1. Conductors and Insulators
Science
Electricity:
Lesson 10:
Conductors and Insulators
Materials needed:
-conductors and insulators sheet for each student
-box of supplies for each pair of students:
-3 wires
-piece of paper clip
-2 batteries in holders
-1 bulb in a holder
-baggie of objects to test for each pair of students
-blank Ticket out the Door (or piece of paper) for each
student 1

2. How can I control the electricity flowing through a circuit?
The BIG Question:
How can I control the electricity flowing through a circuit?
Yesterday we answered this big question.

3. a complete path that allows electricity to flow
closed circuit
a complete path that allows electricity to flow
What do you call a complete path that allows electricity to flow? *

4. an incomplete path that does not allow electricity to flow
open circuit
an incomplete path that does not allow electricity to flow
What do you call an incomplete path that does not allow electricity to flow? *

5. open circuit closed circuit What type of circuit is this? *

6. A switch can be used to open and close a circuit.
We learned about a device that you can use to open and close a circuit.
What is that device called? *
Today we have a new big question to investigate…

7. How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
The BIG Question:
How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
To find the answer to today’s question, we are first going to need to build a circuit, which means we’ll need some supplies.
(students get boxes)

8. components:
I would like you take the following components out of your box.
With your components, I would like you to build a circuit that looks like this…

9. Be sure your batteries are connected from negative to positive!
Would this be an open circuit or a closed circuit? (open)
(students build circuit)
Right now, no electricity is flowing through my circuit.
What would I have to do to make the electricity flow? (connect two wires)
Touch your two wires together to make a closed circuit. Your bulb should light up. Then disconnect them again.
Let’s look at our big question again.

10. How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
The BIG Question:
How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
So far we have only used a wire as a path for our electricity. What material do you think our wire is made of? (metal – copper)
We know that this material lets electricity flow through it easily.
Today we’ll try some other materials to see how they will affect the flow of electricity.
I have a sheet for you listing all the different materials that we will test.
When you get it, write a 23 on the front in the bottom right corner and a 24 on the back in the bottom left corner.

11. How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
Hypothesis:
Can electricity flow?
Material
Tested Result:
wooden golf tee
plastic straw
brass screw
steel paper clip
aluminum screening
plastic screening
chalk
wooden pencil stub
brass paper fastener
iron nail
aluminum nail
glass marble
pipe cleaner
copper wire
aluminum wire
rubber eraser
In the middle column, you’ll see a list of the materials we’ll use.
On the left, you’ll see a place for you to * make a hypothesis.
Let’s do that column together.
(hold up each item – students write yes or no on sheet)
Now it’s time for us to test our hypotheses.

12. How might we use the circuit that we built to test each of these materials to see if they allow electricity to flow?
So, you’ll need to place each item * between your two wires.
If the bulb lights, you’ll know that electricity can flow through that material.
If the bulb doesn’t light, you’ll know that electricity cannot flow through that material.
Be careful not to touch the two wires together. We know that electricity will flow if they are touching.

13. Things to do: 1. Test each material and write your actual
results on your sheet.
Return all your supplies to the correct
location.
Here are your things to do…
Can someone read number 1? *
Can someone read number 2? *
Can someone read number 3? *
Can someone read number 4? *
(give students time to complete the steps)
Let’s talk about your results and see what conclusions you made.
Work with your partner to write some
conclusions based on the results of your
experiment.
4. Work on your Electricity Challenge Packet.

14. How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
Hypothesis:
Can electricity flow?
Material
Tested Result:
wooden golf tee
plastic straw
brass screw
steel paper clip
aluminum screening
plastic screening
chalk
wooden pencil stub
brass paper fastener
iron nail
aluminum nail
glass marble
pipe cleaner
copper wire
aluminum wire
rubber eraser no no
yes
yes
yes no no
yes or no
Did electricity flow through the wooden golf tee? *
(do all in the same manner – for wooden pencil stub and pipe cleaner talk about how the answer depends on where you placed your wires)
Let’s see what conclusions you made based on your results.
yes
yes
yes no
yes or no
yes
yes no

15. How do different materials affect the flow of electricity?
objects that are
I conclude that electricity flows through _____________________
____________________________________________________
I know this to be true because _____________________________
I conclude that electricity does not flow through materials like ____
_________________________________________________________________
made out of metal.
it flowed through the objects
Can someone read what they wrote for the first sentence? (call on a few volunteers)
Here is what I wrote…*
Can someone read what they wrote for the next sentence? (call on a few volunteers)
Can someone read their last sentence? (call on a few volunteers)
made of brass, steel, aluminum, iron, and copper.
wood, glass, plastic, chalk, and rubber.

16. conductors
All of these materials that you tested today…the paper clip, the aluminum screen, the iron nail, the copper wire, the brass screw, the aluminum wire, the paper fastener, and the aluminum nail are called * conductors.
Talk with your partner. What do you think would be a good definition of the word conductor?

17. a material that electricity can flow through easily
conductor
a material that electricity can flow through easily
______________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Let’s add the definition of conductor to the back of our sheet. We’ll use the top starburst.
We’ll write the word * conductor in the box.
On the lines we’ll write our definition. *

18. insulators
All of these materials that you tested today…the rubber eraser, the wooden golf tee, the glass marbles, the plastic straw, and the chalk are called * insulators.
Talk with your partner. What do you think would be a good definition of the word insulator?

19. a material that electricity cannot flow through
insulator
a material that electricity cannot flow through
______________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Let’s add the definition of insulator to the back of our sheet. We’ll use the bottom starburst.
We’ll write the word * insulator in the box.
On the lines we’ll write our definition. *
Add this page to your Electricity Notebook.

20. Electrifying Vocabulary 1-2 My Prior Knowledge 3-4 All About Atoms 5
How is Static Electricity Produced?
6-8
How Electrical Charges Affect One Another
9-10
How is Current Electricity Produced?
11-16
Will the Bulb Light? 17
We need to add an entry to our Table of Contents. Find your Table of Contents page.
On the next line, we’ll write…*
For the page numbers, we’ll write…*
We also need to add some important words to our Electrifying Vocabulary pages.
What do you call a material that electricity can flow through easily?
Parts of a Light Bulb
18-19
Open and Closed Circuits
20-22
Conductors and Insulators
23-24

21. Electrifying Vocabulary
current electricity
- pg. 12
circuit
- pg. 15
closed circuit
- pg. 20
Find the C box and add the word *conductor and the page number.
What do you call a material that electricity cannot flow through?
conductor
- pg. 24

22. Electrifying Vocabulary
insulator
- pg. 24
Find the I box and add the word * insulator and the page number.
Then close your binder.

23. I have a clip I would like to show you to sum up what we learned yesterday and today about open and closed circuits and conductors and insulators.
(Show clip: Lesson 10 – Circuits, conductors, and insulators - Stop after the part about the toaster - ”…cook the food.” – about 2 minutes, 21 seconds)
Here is your…

24. Ticket Out the Door
Name one object that we did not test today that would be a conductor.
Name one object that we did not test today that would be an insulator.
…Ticket out the Door for today.
Can someone read this first part?
Be sure to write your answer in a sentence. For example, you might say…A ____ would be a conductor.
Can someone read this * second part?
Be sure to also write that answer in a sentence.
If you finish early, study your flash cards.