Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires

Standard(s) Addressed: Physical Science Students know sources of stored energy take many forms, such as food, fuel, and batteries.

Students know energy can be carried from one place to another by waves, such as water waves

and sound waves, by electric current, and by moving objects.

Electricity and magnetism are related effects that have many useful applications in everyday life.

As a basis for understanding this concept:

a. Students know how to design and build simple series and parallel circuits by

using components such as wires, batteries, and bulbs.

Students know electrically charged objects attract or repel each other.

Students know electrical energy can be converted to heat, light, and motion.

Lesson Objective: Students will understand that batteries produce electrons and these travel

along a wire from the negative terminal to the positive terminal of a battery. They will learn that

there are two contact points on a light bulb and that, for the bulb to light, they must create a

complete path for the electrons to move from the negative terminal of the battery along the wire

through the light bulb to the positive terminal of the battery. They will use batteries, bulbs, and

wires as they work in pairs.

Materials: Flashlight bulbs, C or D batteries, and 8 inch lengths of aluminum foil folded into narrow strips,

white boards with markers and erasers, cards with electrons (e-) for role play

Student Talk Strategies: Think-Pair-Share

Inside-Outside Circle

Classroom Management: CHAMPs Conversation: Students may talk to each other in inside voices, except during the probe when

they work in silence alone. Help: They will help each other and, if they need help, one student

will raise his/her hand quietly to let teacher know. Activity: Students will find the lowest

number of wires to light the bulb. Then students will work in pairs to find 4 ways to light the

light bulb. They will work at their desks. Movement: One student will get the materials.

Students will be able to stand away from their desks during Inside-Outside Circle.

Participation: Students will work cooperatively with both of them handling the materials.

Lesson adapted from Keeley, P. , Eberle, F., & Dorsey, C. (2008). Uncovering Student Ideas

in Science (Vol 3). Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

ENGAGE: Connect to Prior Knowledge and Experience, Create Emotionally Safe

Learning Environment, Preview New Vocabulary Estimated time:10 minutes

Teacher’s Role Teacher Questions Students’ Role

Teacher administers Probe 7: Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires to

determine what students know

about electrical circuits.

Teacher walks around the

room and reads student

responses quietly without

talking to students. In

particular, teacher looks at

students’ drawings for insight

into student thinking.

From probe: What is the smallest number of wire strips

Kirsten needs to make the

bulb light up?

Students respond individually without talking to an elbow

partner.

Students may answer: Two

wires—both coming from the

bottom of the battery to the

bulb (clash model).

Or

One wire—coming from the

bottom of the battery to the

bulb (with no contact with the

top of the battery)

Naïve Conception: If wires

are connected to a battery and

bulb, no matter where, a

complete circuit is made.

EXPLORE: Hands-On Learning, Contextualize Language, Use of Scaffolding (Graphic

Organizers, Thinking Maps, Cooperative Learning), Use of Multiple Intelligences, Check for

Understanding Estimated time: 30 minutes

Teacher’s Role Teacher Questions Students’ Role 1. Teacher tells students that

they will now test out their

answer on the probe. They

will use a battery, one bulb,

and strips of wire to find the

least number of wires it takes

to light the bulb.

2. Teacher asks students to

report out the least number of

strips they used to make the

bulb light.

Teacher calls on a group with

the correct arrangement to

show theirs to the class.

3. The teacher then has every

team build a circuit using 1

battery, 1 bulb, and 1 wire.

Teacher may ask the teams

who have shown 1 wire to

1. Now you will test out your

prediction on the probe. Try

the number of wires you gave

in your response.

2. Can you make the bulb light

with fewer strips?

Think, Pair, Share: Share your

ideas with the person next to

you and report to class.

3. Now that you have seen

this arrangement, show me

that you can build one too.

1. Students work in pairs and

discuss their responses with

each other. They then test their

predictions with the materials

to actually make a complete

circuit.

They record their set-up and

ideas in their notebooks.

2. They discuss their ideas and

explanations with their

partner. Think, Pair, Share.

They show their arrangement

for fewer wires on their white

boards and display these for

the class to see.

3. Pairs show the teacher the

arrangement with 1 battery, 1

bulb, and 1 wire.

walk around the room to help the others. Teacher walks

around the room to verify

student understanding.

4. Given a 1.5 V C or D

battery, 1 bulb and 1 strip of

aluminum foil, teacher asks

students to now arrange the

materials to make 4 complete,

different circuits.

4. Now that you know how to

make the bulb light with one

strip, I have a challenge for

you. Can you find 4 different

arrangements using only 1

battery, 1 bulb, and 1 strip to

make the bulb light?

4. Pairs use the materials to

find the 4 different

arrangements and record in

their notebooks in a T-chart

which arrangements caused

the bulb to light and which

arrangements caused the bulb

to not light.

EXPLAIN: Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing to Communicate Conceptual

Understanding Estimated time: 20 minutes

Teacher’s Role Teacher Questions Students’ Role 1. Teacher asks students to

draw successful arrangements

on their white boards.

Teacher then asks selected

groups to show their different

arrangements to the class and

to explain the path from the

battery through the bulb back

to the battery.

2. Teacher takes out larger

clear bulbs for students to

view.

3. As teacher moves from

group to group, teacher asks

students to look carefully at

the base of the bulb.

