Toying with Electrical Engineering

Fourth Grade

 

 

Fall 2005

 

 

Rationale

 

We chose electrical engineering because we liked the activity on the PBS website. We thought the candy safe activity would be appealing to kids because they like to keep things safe, or lock up a “secret stash.” We chose to do this with fourth graders because we looked up the science standards for the Ames Community school district and the electricity unit is usually taught in fourth grade. Also, the NSES standards include electricity in their k-4 expectations. We feel that this field is beneficial to the students, because electricity is such a major part of our lives and it is important for students to understand how it works and where it comes from. It also exposes the students to the field of engineering, and lets them realize that everyone can be an engineer.

 

Unit Objectives

 

    1. Students will understand the basic concepts of electrical engineering.
    2. Students will be able to diagram a circuit.
    3. Students will be able to build a simple circuit.
    4. Students will be able to incorporate a switch into a simple circuit.
    5. Students will be able to demonstrate all of their knowledge of simple circuits by building a candy safe with a buzzer.

 

Unit Engineering Standards


 

a.       NSES standard: Science and Technology:

IDENTIFY A SIMPLE PROBLEM. In problem identification, children should develop the ability to explain a problem in their own words and identify a specific task and solution related to the problem.[See Content Standard A (grades K-4)]

PROPOSE A SOLUTION. Students should make proposals to build something or get something to work better; they should be able to describe and communicate their ideas. Students should recognize that designing a solution might have constraints, such as cost, materials, time, space, or safety.

IMPLEMENTING PROPOSED SOLUTIONS. Children should develop abilities to work individually and collaboratively and to use suitable tools, techniques, and quantitative measurements when appropriate. Students should demonstrate the ability to balance simple constraints in problem solving.

EVALUATE A PRODUCT OR DESIGN. Students should evaluate their own results or solutions to problems, as well as those of other children, by considering how well a product or design met the challenge to solve a problem. When possible, students should use measurements and include constraints and other criteria in their evaluations. They should modify designs based on the results of evaluations.

COMMUNICATE A PROBLEM, DESIGN, AND SOLUTION. Student abilities should include oral, written, and pictorial communication of the design process and product. The communication might be show and tell, group discussions, short written reports, or pictures, depending on the students' abilities and the design project.

b.      NSES: Physical Science

 Electricity in circuits can produce light, heat, sound, and magnetic effects. Electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.

 

Unit Co-Curricular Standards


 

a.       Writing: Ames Community School District, fourth grade

4.4.0 Uses writing skills and strategies.

4.4.1 Organizes writing (sentence fluency and organization).

A. Creates an introduction showing a clear main idea, uses supporting detail, supplies a conclusion.
B. Uses paragraph format.

4.4.2 Applies writing conventions.

A. Uses complete sentences, transition words, and correct grammar.
B. Can identify common/proper nouns, adjectives, and pronouns.
C. Uses capitalization and punctuation appropriately.

o Uses commas in direct address.
o Uses quotation marks in dialogue, short stories, articles correctly.
o Underlines titles of books and newspapers.
o Uses apostrophes in contractions.
o Uses apostrophes in possessives correctly

b.      Art: National Art Education Standards, Visual Arts

2. Content Standard:  Using knowledge of *structures and functions
 
Achievement Standard:  Students
     a.   know the differences among visual characteristics and
          purposes of art in order to convey ideas
     b.   describe how different *expressive features and
          *organizational principles cause different responses
     c.   use visual structures and functions of art to communicate 
          ideas

 

 Lesson Plans
 

Lesson Plan #1

 

Grade/Subject: Fourth grade science/ electrical engineering unit

 

Objectives:

  1. The fourth grade students will demonstrate understanding of electrical engineering by writing a story featuring electrical engineering.
  2. Students will show an understanding of the book by discussing the questions as a class.
  3. Students will show an understanding of electrical engineering by summarizing their book in front of the class.

