The Magic of Static Electricity - Lesson Plan

Grade Level K- 2

Topics Covered • How force can be applied to move an object • How static electricity can make objects repel or attract

Objectives General: Explore how objects can be moved by applying a force ( static electricity). Make, record and share observations while exploring static electricity using their five senses. Grade-Specific Prescribed Learning Outcomes (BC Curriculum): Kindergarten

• use the five senses to make observations • share with others information obtained by observing

Grade 1 • communicate their observations, experiences, and thinking in a variety of ways (e.g.,

verbally, pictorially, graphically) • demonstrate how force can be applied to move an object

Grade 2 • use their senses to interpret observations

SWBAT (students will be able to): List specific objectives you want students to be able to do after your activity/lesson - Develop an understanding that static electricity involves positive and negative charges (opposite

charges attract/ like charges repel) - Understand that static electricity happens because there is an imbalance between negative and

positive charges in objects - Provide examples of static electricity in their day-to-day experiences - Make, record and communicate observations graphically, pictorially and verbally

Materials Every group of 3 students should have • 1 kit, 2 balloons, 1 Observation Chart graphic organiser

Each kit should contain: • Empty pop can • plastic bag ring • Piece of String (to tie the two balloons together) • Confetti in a film canister • Styrofoam pellets in a film canister • Small square of towel • graphic organizer for each group

Masking tape (used for start and finish line) ‘From your Observations’ worksheet (1 per student)

Preparation Beforehand

Activity Preparation: - Assemble kits for groups of three students. - Make enough copies of the Observation Chart graphic organizer (1 per group) - Make enough copies of the ‘From your Observations’ worksheet (1 per student) - Arrive early to blow up balloons, 2 per group (may want to blow up enough so that each

student can take one home at the end)

Background Information: Atom: the building block of matter. It has protons and electrons. Protons: Positive ion in the atom. Electrons: Negative ion in the atom. Neutrally charged: state of an object when it has the equal amount of protons and electrons Positively charged: When a material contains more protons than electrons Negatively charged: When a material contains more electrons than protons

Introduction

Objective # Time Instructions Materials

SWBAT

5 min - Introduce yourself, give some background on who you are, what you are studying, any personal connections you have to the lesson/activity you are presenting today.

Activity #1- Hook

Objective # Time Instructions Materials

SWBAT Provide examples of static electricity in their day-to-day experiences

15 min Invite students to come to the carpet and assemble in a circle - If possible, tell a story about a time when you got “shocked” - Then, ask students if they have ever been “shocked” or “zapped” when they tried to reach for a door knob.

- Balloon, a head of hair - plastic ring - towel

SWBAT Provide examples of static electricity in their day-to-day experiences

15 min Invite students to come to the carpet and assemble in a circle - If possible, tell a story about a time when you got “shocked” - Then, ask students if they have ever been “shocked” or “zapped” when they tried to reach for a door knob. - Elicit from students the phrase “Static Electricity” - Then say, “what do you think is happening?” - Elicit from students that static electricity happens when two things are rubbed against each other - Then say, “We are going to make static electricity” - Do a demo of 2 objects being attracted to each other

- Ask for a volunteer (preferably) with long and fine hair. - Rub the balloon on his/her head for 20 seconds, and

slowly pull the balloon to demonstrate that the hair is attracted to the balloon

- Have students ask/comment on what they just observed

Elicit from the students that hairs were repelled by other hairs but attracted to the balloon.

- Do a demo of 2 objects repelling each other - Rub balloon and the plastic ring with the towel - giving

the two objects the same charge - Hold the balloon with the side you rubbed facing

upwards - Put the plastic ring about 15 cm above the balloon and

let go. It should ‘hover’ above the balloon. - demonstrate that the plastic ring is repelled from the

balloon because they have the same charge - have students ask/comment on what they observed - Elicit from the students that the balloon and the plastic

ring were repelled from each other

- Balloon, a head of hair - plastic ring - towel

Activity #2

Objective # Time Instructions Materials

SWBAT - Develop an understanding

that static electricity involves positive and negative charges (opposite charges attract/ like charges repel)

- Make, record and

communicate observations graphically, pictorially and verbally

30 mins

- Tell the students that we are all going to be scientists today! - Let them know that we will be doing some experiments on objects to see if they are attracted to or repelled by each other just like in our little demonstrations earlier with the balloon and the hair. - Draw an example ‘chart’ on the whiteboard with the categories ‘attract’ , ‘repel’ and ‘nothing happens’ - Go over one simple example (w/ attract or repel) such as balloon/ hair and balloon/bag ring, and fill in the test chart on the whiteboard. - Put students in groups of 3 - You may want to choose a ‘recorder’ ‘encourager’ and ‘reporter’ - Then have each group find a place to do their experiments - Once everyone is seated, distribute the materials to each group - Also hand out one graphic organizer to each group. - Before having them test out the materials, have each group predict what might happen (i.e., will the confetti attract to or repel against the balloon?) - Have students conduct their tests and record their results in the chart *** For the experiment part, you may want to avoid having many students rubbing the same balloon on their head. This could be avoided by either giving each student their own balloon, assigning one student in each group to be the ‘static

- Graphic organizer, balloon, confetti, styrofoam pellets, empty soda cans, plastic bag ring, instructions written on a chart paper,

maker’, or by only allowing them to use the towel to make static electricity. It would be a good idea to discuss these options with the teacher prior to teaching the lesson.

Extension (for early finishers)

Show the finished example of the two pictures of “attract” and “repel” to the students. Tell them that once they are done the tests, they can draw their two pictures. Hand out the ‘What I Observed’ graphic organizer to the students and have them draw pictures based on their observations.

‘What I Observed’ Graphic organizer

Closure 20 mins

- Invite students back to the carpet and have a discussion about their findings and observations - Review the concepts of “attract” and “repel” with the class. You may want to use the example of magnets to explain why some things attract and some things attract. (ie. opposite charges attract, like charges repel – same as in a magnet) - Ask, “What are two things you observed that attract? repel? - Ask questions: what worked in this activity? what didn’t work? And why? - Also ask about why they think different results were observed between different groups - After discussion, have students play the games below: Have a Can Race - Groups will be competing against each other to see who could get their can the fastest to the finished line - For the can race the teacher can use the masking tape to

Points to Consider

- Make sure to use visuals when explaining terms and concepts that might be difficult for children to grasp - Stop frequently to check understanding - Relate situations to everyday experiences (i.e., standing hair and getting zapped when toucher a door knob)

References: http://www.bced.gov.bc.ca/irp/pdfs/sciences/2005scik7.pdf

make a ‘start’ and ‘finish’ line for the groups to cross. Teams must use their balloons to attract the cans over the finish line. Have a levitating plastic bag ring contest - If time permits, play the levitating plastic bag ring game whereby teams compete against each other to get the best time for keeping the plastic bag ring in the air. - Then, have a discussion about how this activity is related to everyday life situations Questions to consider: - Which professions/careers do you think people would need to know about how static electricity work? (electricians, engineers, plumbers, construction workers, musicians, etc.)