Tuesday, October 4, 2011

BBW Lesson Plan

Learning Goal: Electricity requires a complete circuit for the current to flow.
Learning Performance: Students successfully light a lightbulb and communicate why it works (orally, written, pictorial)

NSES
Physical Science
Content Standard B: Light, Heat, Electricity, & Magnetism
Benchmark: Electrical circuits require a complete loop through which an electrical current can pass.

Activity:
Give students flashlights to take apart and explore. (Rearrange parts, identify sequence, just play)
Ask students what makes the light bulb in the flashlight work?
(Write and draw findings is Science Notebook.)


Give students batteries, bulbs, wires (already stripped for younger children) and ask them to see if they can light the bulb from what they learned with the flashlight. (1 bulb, 1 battery, 1-2 wires) If (when) students are struggling, give them bulb holders to screw the light bulb into. Make sure they know it does work without the bulb holder. (Some students will be determined to do it without, and that is okay. The bulb holder just helps with fine motor abilities.)


As students are successful, take a break and ask students to tell you how to (or have students) draw their construction on the board. Battery-wire-bulb-(wire)-battery.


Point out that in order for the light bulb to light with a battery or with a flash light, we need to have a continuous pathway, circuit. Introduce electric current.

Ask students to evaluate if they have been good scientists. Did they look at evidence? Ask them what their evidence was. (Trial and error.) Was this a good experiment? Why? Write in Science Notebooks.

Next Day

Ask students to guess/explore where the full circuit is in a flashlight.
(Write & draw in Science Notebook.)
With help or alone, students need to figure out and see visual/physical representation that the flashlight creates a full circuit also.


Ask students how they think the inside of a flashlight must look.
Draw on the board what they have so far (simple circuit), and guide students in figuring out the inside of a lightbulb.

(Further lesson on what is inside batteries by experimenting with different fruit, vegetables, and other objects to light a lightbulb.)



5 Essential Criteria
Example
Explain
Teacher- or Student-driven?
Engage
Teacher asks what makes the bulbs light up in a flashlight.
Scientifically relevant question
Teacher
Evidence
Students take apart flashlight and explore why it works. Try to recreate evidence with BBW.
Experience trial and error of what works
Student
Explain
Students record findings of a complete “circuit” by drawing diagrams or explaining the concept verbally
Making explanations based on results
Teacher (requires drawing or writing in Sci NB)
Evaluate
Teacher asks students to evaluate themselves as scientists and the validity of their experiment
Evaluating evidence and explanations
Teacher
Communicate
Write/draw conclusion of findings in Science Notebook
Upgrade spoken explanations to written &/or pictorial form.
Student (no specific questions to answer)


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