 

Materials:

-book

-paper

 

Anticipatory Set: “Today we’re starting a new unit.  Electricity is one of the most common things in our society.  We’re going to learn what electricity is and who the people are that invent the things we use that run on electricity.”

 

Procedure:

  1. Ask students where they think electricity comes from.
  2. Discuss the uses of electricity:  what uses electricity, where we get it, who invented it, was is always around…
  3. Introduce the book Dorling Kindersley Eyewitness Books: Electricity.
  4. The teacher will read the book to the class.
  5. Pause and get student feedback on various pages of the book.
  6. The book will probably not need to be read in its entirety, teacher should mark important pages before class.
  7. After the book, as the students to summarize some of the things they learned from the book.
  8. Ask the students which invention that relies on electricity is.
  9. Tell them that they are going to write a story and they can write it about either their favorite invention or an invention they would like to see.
  10. Allow the students to write their stories until the last 10 minutes of class.
  11. Stop the students and see if there are any volunteers to read or summarize their stories.

 

Closure: “Everyone wrote really interesting stories.  If you aren’t done feel free to take them home tonight and finish them.  We might have some more volunteers share tomorrow.  Tomorrow we’re going to figure out how electricity works, we will actually be using an invention that runs on electricity for an activity tomorrow.  You’ll find out then what it is.  See you all tomorrow!”

 

Assessment:  The students will be assessed on the stories that they write and their participation in the discussion.  The stories should give the teacher a chance to see how much they picked up from the book and how well they understood it.


 

Lesson Plan #2

 

Grade/Subject: Fourth grade science/ electrical engineering unit

 

Overview:  This lesson will help demonstrate that there are tiny parts of an atom called electrons, and moving electrons are required to make electricity. These moving electrons must be in the shape of a loop for electricity to work, and this loop is called a circuit. Students will do a short activity, pretending to be electrons, a light bulb and a battery. This activity should help them to visualize a circuit and how it works. Students will also work through an interactive computer program about circuits and conductors. We will end the lesson with a discussion about what the students learned and what questions they still have about circuits or electricity.

 

Objectives:

1)      The fourth grade students will demonstrate they know how electricity works by participating in the “electron game” and completing the interactive computer program.

2)      Through discussion, the students will demonstrate their understanding of a circuit.

3)      Students will participate in a game in order to show team work skills.

 

Materials:

-picture of light bulb

-picture of battery

-five “e’s” to represent electrons

-computer for every pair of students to use

-access to the Internet

 

Anticipatory Set: “Yesterday we talked about electrical engineers and what they do, and you all had the chance to write a story as if you were an electrical engineer. Today we are going to learn how electricity works.”

 

 

Procedure:

  1. Ask the students if anyone knows what an atom is. Explain that everything in the world is made up of atoms, and they are so tiny that you can’t even see them without a microscope.
  2. Tell the students that atoms are made up of even tinier things, and one of these things is the electron. Electrons spin around the center of the atom, and they sometimes move or jump to other atoms. When electrons move they create electricity, which is what we are going to be talking about today.
  3. The electricity that we use in our house or school is made up of millions of moving electrons. For electricity to work, the electrons must move in a loop, which is called a circuit.
  4. Have the students come to the front of the class. Choose one student to be the light bulb (give student the picture of the light bulb), another student to be the battery (give student the picture of the battery), and five students to be the electrons (give each student an “e”).  Explain that the remaining students will be a metal wire which the electrons will flow through. When the electrons pass through the light bulb, it will light up.
  5. Next, the teacher acts like a barrier, and the electrons will not be able to flow through the loop. “Why doesn’t the light bulb light up now?”
  6. Close the loop and ask the students “What will happen once the loop is closed?”
  7. The students will then work in groups of two to complete and interactive computer program about circuits and conductors.
  8. End the lesson with a few discussion questions.
    1. “How did you make a circuit using two light bulbs? How did this affect the brightness of the bulb?”
    2. “What kinds of materials worked as conductors, meaning what could the electrons pass through?”
    3. “Did the coiled wire work as well as the regular metal wire? Why or why not?”
    4. Ask students if they have any other questions.

