Year 5 and 6 students learn about energy, exploring how electricity is transferred, harnessed and transformed, its impact on daily life, and its role in the future. Through a Design, Make, Appraise project, they design an electrical device, taking into consideration design features such as materials, function and safety.
Energy, Electricity, Transformations, Circuits, Future.
Focus Questions
What are the different types of energy?
What is electricity and how is it harnessed?
How does electricity affect our lives?
How can I create an electrical device?
Learning Intention: To draw out your prior knowledge about energy and electricity.
Complete the first two parts of a KWL chart (What I know, What I would like to know and What I have learned) about energy and electricity.
Brainstorm as a Think-Pair-Share: "What is electricity?"
Participate in the brainstorm to share what you already know about electricity, what you want to know and what you want to find out. Add to this chart throughout the unit and complete the "What I learnt" section at the conclusion of the unit.
| What I Know about Electricity | What I Would Like to Know | What I have Learned |
Comment: Share one thing you know about electricity and energy and one thing you would like to find out. Read other students' comments and try not to repeat what they have written. Comment on any that you think are interesting. Respond to other students' comments by starting with @ and followed by that person's name.
KWL Chart - Pre-Assessment
Purpose
This activity values students' prior knowledge and encourages them to create questions that they would like to investigate through the unit.
Teaching Tips
As a class create a large KWL wall chart/display to share what the class collectively knows and would like to learn. This also allows students to add to the "W" and "L" with post-it notes or similar as they learn new things over the course of the unit. So allocate time throughout the unit to support students to add to the chart.
Alternatively, students can add to this Update in Scholar and refer back to it at any time. Then at the end of the unit, they can add comments about what they have learned to Update 21.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention:To deepen understanding about electricity.
Form pairs. Look at the sheet containing jumbled energy forms, definitions and examples of some of the main types of energy. Complete the new table, matching energy forms with a correct definition and example.You can refer to websites for information to help you complete the table.
Think-Pair-Square - share results and discuss.
Then extend your knowledge further by completing the survey on energy transformations.
Comment: Where do you use energy in your life? Give at least two examples. Look at other students' comments and comment on the similarities and differences.
Defining Types of Energy
Purpose
Students learn about different forms of energy. While drawing on their prior knowledge, they are still forming definitions that will support their further study of this topic.
Teaching Tips
Students complete a table about different types of energy with definitions and examples. They can check other websites for information as they complete the table. They can also complete the survey on energy transformations. Rather than being a test of knowledge, it can be used to motivate students to find out the answers on websites about energy and energy transformations
Encourage discussion so students justify their responses and deepen their understanding in the process.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To define electricity.
Think-Pair-Share with a partner to discuss what you think electricity is. What does electricity look like? How would you show it? Create a diagram of it.
Using a Before and After Web, record your own definition of what you think electricity is and a picture/diagram that you think best represents it.
Look at a short PowerPoint presentation and video giving information about what electricity is, the nature of an atom and how the electrons are related.
Comment: How did your understanding of elecricity change? What did you learn?
What is electricity?
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to come to a class definition of electricity throughwatching a presnetation and through small group and whole class online discussion.
Teaching Tips
Students Think-Pair-Share with a partner what they think electricity is. Ensure that initially there is no right or wrong answer and that the task is it to fin out what they know or think they know.
Students then look at a short PowerPoint presentation and video giving information about what electricity is and explain the nature of an atom and how the electrons are related.
"What is electricity" PowerPoint.
Encourage discussion to scaffold thinking. Then have some students share how their ideas have changed from before to now.
Remind students to add new things they have learned to the class KWL chart.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To define static electricity.
Write a definition on a piece of paper of what you think static electricity is. Swap your paper with another student. Move around the room and when instructed, compare the definition you have with another class member. Rank them both out of 7 so that they total 7 e.g one may get a 2 and the other 5 depending on which is the best. Repeat this process 4 more times always swapping pieces of paper each time. At the end, add up the total out of 35. The highest scores are then read out to the class and recorded.
Now it's time to conduct a simple experiment on static electricity, using a piece of A4 paper, wool and a balloon.
Firstly, predict for what will happen when a balloon is rubbed against wool and held above paper people.
Observe and record what happens. Compare your before and after predictions.
Explain how static electricity is at work in this experiment.
Comment: Share a fact you learned about static electricity.
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Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to build on the definition of electricity to come up with their own definition of static electricity, and through the experiment deepen their understanding of what it is.
Teaching Tips
The "35 Activity" draws upon prior knowledge to create a class definition of static electricity.
