Pupils should be taught to:
• identify common appliances that run on electricity;
• construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers;
• identify whether or not a lamp will light in a simple series circuit, based on whether or not the lamp is part of a complete loop with a battery;
• recognise that a switch opens and closes a circuit and associate this with whether or not a lamp lights in a simple series circuit;
• recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors.
Pupils identify a range of common electrical appliances and sort them depending on where in the house they would be most likely to be used. A cut, sort and paste activity.
View ResourcePupils learn that electricity can be made naturally and that it can also be manufactured. They learn that electricity can be made in a variety of natural and manufactured ways including solar, hydro and wind manufactured electricity.
View ResourcePupils are taught about precautions for working safely with electricity. They think about and identify potential dangers and design a poster to reinforce the need to handle electricity with care.
View ResourcePupils learn about electrical safety and the dangers that electricity can pose by looking at a series of electrical pictures and identifying the dangers.
View ResourceUsing the information provided pupils plan and design and investigation in whether a range of common materials and objects are conductors or insulators. Pupils construct a simple circuit to test their predictions.
Pupils identify a number of common electrical appliances and group them according to whether they are powered by mains electricity or batteries.
A PowerPoint presentation used to introduce pupils to electricity and electrical circuits. The PowerPoint can be used at the beginning of the topic or during it to stimulate scientific discussions, ideas and theories.
View ResourcePupils predict whether they think the bulbs in a number of circuit diagrams will light up. They construct the circuits to investigate their predictions.
Pupils have to apply their knowledge and understanding of circuits and switches to successfully wire a number of rooms in a dolls house. They draw the circuits they would construct on a plan of each floor of the dolls house.
Pupils apply their understanding of electricity and circuit construction to help solve a real life problem for a elderly lady who has difficulty hearing her door bell.
Pupils use their knowledge of circuits to make a lighthouse and/or a shoe box house light up.
Pupils are presented with a range of circuit diagrams and predict which ones will work and illuminate a bulb. Pupils then construct each circuit and test their predictions.
Pupils look at a range of circuits and predict (guess) whether the bulb will light up! When they have made their predictions, pupils make each circuit to see if their prediction was accurate.
Pupils investigate and make simple electrical circuits using wires, bulbs, bulb holders, cells, clips and switches.
Pupils learn that many things in our homes use electricity and we call these things electrical appliances. They also learn that electricity can make appliances light up, move, heat up or produce sound. Pupils look at a range of electrical appliances and identify the main thing electricity makes them do and that in some cases electricity may make some appliances do more than one main thing!
View ResourcePupils identify items and appliances that need electricity to make them work. The learn that electricity makes different electrical items do different things, including moving, illuminating and heating.