 

Closure: “Can anyone tell me what we need for electricity to work? That’s right, we need a complete circuit. Try to remember what we did today, because tomorrow we are going to build our own circuits. Great job today class!”

 

Student Assessment:  The students will be assessed on how well they complete the online computer game and the classroom game.  They will also be assessed during discussion, informally.

 

Sources:

http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Physics/PHS0204.html

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/changing_circuits_whatnext.shtml


 

Lesson Plan #3

 

Grade/Subject: Fourth grade science/ electrical engineering unit

 

Overview: Students will work in small groups for this lesson, and they will be asked to build a circuit. They will be given a light bulb, two batteries, and copper wire. First of all, they will need to predict how they can use the materials they have to light the bulb and draw a picture showing how they will do this. Next students will work with the materials to try different ways to get the bulb to light. We will discuss what the students had to do in order for the bulb to light, and also the different parts of a circuit.   

 

Objectives:

1) The students will demonstrate critical thinking skills by predicting how to make a circuit and making a sketch.

2) The students will demonstrate they know what is needed to complete a circuit, by lighting the bulb. 

3) Through working together in groups, students will demonstrate they are able to use their communication skills.

 

Materials:

-paper and pencil

-light bulbs

-batteries

-copper wire

 

Anticipatory Set: “Yesterday we did an activity that helped to demonstrate a complete circuit and we also worked with circuits using the online activity. Today we are going to practice building our own circuits.”

 

Procedure:
1. Divide students into groups of three to four.

2. Have each group discuss and make a sketch of how they predict they will get their bulb to light up.

3. Approve each group’s sketch and distribute the materials.

4. Have students use the materials in order to make a circuit and get the bulb to light.

5. Groups may volunteer to show their circuits to the class.

6. Discuss the different parts of a circuit and what is needed to complete a circuit.

 

Closure: “Great job today class! Can anyone tell me what is needed to complete a circuit? Tomorrow we will be working with circuits again, this time using a switch.”

 

Student Assessment:  The students will be assessed on their sketch and also their finished circuit. The students will also be informally assessed during the discussion.


 

Lesson Plan #4

 

Grade/Subject: Fourth grade science/ electrical engineering unit

 

Objectives:

  1. The students will demonstrate their understanding of circuits by building a lighthouse.
  2. The students will demonstrate their understanding of switches by incorporating a switch in the lighthouse circuit.
  3. The students will demonstrate knowledge of artistic principals by designing and decorating their lighthouses.

 

Materials:

-Copy of “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch”

-Circuit components: bulbs, wires, batteries, switches
-Cardboard tubes
-art supplies
-Plasticene
-Copies of the Using electricity worksheet from the Science Clips website 

 

Anticipatory Set: “Yesterday we worked on making a circuit with batteries and wires.  Today were going to incorporate that into a project and also learn to use a switch in our circuits. We’re going to read a book and then you are going to use different materials to create a lighthouse.”

 

Procedure:

  1. Ask students if they know what a switch does.
  2. Discuss what they could use the switch for in their own circuits.
  3. Read the book, “The Lighthouse Keeper’s Lunch.”
  4. Split students into group of three, a group of two will be ok if there are not enough students.  The teacher might want to come up with the groups before hand.
  5. Give the students the materials they will need to create the lighthouse.
  6. Have the students discuss and try out different ways to use the switch in their circuits.
  7. Give students time to build and decorate the lighthouse.
  8. Once the groups are finished with their lighthouses, they can present their lighthouses, explain their design, and also explain how it works.  If it does not work, the class can discuss ways to make it better.

 

Closure: “Everyone did a really great job building their lighthouses today.  You really figured out quickly how to add the switch to your circuit and make it work.  Will put these up around the room so everyone can see them and tomorrow we’re going to work on creating something else using circuits.”

 

Assessment:  Students will be assessed on the lighthouses they create.  They will be expected to be able to create a circuit that will turn a light bulb on and off with a switch.