By allowing students to write their own definition their prior knowledge is acknowledged and valued.
Define as: Static electricity is a stationary electric charge that is built up on a material.
Explain that:
When the balloon is rubbed against the wool the outer layer of atoms are rubbed off, producing atoms that have a slight positive charge. The object that did the rubbing will accumulate a slight negative charge as it gets extra electrons.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To research and teach others about atoms, insulators and conductors, electrons, and electrical charges.
Jigsaw activity
Each student from a home group joins an expert group and researches their given topic. Students return to their home group and share the information with their group.
Here are some websites - you can also find others to increase your expert knowledge.
From the jigsaw activity, share what you have learned. You are now the expert and your role is to teach the rest of your group. Other group members record key words and information i.e write definitions of key words and information provided during the discussion.
Comment: Reflect on what you enjoyed or disliked in this activity. Did you like learning from each other? Did you like being an expert? Did you learn? Comment on other students' comments.
Purpose
The purpose of the activity is to continue to build up the student knowledge base about electricity.
Jigsaw activity
Teacher to allocate each student a role in their home group (eg. 1,2,3,4). "1s" to form an "Expert" group to read information on "Atoms" etc. Students can refer to the websites provided and/or find their own.
From the previous jigsaw activity, students share what they have learned with their "Home" group. Other group members are to record key words and information during the discussion. Continue until each group member has reported their findings and notes recorded.
This activity encourages students to be accountable for their 'expert' role as it is their responsibility to share their findings with their "Home" group.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To create an electrical circuit.
Form groups of three or four. Each group is given a dry cell (battery), connecting wires, a switch, a globe holder and a 1.5-volt light globe. You have 10 minutes to construct a circuit that works. Draw your circuits and discuss the energy transformations that occur..
Comment: What was successful and what problems did you face in creating your electrical circuit? Comment on other students' comments, noting similarities and differences in their circuits and the successes and problems you had.
This activity helps students to appreciate the importance of a diagram to show an electrical circuit.
Students' knowledge is valued through this discussion as students are encouraged to share their ideas on how electrical circuits can be made simple and easy to understand as well as simple to draw.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103)
Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105)
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)
Learning Intention: To identify the symbols that are used to represent electrical circuits.
Brainstorm the components of a torch on a concept map. What parts of a circuit do you think a torch would have in it? Do you think it would be a simple circuit or more complex? Why?
We are going to design a diagram using scientific symbols that would show the components of a torch. Would a lamp be different? why?
Look at a range of different symbols that can be used aside from the main ones to represent different circuits. See Circuit Symbols.
In pairs, create the diagrams you think would best represent a number of other everyday objects. e.g. a doorbell, electric toothbrush, kettle etc.
Comment: Draw diagrams to best represent the devices and then share your results by scanning/photographing the image and adding them to an Update. Explain your diagrams. Then look at other students' Updates and comment on them, providing suggestions for how they could be improved.
The purpose of this activity is to highlight the features of circuits in a household appliance and apply the knowledge from the previous lesson to create a circuitry diagram with correct symbols.
Discuss with students the idea of a torch. What parts out of a circuit do they think it would have in it? Would it be a simple circuit or more complex? Why?
Introduce students to the range of different symbols that can be used aside from the main ones to represent different circuits.
With students jointly design a diagram using scientific symbols that would demonstrate the components of a torch.
Locate suitable symbols that students' can use to draw diagrams to represent the devices.
This activity actually represents both Conceptualising by Naming and Conceptualising by Theorising but has been combined.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
Compare data with predictions and use as evidence in developing explanations (ACSIS221)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5-6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Learning Intention: To understand the different ways that scientific knowledge is represented to help you think "scientifically".
Look at the examples of diagrams and language for describing electricity in Electric Circuits.
Complete the last two boxes of this table:
| 1. Boy and Birthday Candles | 2. Circuit Photograph | 3. Circuit Diagram | 4 Written Language | |
| Mode | Visual | Visual | Visual | Linguistic |
| Naturalistic or Symbolic | Naturalistic | Naturalistic | Symbolic | Symbolic |
| Concepts - What do you learn? |
Electrons flowing through wires can make sound |
What symbols are used to show electricity |
With a partner or in a small group, discuss:
Comment: Which way is the best way to represent the results of your science experiment on electricity. Give reasons for your response. Then comment on 2-3 other students' comments, explaining why you agree or disagree with them.
