 9 (12/10/15) Soldering

-review and revise (if necessary) your wiring plan

-review the soldering process

Day 8 (12/3/15) Soldering and Making a LED Tree

1. How soldering works: tools, supplies, and the process

2. Practice soldering two ends of wire together

3. Get in pairs, facing each other across a table

4. Get the card, battery, battery holder, switch, and 3 to 5 LEDs

5. How each works

6. Design and placement of lights (tree, star, Rudolph, etc)

7. Put components in place and draw wiring in pencil

8. Solder it up

Day 7 (11/12/15) Home Wiring (day 2) & Little Bits

Day 6 (11/5/15) Home Wiring

1. Overview of home wiring: street feed, panel, circuits & breakers, wiring, junction boxes, devices (lights, switches, recepticles)

2. Building codes exist and are enforced to prevent fire & electrocutions

3. Sample circuit: light, switch, outlet, plug

   1. lightbulb in a recepticle then into a junction box

   2. connect to & through a switch to an outlet.

Day 4 (10/22/15)

1. The result of resistance: battery-resister-load, battery-resistor-meter

2. Measuring things using a multimeter: voltage and resistance

3. Three-way switch again; easier connections this time

4. The three units/ideas you should know: resistance, voltage (pressure/push/mmph), amperage (flow/current/rate)

Day 3 (10/15)

• 1. Thomas' demonstrations of resistance (wire, pencil, and devices)

Day 2 (10/8/15)

• 1. Review: name of the two types of circuits we made and how they effect the brightness & duration of the light

  2. Wiring a circuit that can turn a light on and off, but without the switch... then with a switch (its an on-on switch)

  3. How do the "upstairs - downstairs" switches in a house work?

     1. think, talk, draw, etc

     2. hint 1: what is on the outside of the switches that they use for this

     3. hint 2: what is inside the switches that they use

     4. hint 3: the answer as a diagram

     5. lets build it!

1. video 1, video 2

Day 1 (10/1/15)

• 1. Overview of my ideas for the class

  2. Your name and reason you chose (?) this class

  3. Activity 1: light a bulb with a battery (MIT graduates) and a wire then add a "how come" or "what if" question

  4. Activity 2: adding a second battery

  5. Simulations

  6. http://www.andythelwell.com/blobz/guide.html

  7. http://thefusebox.northernpowergrid.com/page/circuitbuilder.cfm

  8. http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/circuit-construction-kit-dc

Online Resources

http://www.sciencekids.co.nz/gamesactivities/electricitycircuits.html