 

Sources:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/teachersresources/ages6_7/tr_electricity_offlp.shtml


 

Lesson Plan #5

 

Grade/Subject: Fourth grade science/ electrical engineering unit

 

Overview:  Our last lesson is the activity that we got from the PBS website.  The scenario will be explained to the students, they have a stash of candy they don’t want their family getting into and they need to create a safe to keep their family from eating the candy.  The students will design a safe that, when the box is lifted off the candy, a circuit will be completed and a buzzer will go off.  This is a little different since we had mostly been working with light bulbs up to this point.  They will get to decorate their safes however they would like and then present them to the class.

 

Objectives:

1)      Students will demonstrate the synthesis of their knowledge of circuits by creating a candy safe.

2)      Students will demonstrate good group work techniques by completing the project through cooperation.

3)      Students will demonstrate their knowledge of circuits by creating one.

 

Materials:

-wire

-batteries

-art supplies

-box for each group

 

Anticipatory Set: “Yesterday we worked with switches in our lighthouse project.  Today you’re going to make another project; this time it’s going to be a safe that you can put candy in to keep other people from eating it.”

 

Procedure:

1)      Teacher will explain the scenario and why the students want to keep their candy safe.

2)      Teacher will divide the class into groups.

3)      Teacher will hand out all needed materials to groups.

4)      Students will plan their idea together and make a sketch of what they want the finished project to be.

5)      Teacher will okay the sketch before students are allowed to begin working with materials.

6)      Students will build a safe including a buzzer that sounds when the circuit is completed.

7)      Students will present them to the class (this will take more than one class period, the number will depend on class time allotted to the project and group work outside of class).

 

Closure: “Great job building the safes.  You aren’t done yet, but that’s okay because we’ll have the next few days to work on them.  After they are completed each group will demonstrate how their safe works by presenting it to the class.

Student Assessment:  Students will be assessed on the completion of their safe.  Functionality, teamwork, and aesthetic aspects will be evaluated.

 

Sources:

 

http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/secretcandysafe.html

 

 

 

Co-Curricular Descriptions


 
  1. Writing: In our first lesson we are going to introduce engineering and what electrical engineers do. We will read a story about an invention that involves electricity, and the students will then each write a story from the point of view of an electrical engineer. Their stories will include them describing an invention they make.
  2. Art: Throughout our unit students will be diagramming, such as what a completed circuit will look like. Also, in lesson #4 the students will build a lighthouse. They will be able to design and paint the lighthouse however they would like. Students will have the opportunity to decorate and be creative with their candy safe as well.
 

 

 

 

 

Write Up of Engineering Activity


 

For the activity that we chose from the PBS website, we were told to build a safe that would protect others from stealing our candy. We were supposed to use a buzzer, wires, and battery to make a circuit that, when the wires were touching, the buzzer would sound. The safe is a cardboard box, and once the lid is lifted something is supposed to happen that causes two wires to touch, completing the circuit. The directions were very vague, including no description of what a “buzzer” meant. They also really didn’t give any clues as to how the wires were supposed to meet. We thought that it allowed for a lot of creativity, but students would not be able to look at these directions and follow them without further guidance.

            Because the directions were so vague, we really had no idea where to start. We thought maybe we would be able to find a buzzer in something else, so we considered tearing apart the buzzer from Taboo (one of our games). We didn’t want to destroy the game, so instead we decided to look other places to find a buzzer. In our quest to find a buzzer we tore apart a Halloween-noise-making-troll and a $4 transparent-alarm-clock. In the end, neither of these worked.

            We then decided to look online to see if we could find out a way to make a buzzer. We found a website that showed us how to make one out of cardboard, clay, wire, a battery, a bolt, a nail file, and a pop can. Here is the address where we found our idea:

http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/discover/powerplant.html#buzzer. It would have been helpful if the PBS instructions told us to make a buzzer, because we wasted a lot of time trying to find one. Or, if the instructions had told us where we could find a buzzer or what makes a good buzzer; that also would have been useful.