8. Electric Circuit - Electronic Birthday Candle Demonstration
Purpose
In this Update, students analyse the ways that electricity may be represented in visuals and in language, developing their understanding of "working scientifically". This also extends their knowledge of the science discipline and how to represent information credibly, accurately, and informatively.
Teaching Tips
Explain the difference between circuits that have basic components as opposed to more complex circuits, such as a Toaster compared to an iPod.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5-6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Learning Intention: To understand how electricity is harnessed through chemical energy.
Think-Pair-Share about how you think electricity comes from a battery. Write 5 ideas on A3 paper.
The most common form of chemical reaction that is harnessed into electrical energy is a battery. It transforms chemical energy into electrical energy. View How batteries work.
Record 3-4 dot point notes about the information.
Comment: What did you learn? Share 1-2 facts. Try not to repeat any facts so we have an extensive class list of facts.
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is for students to summarise how electricity is transformed from chemical energy into electrical energy.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To understand how electricity is harnessed through kinetic energy, via thermal, hydro, and wind power.
Think-Pair-Share how electricity can be made from heat, wind or water.
Comment: Share one idea about how electricity can be made from heat, wind and water. Keep adding ideas until you run out. Then research to find out more facts to add to the class list of ideas.
Purpose
The purpose of this activity is to extend students' thinking to other kinds of energy transformations.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To record the changes electricity has made to our lives
Consider all the items in your house that use batteries or electricity. What are they? Consider the items that you have outside the home. What else can we add to the list? Use catalogues to come up with more ideas.
Choose an item and discuss: How does it use electricity?. Battery or current? What job does it perform in our lives? (e.g. entertain, light, heat, move).
Comment: Discuss who gains and who loses with these advances and changes with electricity and the influence they have on our lives. Comment on the comments of other students, extending their idea or explaining why you agree or disagree with them.
The purpose of this lesson is to identify and record the changes electricity has made in our lives.
Brainstorm as a class on the whiteboard all the items in their house that use batteries or electricity and then widen the brainstorm to include items outside the home.
Prompt students' by placing items used instead of electricity on the board/IWB and ask students' to consider what has replaced its use(e.g. candle - light globe)
Students discuss who gains and who loses with these advances and changes with electricity and the influence they have on our lives.
Optional: Students complete a placemat activity where 4 students share their opinions and see what common ideas they agree on. This can be a scaffold for their comments in the Community discussion where they share ideas with the whole class.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To understand and evaluate how energy sources have changed.
What was used before electricity was invented?
| Then | Now |
Use words and images to complete each column for the electrical items you can think of. Record the function the objects play in our lives and share results with the group.In pairs create a poster on A3 paper with 3 columns: ‘Role’, ‘Before Electricity/Battery’ and After Electricity/Battery’.
Choose one item and write the past, present, and future of that electrical item. What could be invented in the future to do the job in our lives more efficiently?
Comment: What are the advantages and disadvantages of the electrical item? Consider society and the environment. Comment on other students' comments, explaining why you agree or disagree with them.
Students choose one item and write the past, present, and future of that electrical item.
With words and images students need to complete each column for the electrical items they select. They also name the functions the objects play in our lives and share results with the group.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To understand how energy is transformed in household appliances.
Play Safety Line.
Cut out the pictures of household appliances and arrange them into groups according to the energy transformations that happen in the appliances.
Using the electronic whiteboard, create a picture list of the different types of energy used by electrical items.
Play Safety Line again to reinforce the safety of electricity too.
Comment: Describe the types of energy involved and how energy is transferred from one place to another in the operation of the appliances.
In this activity students investigate the energy transformations and transfers occurring in household appliances.
Supply students with catalogues from electrical stores that contain a large range of appliances.
Create a page on the electronic whiteboard of a variety of electrical appliances. Have students' use this page to create a picture list of the different types of energy used by electrical items.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To understand how electricity is transferred into kinetic and heat energy.
Review what household items use electricity? What energy do they produce?
In groups make a list in 2 minutes. Make sure you record the form of energy as well as the household item.
In pairs use computers to research and record dot points about a toy car or a kettle to describe how they transfer electricity into kinetic and heat energy.
Look at how a toaster and a motor works.
Comment: Think about the design of a motor and a toaster. How are they the same? How are they different?
In this activity students investigate the energy transformations occurring in household appliances.
Review common household items that use electricity and what energy they produce.
Encourage students' to make connections and illustrate these connections using a tree diagram. Highlighting the similarities at the top and branch out the differences.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Learning Intention: To evaluate electrical inventions.
View "History of Electricity". Record important facts from the presentations in your books. Do you think electricity is a modern idea? Why? why not? The properties of electricity were tested over time by many scientists and inventors.
