PS.4.2.3
Carry out investigations on common materials to classify them as insulators or conductors of electricity.
Embedded Files
District Recommended Resources for 4th Grade Science
Invisible Forces Activity Pack
Magnets and Materials
Magnetic Force
Static Electricity
Forces, Matter, and Energy Kit Resources
Activity Packs available for purchase. Full kit rental options are also available. See your administrator.
Next Generation Science Standards YouTube Channel
Step 1: Lesson Standards & Learning Goals
Dimension 1:
Science and Engineering Practice: Plan and Carry Out Investigations: Plan and conduct an investigation collaboratively to produce data to serve as the basis for evidence, using fair tests in which variables are controlled and the number of trials considered (NSTA SEP Matrix).
Dimension 2:
Crosscutting Concepts: Patterns
Dimension 3:
Disciplinary Core Ideas:
PS3.B Energy can also be transferred from place to place by electric currents, which can then be used locally to produce motion, sound, heat, or light. The currents may have been produced to begin with by transforming the energy of motion into electrical energy (e.g., moving water driving a spinning turbine which generates electric currents) (A Framework for K-12 Science Education).
Sample Essential Questions
Sample Essential Questions
What properties make a material a good conductor or insulator of electricity?
What are some everyday examples of conductors and insulators, and how are they used in daily life?
How do different materials affect the efficiency of electrical circuits?
Why is it important to use conductors and insulators appropriately in electrical circuits and devices?
Vocabulary
Vocabulary
classify
circuit
conductors
electricity
energy
electricity
Students will be able to...
Students will be able to...
Classify good conductors and poor conductors (insulators) of electricity.
Classify - Determining that something belongs to a category based on relevant features or patterns
Plan and Carry out Investigations- Students plan and conduct an investigation to classify different materials and provide evidence for their classifications. Students explain the variables (e.g., type of material used) in their investigation. Students make predictions about what would happen if the material changes.
Obtain, Evaluate and Communicate - Obtain information using various texts, text features (e.g., headings, tables of contents, glossaries, electronic menus, diagrams, pictures, icons), and other media that will be useful in answering a scientific question and/or supporting a scientific claim. Students communicate information on observed relationships (e.g., some materials do not conduct electricity (insulators - glass, air, cotton, etc.) and some do (conductors - copper, aluminum, iron, etc.).
Students will know...
Students will know...
Electrical energy can be transferred through certain materials (conductors- e.g., copper, aluminum, iron, steel, gold and silver).
Some materials do not allow energy to flow through them (insulators- e.g., glass, air, cotton, plastic, rubber, and wood).
Step 2: Assessment
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessments
Writing Prompts
What would happen if you changed the connecting materials from conductors to insulators in a closed circuit? (insulators would slow/stop the flow of energy)
What can be done to control the flow of electricity using different materials? (insulators can slow the flow of energy; conductors can speed up the flow of energy)
What are the benefits of conductors and insulators in our world? (Powerlines, fences for livestock, battery jumper cables, light rail transit systems, powering electronic devices)
Mini Projects and Investigations
Plan and Carry Out Investigations
How can you design an investigation to classify materials as insulators or conductors?
What material(s) could be tested?
Where should the materials be placed in the circuit?
What can be expected if the material is a conductor? If the material is an insulator?
How can data be collected during the investigation?
What did the results reveal about the materials?
How can the materials be classified?
Use the t-chart from NC DPI Formative Assessment Samples to classify the items.
Culminating Activity
Build a Simple Circuit Model:
Materials: Battery, light bulb or LED, electrical tape or wires, and a switch (optional).
Activity: Have students create a simple circuit using the materials provided. They can use the battery to power the light bulb or LED and connect the wires to complete the circuit. Students should then draw and label their circuit diagram, explaining how each component functions and how they work together to make the light bulb illuminate.
Challenge: Use multiple lights and switches to create more complex circuits.
Step 3: Lesson Instructions
Possible Activating Strategies
Possible Activating Strategies
Image
What do you notice and wonder?
Think-Write-Pair-Share:
Why can small birds sit on power lines and not get electrocuted?
Read the related articles and revise your answer based on evidence from the text.
Image from https://www.sce.com/about-us/environment/protecting-our-environment/avian-protection
Article
Humans are conductors of electricity. What does it mean to be a conductor?
Video Clip
Video Clip
Additional Literacy Connections
epic!
EBSCO:
Video
CommonLit
Where Does Energy Come From - Flick a Switch: How Electricity Gets to Your Home by Barbara Seuling
Teacher Resources
Teacher Resources
NC DPI Support Document Formative Assessment Link:
Charged Objects - Lessons with teacher background and activities.
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