Last updated on February 14, 2008

Electricity and Basic Circuits Lesson Plan

Lesson Objectives

1. Be able to draw and explain how an electrical circuit works.

2. Be able to construct a simple circuit, a series circuit, and a parallel circuit.

3. Be able to define and use vocabulary associated with electricity and circuitry.
Vocabulary: Circuits, electrons, series, parallel, resistor, etc.

4. Be able to explain how resistors work (if there is time).

Lesson Materials

• In paper bag for each student team of 3-4 students, and for the instructor, not
connected together:

One 9V battery

One 9V battery clip that snaps into the top of the 9V battery and
outputs to two wires

One small flashlight bulb

One light bulb holder

Four wires with alligator clips at each end
• In addition, to be included in the instructor’s bag:
o Package of resistors for showing the effects of resistors on bulb brightness (if
there is time).
o A second light bulb and light bulb holder for each student team as well as for
the instructor for use in experiment 2.

Introduction Lecture (10 minutes)

Ask the students, “What do you think of when you think of ‘electricity’?” Make a list up
front on the board of answers the students come up with as well as a list of items in the
student’s homes that run on electricity. Then ask students questions like “Where does
this electricity come from?” and “How do we get light and energy from it?”
Introduce the term “circuit” and explain that today we are going to learn to build electric
circuits, similar to the ones that make things work in our houses.

Experiment 1: Simple Circuits and How they Work (25 minutes)

We will hand out paper bags containing circuit parts, and have the kids explore the
contents of the paper bag. Ask the students to try and make the light bulb light up and
help the kids assemble the circuit in the ways they suggest. The tutors can ask some
prompting questions (e.g. “What do you think this does?”) but should not guide the
students in their circuit construction.
Last updated on February 14, 2008

Warning: Do not let the students touch the 9V batteries to their tongues, as people
sometimes do to check that the battery is still charged. While this won’t hurt the students,
it will cause them discomfort, and it will rapidly discharge the battery. Preferably, you
should not mention to the students that they can touch the battery to their tongues (so as
to not give them ideas), and should only take action to stop students from doing it if you
see them doing it.

Before the 10 minutes are up some students will have undoubtedly have made a simple
circuit with the contents of the bag. At this time we stop for a brief discussion. Have the
students explain what they did so others can follow.

Now break briefly for a discussion on how the circuit works. We will explain with a
water pipe metaphor: the battery is like a pump, the wires are pipes, the electricity is the
water, and the light bulb powered by the water moving (like a paddle wheel). We can do
this Q&A style as well: “What do you think are like the pipes? Pump? Water? Etc”
Explain to the students that in our homes there are electric outlets that are very large
sources of electric power- so large that it can be dangerous, even deadly for us to touch
electric outlets.

After the brief discussion, have the kids draw a diagram of the circuit on their handout.
The students should make arrows describing the path the electrons take (battery to light
bulb and back to battery).

Experiment 2: Series and Parallel Circuits (20 minutes)

Once we’ve drawn our circuits, we distribute a second light bulb with a holder to each
group, and it is the kids’ job to build a circuit where both bulbs are lit. There are TWO
solutions to this (series and parallel). Give the kids ~5 minutes to see if they can come up
with an answer on their own. Then the tutors should prompt solutions. Once the group
has come up with one solution, the tutor should ask, “Can we think of another way to get
both bulbs to light up?” The tutor and the kids should then try to assemble the second
type of circuit. With the older kids, the tutors can provide the names of the two types of
circuits.

After both types of circuits have been assembled, the kids should draw diagrams of both
circuits, and answer the following questions on the handout. The circuit diagrams should
include arrows again to describe the paths the electricity takes. This will be very helpful
in understanding questions 2-4.

The tutors should then ask the students the following questions as a class and have
students answer:

1. Which circuit makes the light bulbs brigher? Why do you think that is? Use the
water in pipes metaphor to help answer this question.
2. Unscrew a light bulb in the series circuit. What happens to the other one? Why?
3. Unscrew a light bulb in the parallel circuit. What happens to the other one? Why?
Last updated on February 14, 2008

4. Based on these observations, what kind of circuit do you think you have in your
house? Why?

Experiment 3: Resistors (Time permitting, remaining time)

Go back to the pipe metaphor. Ask the kids what would happen if there were rocks in the
pipes, in terms of the circuit? Sample answers: less water flowing, light bulb not as
bright, etc. Explain that we can put “rocks” in the circuit with something called a resistor.

Prepare the tutor demonstration to illustrate the effect of resistors in series on the circuit
and in particular on the brightness of the bulb.

• Demonstrate the effect of the smallest resistor (likely 1 kilo-ohm) on the circuit
and have the students observe the light.
• Demonstrate the effect of the middle size resistor (likely 10 kilo-ohm). What
happens to the light?
• Demonstrate the effect of the largest resistor (likely 100 kilo-ohm). Now what
happens?

Throughout the tutor demonstration, have the kids write down their observations
on the handout. Try to get them to understand resistors in terms of “rocks in the
pipe.” What is meant by a “larger resistor?” Why is the brightness go down
when the resistance goes up?

Recap (5 minutes)

Back in the main group, with a simple circuit diagram on the board. Ask the students
what each element does (battery, wires, light bulb).

Draw up a series and parallel circuit on the board and have the student identify these
circuits by name, emphasizing the use of electrical vocabulary.

If classes get to it, ask the students to explain how the resistors work, in terms of the
rocks in the pipe metaphor.

Scientific Background Explanation for Tutors

Sometimes trying to understand a complicated new idea can be easier if we

compare it to something we are already familiar with. This is called making an analogy.
For example, understanding electricity in circuits can be easier if we compare it to water
flowing through pipes. Think of the battery as a kind of water pump, and wires as the
pipes through which the pumped water flows. In order for the pump to keep pumping, it
must have some water to pump – therefore, the water pipes must come out of one side of
the pump and eventually return to the other side. Along the way, the water pipes can pass
through many different devices – the two we will play with today are called light bulbs
and resistors.
Last updated on February 14, 2008

A light bulb converts electricity into light. Think of it as a device which creates
light as water passes through it – the faster water passes through, the brighter the light. A
resistor limits how much electricity can flow in a circuit. Think of it as a pipe which is
blocked by a pile of rocks – the more rocks there are, the harder it is for water to flow,
which is what we call a high resistance.
We are looking at two different ways of connecting a battery with two lights bulbs.
One way is called a series connection – here a wire connects one side of the battery to
one side of the first bulb, and another wire connects the other side of the bulb to the
second bulb. The other side of this second bulb is connected to the other side of the
battery. If we think about this as water pipes, water flows from the pump (battery)
through two bulbs, one after the other – this is why we call this a series circuit.
Another way of connecting two bulbs to a battery is called a parallel connection.
Here two wires lead from one side of the battery and connect to two different bulbs. The
other sides of these bulbs connect back to the other side of the battery. If we think about
this as water pipes, water flows in two loops from the pump through one bulb and then
back to the pump.