1. This work was supported primarily by the ERC Program
Using a Middle School Makerspace to teach about the Electrical Grid and Electricity Delivery to Consumers
Karen Cragwall
Research Experience for Teachers – Library Media Center
Karns Middle School – Knoxville, Tennessee
Learning about Electricity with Arduinos
Lesson Overview-Students will see an animated video that gives an overview of how the U.S. electrical grid is organized
and how power gets to customers. Next, they will make a human electrical circuit. Finally, students will be put into several small groups receiving printed instructions on how to create a traffic light using Arduino kits from the school’s Makerspace. Students will collaborate and problem-solve to create a successful traffic light by writing computer code and placing wires and LED lights in the correct positions.
Resources
Materials Needed:
Laptop computers (1 for each small group)
1 starter Arduino kit for each small group
1 library book for each student (all approximately the same size)
1 interactive board
1 teaching computer
1 LCD projector
Follow-along worksheet (1 for each student)
Instruction sheet to begin working with Arduino (1 for each small group)
Energy 101 video:
Arduino instructions for creating a traffic light:
Instructions for creating a human circuit: Follow along sheet for watching the video ( attached to lesson plan)
Using Squishy Circuits to Light Original Sculptures
Lesson Overview: Students will view an “in a nutshell” presentation from the invention of the lightbulb until the U.S. began building the electrical grid whose basic principles are still used today They will study a graphic from PBS that describes how both positive and negative charges are needed to create a successful electrical current. As a problem-solving/hands-on activity students will work in small groups using Squishy Circuits that are included in the school’s Makerspace and homemade play dough to create sculptures that can be lighted with multicolored LED bulbs.
Resources
Materials Needed:
Squishy Circuit kits (enough for several small groups)
9 volt batteries for each kit
Teacher computer
1 LCD projector
Interactive Board
Conductive dough
Insulating dough
Plastic knives to use for cutting/shaping dough
Video about Edison:
Video about Tesla:
tesla/videos/nikola-tesla-fast-facts
Recipes for Conductive/Insulating dough
Making squishy circuits with play-dough
Investigating 3D printing and Electricity Delivery
Lesson Overview: Students will view a video from youtube that introduces them to 3D printing. The Librarian will then give them a graphic that identifies all parts of the two Ultimaker Go 2 printers and show all the filaments available for use in 3D printing the school will use. The next activity will begin with looking at a slide of the way engineers at TVA track which types of energy resources are currently at work and at what level they are being used to generate our electricity. Students will then investigate ways TVA is working to improve their electrical grid and how electricity is delivered to the consumer at the TVA Kids website. Small groups will brainstorm ways 3D printing could possibly be used to help TVA bring these innovations into daily living. Students will then watch a video that shows how a 3D printer is being used in an African community not attached to an electrical grid to enable them to gather their own solar energy and independently generate electricity. They will also watch the school’s 3D printers create a small solar panel holder. Each class will watch panels being made during class to use for further research and experimentation at the school.
Resources
Materials Needed:
1 ActivBoard
1 LCD projector
1 teacher computer
ActivInspire/PowerPoint presentation slide
Classroom set of laptops (1 for each student)
2-3D printers (KMS has Ultimaker 2 Go)
Printer filament
10-5V solar panels
Research information sheets (1 for each student)
Graphic describing parts of Ultimaker 2 Go printer (1 per student)
Video that introduces students to 3D printing:
Slide for students to see the types of resources currently used at the TVA River Forecast Facility. (attached at the end of the lesson plan)
Students will work in small groups to see how this agency is working on improving electricity delivery. The worksheet that goes with this activity is attached to the end of the lesson plan.
Short video from Science in Context (part of TN Electronic Library) about using 3D printers in Africa to help people harness solar power:
Special thanks to Erin Wills and Dr. Chen for opening up a brand new world for me.
This work was supported primarily by the ERC Program
of the National Science Foundation and DOE under NSF Award Number EEC