Today is rung 4 of 5 on this topic
Energy transfer and simple circuits
Can do: Traces energy from source to effect, and builds a complete circuit that lights a bulb.
Why it matters
Energy is the idea that ties all of science together, and circuits make an invisible thing testable in ten minutes.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Thinks energy is used up rather than transferred, and can't say why a broken circuit doesn't work.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Where does the energy in your food originally come from? Why won't this bulb light?"
Solid looks like: Back to the sun, and a broken loop identified.
The full activity for this topic · 20 minutes
Make It Light
- 1Give them the parts with no instructions and let them work out the loop.
- 2Once it lights, break it in one place and ask why it stopped.
- 3Test materials in the gap — coin, paper, key, rubber — and sort into conductors and insulators.
- 4Add a second bulb and see what happens to the brightness.
- 5Trace the energy chain aloud: chemical in the battery, electrical in the wire, light and heat at the bulb.
If it's too hard
One bulb, one battery, with you holding the wires.
If it's too easy
Build a switch out of a paperclip, or compare two bulbs in series and in parallel.
Say this
"The energy didn't vanish. Where did it go? Feel the bulb."