4. After having a conversation

with each group, the teacher

calls the students back

together to discuss the 2

contact points in the base of

the light bulb.

1. What arrangements light the

bulb?

2. Now I am going to give you

a clear bulb. Be careful. It is

made of glass. In your

notebooks, sketch carefully,

with detail, what you see.

3. What do you see here on the

base?

What is attached on the inside

to that “bump”?

4. Based on what you have

seen in these first tests, what

statement or statements can

you make about what is

needed to light a bulb?

Teacher asks other students to

ADD ON (one of the

1. Groups record their

drawings and statements on

white boards and share with

the large group.

2. Students now work in

groups of 4 to look at the clear

bulb and draw in their

notebooks what they see.

3. A bump.

The wire that is inside the bulb

4. a battery, a wire, and a bulb

the two contact points have to

be part of the path

5. Teacher shows the Bill Nye

“Electricity” DVD to show

direct current (DC) then tells

students they are going to act

out what is happening with

these circuits. Teacher asks

some of the students to line up

in a straight line. They are

electrons in a wire.

6. After role play, teacher

checks for student

understanding. Teacher

sketches what the students

offer for a complete circuit.

productive talk moves). 5. Each of you is going to be

an electron, a tiny negatively

charged particle that is in

wires and metals and in the

battery. On my signal one

electron is going to jump out

of the battery and the next

electron is going to move

away. The next electron is

also going to move away and

so on.

6. What conditions are

necessary for a circuit to be

completed?

Teacher uses REASONING

(one of the productive talk

moves) to support student

learning.

5. Students act as electrons

moving in a complete circuit

from the battery through the

bulb back to the battery.

6. a source of electrons

(battery), something to help

the electrons move (wire),

something to use the energy of

the moving electrons (bulb)

EVALUATE: Thinking Maps, Summarize Lesson and Review Vocabulary, Variety of

Assessment Tools, Games to Show Understanding Estimated time: 10 minutes

Teacher’s Role Teacher Questions Students’ Role Teacher checks for

understanding by asking

questions, looking at

responses, and looking at

student responses in

notebooks.

I am going to show you some

pictures of batteries, wires,

and bulbs and you are going to

choose one and use it for

Inside-Outside Circle.

Students count off 1-2, 1-2,..

The 1s are Inside and will

choose an arrangement that is

unsuccessful. The 2s are

Outside and they choose a

successful arrangement.

Students revisit their probes

and decide whether they want

to change their answer. They

cross out any incorrect

responses. DO NOT ERASE.

Students receive a sheet of

arrangements of wires,

batteries and bulbs. They look

at each drawing and make

decisions about whether the

drawing represents a complete

circuit and whether the bulb

will light. In Inside-Outside

Circle, they will use the

following sentence frame.

1s: This arrangement is

missing some of the three

things for a circuit: ,

and ,

2s: This arrangement shows

the three things for a complete

circuit: ,

, and .

EXTEND: Group Projects, Plays, Murals, Songs, Connections to Real World, Connections

to Other Curricular Areas Estimated time: 5 minutes

Teacher’s Role Teacher Questions Students’ Role Teacher leads the students in

singing “The Circuit Song”.

Teacher asks students to go

home to look at items that use

electricity there. Make a note

of the items that use batteries

(direct current).

We are now going to sing a

song related to our

investigation.

Students sing the “Circuit

Song”.

Student Talk Strategies

Adapted from Avenues, Hampton Brown, 2007.

Circuit Song [to the tune of A-Tisket, A-Tasket]

Pam Brusic, NMUSD

A circuit, a circuit,

A circuit’s like a circle—

It must be connected all around

In order to do work.

A circuit, a circuit,

A circuit needs a source—

A negative terminal, positive, too,

In order to do work.

A circuit, a circuit,

A circuit needs conductors— Conductors carry the electrical flow

In order to do work.

A circuit, a circuit,

A circuit has a resistor—

It gives off light, sound, heat or moves—

It’s the part that does the work.

A circuit, a circuit,

An e-lec-tri-cal circuit—

Electricity flows from the source and back

In order to do work.

Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires (Student Recording Sheet as a model for what students should write in their notebooks)

Task 1.

Draw an arrangement of 1 battery and 1 bulb that uses the fewest number of

wires.

galileo.phys.virginia.edu

Task 2. Challenge. Find 4 Ways to Light a Bulb.

Data Table: 4 arrangements that cause the bulb to light Arrangements that cause the bulb to not

light

Task 3.

Sketch (draw) details of the clear light bulb. Make the image large. Fill this

space.

Meaning Making:

What did you see when you made a complete electric circuit?

Claims and Evidence: (adapted from California Reading and Literature

Project “Focused Approach” Beginning:

Students use one word responses to name the parts of a complete circuit as the teacher points to

them. Or students point to the part of the circuit that the teacher names.

Early Intermediate:

We need three things for a circuit: , , and .

Intermediate:

The arrangements that lit the bulb all had , , and

.

Early Advanced:

The light bulb lit when I .

but the arrangements that did not light the bulb .

Advanced:

Since I , the light bulb .

Home School Connection

At home, find all the objects that use batteries. These use direct current. Be prepared to show

the complete path in the circuit.

List the objects here. Draw the objects here.

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http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/u9l2b.cfm

http://www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/u9l2b.cfm