Comment: Discuss how each person's discovery impacts upon us today? Is it always a good thing? Comment on other students' comments, explaining why you agree or disagree with them.
Through this lesson students' will gain an understanding of how electricity was discovered, who was involved in its discovery, and the progression of inventions that harnessed electricity.
As students watch the YouTube clip, encourage them to jot down notes in their books or on their iPads.
Point out that electricity was discovered over time by many scientists and inventors. Use the video to support this concept.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To theorise about how an appliance functions.
Use the tools provided to take the appliance apart.
Discuss what the device is used for? How does it work? How is the energy transformed? Create a concept map to record your responses.
Draw a diagram of how the device is constructed and predict what has happened to prevent the device from functioning.
Use the diagram to make a poster explaining the design of the device - what the device is used for, how it works and the energy transformation that occurs when the device is operating normally.
Comment: Share your predictions of what happened to prevent the device from functioning. What knowledge/facts about electricity helped you to understand the problem.
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From this activity students gain an understanding of how household appliances use electricity to perform a function. The activity allows them to explore circuits in an experiential way and draw conclusions about what affects the functionality of an object.
Supply students with a non-functional toaster, radiator or fan heater. Provide students with sufficient tools to take the device apart so that they can examine how it is constructed.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103)
Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Learning Intention: To consider how electricity has changed the functions of many objects.
Comment: Describe an item (e.g. milk shake container or toothbrush) and its function. Then describe the electronically enhanced version of that item and how it has been changed from the original state and why. Is it an improvement? Why or why not? Try not to write about an item that another student has added. You can search the internet for ideas and include a link to the information that you find.
.jpg?Expires=1714711301&Signature=Vn~zLgnU5KWt05t5zqUApgX0hd53SJ9Gmty8HUQZXUVuyXCNy~X0covGfqDduEhlCJAUw9JEppAuFxa2fJGkhDnmVw2HONlclDJsR08qS-vs6okBx18OsU0Pjx4t63zWyxKKJoP5K5IoAp~KP5yvYdZ~iMDsxvJH-AwuFgf-18-8Rq2ouS5bKa44RKh0azl21DschWlzak586c1HzV5xBuaBxFx0XeMklc~4cVFxomQeW56p5xh~Qgr7czSG-0ZafmUfcGbdq7k-JrunzoFV8lNlqmHH6lzVzoBmMbowpltFroSERldfaHTlVR8QER~31YVCf3S1gfJX8fAJWnTbFg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJELYXGUCCDL7FUQA)
The purpose of this activity is to highlight how electricity may or may not change/enhance the function of everyday items.
They discuss how these objects have been changed from the original state and why. This will encourage students to consider how and why everyday objects can be changed and why they might be changed by electricity.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Learning Intention: To start my Design, Make, Appraise (DMA) project and use the rubric to determine what is important to include.
Create a report on your invention of an electrical device made out of a stationary object (a bottle or cardboard box).
For example:
A battery-operated milk shake maker (bottle)
A battery heated furnace (bottle)
Your design brief should include:
Comment: Ask any questions about the project here. If you can answer another student's question, then do so. A first question might be: What is an appraisal?
The purpose of this activity is for students' to demonstrate their understanding of the concepts covered during the Learning Module.
Students organise the materials they would use to invent an electrical device out of a stationary object (a bottle, cardboard box).
Project Rubric
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, plan appropriate investigation methods to answer questions or solve problems (ACSIS103)
Use equipment and materials safely, identifying potential risks (ACSIS105)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Years 5 and 6 Content Descriptions
Design and Technologies Knowledge and Understanding
Investigate how electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (ACTDEK020)
Design and Technologies Processes and Production Skills
Generate, develop and communicate design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (ACTDEP025)
Select appropriate materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques and apply safe procedures to make designed solutions(ACTDEP026)
Negotiate criteria for success that include sustainability to evaluate design ideas, processes and solutions (ACTDEP027)
Learning Intention: To understand different ways that electricity is generated.
Watch videos on wind turbines, a hydro generator, steam power, and take 1-3 dot point notes on each. Then watch electromagnetic generator video and take notes. Finally, view the diagram on how a generator works.
How an electromagnetic generator works
Comment: Share one important fact that you learned. Keep adding more facts, reading through what other students add, and taking care not to repeat any facts already stated. By the end we should have a list of all that we have learned today.
Through the online discussion, students document the information learned from the videos.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To understand how energy is harnessed and transformed.
