1. SIMPLE/LOW COST ELECTRICITY FOR ELEMENTARY STUDENTS Building Simple Circuits

2. Where do we use Electricity? Where do we use electricity in our homes and at school?

3. What is electricity? A type of energy Electricity can travel through wires in currents What is current electricity? Power to move from one point to another

4. Where does electricity come from? Power Source Power Plant Electrical lines Battery Electricity has to have energy (power) to work

5. Power of a battery We use batteries to get electricity into objects that are not connected to a wall outlet What are some things that use batteries?

6. The Circuit In order for electricity to travel to where we need it, there must be a complete circuit of electricity. A complete circuit is like a circle. A circuit is a closed path so electricity can follow. Electricity starts at a particular place, travels around the circuit, and returns to the same place. No circuit will work if it has a break in it.

7. Closed Circuit or Open Circuit?

9. Positive and Negative In order to make a circuit complete we also need positive and negative terminals Negative Positive

10. What do you think? Will the light bulb illuminate? NOYES NO

11. A Complete or Closed Circuit Positive Flow Negative Flow No breaks in Circuit

12. How Does a Circuit Work? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VnnpLaKsqGU &feature=youtu.be

13. Could you “teach” the Following Simple Circuit?

14. Can a Pencil be used as a Conductor? “Drawing” a circuit Materials: Soft drawing pencil (6B is best) Paper 5mm LED bulb 9 volt battery 9 volt snap connectors 330 ohm resistor Two insulated wire leads

15. Notes 1. Graphite is a conductor—although a poor conductor 2. Paper is an insulator 3. Long stretches of graphite can be used as a resistor (because graphite is a poor conductor) 4. LED’s are like lightbulbs, but they’re more forgiving 5. LED’s have a positive and negative lead (one direction) 6. Electrical tape can be used to connect copper conductors to graphite 7. Switches can be drawn with graphite 8. Need to use higher voltages (i.e., 9V) to overcome resistance.

16. Lets Design a Circuit 1. Using graphite, design a circuit with one LED, one switch, one battery, one resistor, and two conductors. 2. Add the resistor to the negative side of the circuit 3. Add the LED to the circuit (shorter prong is negative) 4. Add two poles (negative and positive) where the battery can be connected 5. Attach the red wire from the battery to the positive pole of the circuit (longer prong) 6. Attach the black wire from the battery to the negative pole of the circuit (shorter prong) 7. Close the circuit by “coloring” in the switch with graphite

17. Resources What STEM concepts can you deliver with this activity? Resources http://www.uastem.com/ http://www.isea-stem.org/ http://www.iteea.org/ Circuitscribe: http://www.circuitscribe.com/http://www.circuitscribe.com/ Snap Circuits: http://www.snapcircuits.net/http://www.snapcircuits.net/