            Although we found instructions on how to make a buzzer, it was still complicated. We still had trouble completing the circuit. For us, the hardest part was figuring out how opening the box would trigger something to make the wires touch. The buzzer itself worked, but it was not consistent once we incorporated it into our candy safe. We attempted to make something on the inside of the box that would push something heavy onto one of the wires, causing this wire to fall onto the connecting wire. This was not very successful.

            If we were to change this activity we would first of all change the instructions, giving a little more guidance on how to make or find a buzzer. We realized that our focus was taken off of making a circuit, and we spent all of our energy looking for something that would make a noise. This was not the intended purpose of the lesson. We also feel that more support should have been given on the completion of the circuit (how the wires touch), not necessarily the structure of the circuit. Overall, it would be difficult for elementary-aged students to follow these directions without any extra information.

            We noticed that most of the children who had submitted their ideas to the PBS website were ages 8-11. We felt that eight was too young to do this activity, and figured fourth grade seemed like a good age. Low and behold, when we looked on the Ames Community School District website the fourth grade physical science standards included knowing the basic organization of a simple electrical circuit. We would use this activity as the culminating activity for an electricity unit. Overall we feel this is a good activity for upper elementary students, as long as the changes suggested above were included.


 

Secret Candy Safe

Materials:

*         cardboard boxes with lids

*         copper wire

*         batteries

*         buzzers

*         string

*         aluminum foil

*         paper clips

*         mini slinkys

*         markers

*         masking tape

*         electrical tape

*         scissors

*         your secret stash of Halloween candy


Instructions:

Instructions


 

1.       To keep your family members from munching on your secret stash of Halloween candy, build a safe with an alarm.

2.       Use a cardboard box, a battery, a buzzer and any of the above materials to make your safe.

3.       Think about what problem you are trying to solve. How will you get the buzzer to go on when someone opens the box? For the buzzer to sound, it has to be connected to the battery by wires. How can you make two wires touch when the box is open that don't touch when it's closed? How will you keep the alarm from going off if you want to get into your safe? Check out the ZOOMsci Door Alarm for more ideas on how build a circuit with a switch.

4.       Test your design. If it doesn't work make changes to your design and try again.



Trace the flow of electricity through your alarm circuit. Did you build a complete circuit into your design? In a complete circuit, the electricity from the battery flows along one wire to the buzzer, along the other wire and then back to the battery. The moving electricity makes the buzzer sound. If you disconnect one wire, the electricity stops moving because you broke the circuit. How does your switch interrupt the flow of energy to stop the alarm?
What if you had something you wanted to protect that couldn't fit in your safe? What would you need to put an alarm on a drawer or a closet? Test it out and be sure to send your designs to ZOOM.

 

 

Electrical Engineering Write Up

 

For our project we built a safe that would protect our stash of candy from being stolen. The candy was put into a cardboard box, and we formed a circuit that when closed would make a buzzer go off, signaling to us that someone was trying to get into our candy. This would be something that electrical engineers would do. According to the website, http://www.answers.com/electrical+engineering&r=67, electrical engineering is “the branch of engineering that deals with the technology of electricity, especially the design and application of circuitry and equipment for power generation and distribution, machine control, and communications.”

            Electrical engineers study electrons, which are particles smaller than the atom. They work most with low power applications including radio, television, computers, and telephones. They design anything that has to do with electricity. Power systems which bring electricity to our homes, schools, and other buildings of the community are designed by electrical engineers. They also design communication systems, electronic devices, electrical appliances, and computers.

            Of all the types of engineers, electrical engineering covers the broadest array of variety of work. Electrical engineers design consumer electronics, manufacturing processes, computer equipment, and communications devices. This includes CD players, microwaves, gaming devices, motherboards, printers, and cell phones. They also manufacture. They want to ensure that power is provided safely and consistently to industrial engineers. They analyze and test by repairing equipment and testing the quality, safety, performance, and reliability of equipment. There is a sales engineer, an engineer who works for a company that manufactures equipment. A research engineer develops new products from existing or developing technologies. There are many options when becoming an electrical engineer.

