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April 2001 – Electricity
Dear Teacher,
With summer on the way, why not spark your students' interest in electricity? Help them understand what causes those crackling summer lightning storms. But no reason to stop there. Electricity causes static, allows us to communicate, and provides enormous amounts of power. We have lessons about all of these topics for intermediate, middle, and secondary students. You will also find related Web resources and literature tie-ins.
For the month of April, the PearsonAtSchool is offering free shipping and handling on all orders. Additionally, they are having a special TeacherVision® promotion – save 20% on your purchases at the PearsonAtSchool. When checking out use priority code: CNSL2902002. See some suggested titles below.
Help your students get a charge out of science!
Sincerely,
Erin Teare
Producer, TeacherVision
Lessons, Printables, and Student Activities
Intermediate and Middle
Charged by Induction: Making String Dance (Lesson Plan)
Students watch string dance while learning about induction.
Chemicals Producing Electricity (Lesson Plan)
Students experiment with different chemicals and learn how they produce electricity.
Closed Circuits (Printable)
This lesson and worksheet asks students to think about how batteries work.
Electricity Helping Us Communicate (Lesson Plan)
Students use light switches to learn about telegraph communication.
Electrostatic Charge: Make a Spark with Your Finger (Lesson Plan)
Students learn about electrostatic charges by making sparks.
Electrostatic Force: Making Salt and Pepper Dance (Lesson Plan)
Students experiment with static and learn about negative and positive charges.
Energy and Electricity (Lesson Plan)
Students gain an understanding of the terms "volt," "amp," "watt," "watt-hour," and
"kilowatt-hour" and collect data about electricity consumption.
Energy and Electricity Student Assignment Sheet (Student Activity)
Use this assignment to assess students' understanding of the terms "volt," "amp," "watt," "watt-hour," and "kilowatt-hour."
Induction, Attraction, and Repulsion: Nylon Stockings (Lesson Plan)
This activity demonstrates induction and the attraction and repulsion of like and unlike static charges.
Producing Electricity with Sunlight (Lesson Plan)
Students use solar cells and a light source to learn about solar energy.
What Is the Kissing Balloon? (Lesson Plan)
Demonstrate static electricity with a balloon.
Middle, Secondary
Calculating the Cost of Electric Power (Lesson Plan)
Help students learn how to calculate the cost of electricity.
Calculating the Cost of Electric Power Activity Sheet (Student Activity)
Students review a sample electricity bill and calculate the cost of electricity.
Dancing Electrons: Content on Electricity (Reference)
This article discusses current, resistance, voltage, thermocouples, circuits, electrical power, and the cost of electricity.
Math Problems Involving Electricity (Student Activity)
More problems for students after they have read Dancing Electrons: Content on Electricity.
Vocabulary Activity for Dancing Electrons (Printable)
Ask students to review the vocabulary they learned in Dancing Electrons: Content on Electricity.
Literature Tie-Ins
Grade Levels: All
A list of books about electricity.
PearsonAtSchool Products
Hands-On Science Activities for Grades K-2
Turn to this volume for loads of age-appropriate, hands-on activities that can help you teach basic concepts in the earth, life, and physical sciences in ways that are easy for young children to grasp. Along the way, students will also hone their thinking and reasoning skills.
Physical Science Kit
Give kids a step up at the next school science fair! Includes award-winning project ideas on such physical science subjects as matter, motion, force, friction, light, energy, and more. Also provides suggestions for experiments, plus tips for easy-to-do displays.
Ready-to-Use Physical Science Activities for Grades 5-12
This volume provides lessons and reproducible fact sheets, worksheets, homework assignments, and review quizzes to help you teach basic scientific concepts and develop students' appreciation and understanding of the work done by generations of curious scientists.
Science Experiences – Cooperative Learning and the Teaching of Science
The "secrets" of teaching science successfully are fully explored in this excellent resource. Highlighting the benefits of cooperative classroom learning, it provides eight information-packed units that deal with life science, health science, physical science, oceanography, energy and ecology, giving you a flexible, workable framework for effective teaching.
Science Puzzlers!
One hundred and fifty high-interest, humorous science activities ready to be used to captivate and motivate students. The reproducible puzzles range from word scrambles, word searches, and categorizing, to crosswords and mini problem-solvers, and are organized into three main units: physical science, earth science, and life science.