Harnessing Energy - the process
Create a flow chart/diagram which explains and orders the steps through which energy is harnessed and changed before it can power our appliances.Start with the electricity you get by plugging into a power point and work backwards.
Comment: Write a paragraph (6-8 sentences) in which you address the following questions:
How have your ideas about electricity and energy changed?
Is energy more/less complicated than you thought?
Now that you know how difficult and long the process is which brings you power do you:
i) Think more about your power usage?
ii) Recognise how important it was that scientists over a long time came up with lots of little ideas that eventually came together to bring you electricity?
Students work backwards from electricity at the power point to its origins. Encourage thinking about every small step in a long process, i.e. electricty comes from the wire that's attached to the power point, which is attached to the powerlines, which is connected to a powerplant, where an electromagnetic generator creates electricity by converting mechanical/kinetic energy into an electric current.
Students create a flow chart/diagram which explains and orders the steps through which energy is harnessed and changed before it can power our appliances.
Finally, students write a reflection.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
With guidance, pose questions to clarify practical problems or inform a scientific investigation, and predict what the findings of an investigation might be (ACSIS232)
Communicate ideas, explanations and processes in a variety of ways, including multi-modal texts (ACSIS110)
Learning Intention: To recall important information that you learned about energy and electricity.
To take your learning further, create an illustration of a design of a children's toy. It could be a game with flashing lights or a jittering toy. You can work with a partner to design and illustrate your toy. Let your imaginations go! Remember to make it safe and easy to use.
Now it's time to complete the "L" of the KWL chart.
You can do this online and/or on the class wall chart.
Comment: What have you learned about energy and electricity? Post one fact. Read through what other students have written and add facts that have not been recorded. Keep going until you run out of facts.
The creative task focuses on designing and illustrating, but not making a children's toy. Students who want to actually create it, should be encouraged to do so.
In this Update, students complete the "L" of the KWL chart. It may be completed through an online discussion and/or through a wall chart that is displayed in the classroom.
Encourage students to read through other students' comments and try not to repeat anything already stated. Alternatively, you can ask students to write a comment and to all press " Add Comment" at the same time. It would then be interesting to see what were the most common facts that students recall. Students could then read through and add important information that was not added initially.
Australian Curriculum
Year 6 Content Descriptions
Science Understanding
Physical sciences
Electrical circuits provide a means of transferring and transforming electricity (ACSSU097)
Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity (ACSSU219)
Science as a Human Endeavour
Use and influence of science
Scientific understandings, discoveries and inventions are used to solve problems that directly affect peoples’ lives (ACSHE100)
Scientific knowledge is used to inform personal and community decisions (ACSHE220)
Science Inquiry Skills
The original version of this learning module was created by David Tilley, Tori Smullen and Emily Howland.
Title: Electric Light by Alan Cleaver (Source); Fig. 1: "Electric bulb filament" by Arnoldius - Own work (selbst erstelltes Foto). Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 2: Photograph by Chad Heininger. Fig. 3: "Atom diagram" by The original uploader was Fastfission at English Wikipedia - Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons by Teratornis using CommonsHelper.. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 4: "Static on the playground (48616367)" by Chris Darling from Portland, USA - static on the playground. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 5: "Lightning over Oradea Romania cropped" by Mircea Madau (crop by Lucas) - Cropped version of Image:Lightning over Oradea Romania 2.jpg.. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 6: (Source); Fig. 7: "Ohms law voltage source" by Created by User:Omegatron using Klunky schematic editor, which the creator considers public domain (possibly with post-editing in the GIMP or Inkscape) - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); 8: Electronic Birthday Candle Demonstration (Source); Fig. 9: Battery by Andy Armstrong (Source); Fig. 10: Off-shore windfarm - Copyright Rob Farrow and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence (Source); Fig. 11: "Breville" by Smoth 007 from Christchurch, New Zealand - Breville appliancesUploaded by smoth_007. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 12: "Thales". Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 13: Electrical Symbols (Source); 14: How a toaster works (Source) and How electric motors work (Source); 15: History of Electricity (Source); Fig. 16: "Partially working Toaster" by Pfnicholls - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 17: "So Many Choices (11693539025)" by William Warby from London, England - So Many Choices. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 18: "Strawberry milk shake" by Renee Comet (Photographer) Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons (Source); 19:Steam Turbine Demonstration (Source); Fig. 20: "Towards Kosciuszko from Kangaroo Ridge in winter" by Pee Tern - Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons (Source); Fig. 21: Photo by Flter Forge (Source).