            To become an electrical engineer, it is essential that you obtain a bachelor of science degree in either electrical or electronics engineering. You must have the ability to work with science and math, and to do detailed work. Some electrical engineers decide to get a graduate degree. This is sometimes required in order to get a promotion, and also for some research or faculty positions. Most continue to study in order to keep up with the latest technical advances, and to be more valuable to their employers.

            An entry level job out of college is usually an Assistant Engineer. These people conduct standardized tests, prepare data for reports, and perform routine engineering tasks. They usually can be promoted to Associate, Staff, and Senior engineering positions. Some engineers decide to go into managerial, sales, and administrative positions.  Companies usually recruit entry level electrical engineers on college campuses in both the spring and fall. They also advertise using professional societies when seeking employees.

            Some electrical engineers work in offices or laboratories, while others direct operations in manufacturing plants or construction sites. They usually work about 40 hours a week over five days. Salaries vary depending on your level of experience. A highly experienced electrical engineer could make $2900-5000 per month, while a fairly new electrical engineer may only make $2500-2940 per month. Many work as part of a team, so it is important for them to have social skills as well as the technical skills they posses.


 

Sources

http://www.answers.com/electrical+engineering&r=67

http://www.engineering.sdstate.edu/~eeweb.whatdo.htm


 

  

Annotated Bibliography


 

Answers.com.  “Electrical Engineering.”  Answers Corporation.  2005.  Answers Corporation.  1 Nov. 2005.  <http://www.answers.com/electrical+engineering&r=67>

 

            The source is very good for getting an overview of a topic.  It offers definitions and encyclopedia articles on various topics. It also offers links to other sites for additional information on the topic.

 

BBC.  “Changing Circuits:  What’s next.”  BBC School Science Clips.  2005.  BBC.  1 Nov. 2005.    <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/10_11/changing_circuits_whatnext.shtml>

 

            This website is run by the BBC.  Including information on television and programming, this company provides educational online activities.  We found an activity that illustrates the way a circuit works.  There are many games and activities for students to complete.  The activities are split into different age groups and there are also areas for parents and teachers to research activities and answers to their questions.

 

BBC.  “Using Electricity.”  Science Clips.  2005.  BBC.  1 Nov. 2005. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/teachersresources/ages6_7/tr_electricity_offlp.shtml>

 

For this project, we’ve already used this site, it contains many activities and lesson plans for teachers to use in their classroom along with online activities for students.  There a many lesson plans that are adaptable for use with the internet or completely off-line.

 

Horn-Smith, Lisa.  “Introduction to Electricity.”  The Educator’s Reference Desk.  2001.  Information Institute of Syracuse.  1 Nov. 2005.  <http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons/Science/Physics/PHS0204.html>

 

            This website is a source for teachers’ that offers them answers to frequently asked questions, lesson plans, and resource guides.  The site is searchable and teachers can find lesson plans for specific topics.  Teachers can also submit their own lessons to the site for publication.  We found a specific lesson plan for teaching the idea of a circuit that fit into our unit well.

 

Kenneth.  “Secret Candy Safe.”  Zoom.  2005.  Public Broadcast Station.  1 Nov. 2005.  http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/sci/secretcandysafe.html

 

            This site has a lot of different challenges for students to try that are educational.  There are lots of hands on activities that have been tried on the show, Zoom, on PBS.  Other students try the activities at home and send in their comments that may be helpful to completing the challenge.

 

 

PBS.  “Discover More.”  Rough Science.  2002.  The Open University.  1 Nov. 2005.  http://www.pbs.org/weta/roughscience/discover/powerplant.html#buzzer

 

            This website contains instructions for many activities.  We used it to find directions on how to complete a circuit and make a buzzer.  There were many different activities with detailed instructions available for children. 

 

This site is currently unavailable.http://www.engineering.sdstate.edu/~eeweb.whatdo.htm