School Improvement in Maryland

Using the State Curriculum: Science, Grade 4

Skills and Processes | Earth/Space | Life | Chemistry | Physics | Environmental

Lesson Seeds: The lesson seeds are ideas for the indicator/objective that can be used to build a lesson. Lesson seeds are not meant to be all-inclusive, nor are they substitutes for instruction.

Standard 5.0 Physics

Topic C. Electricity and Magnetism

Indicator 2. Investigate and provide evidence that electricity requires a closed loop in order to produce measurable effects.

Objective d. Observe, describe and compare materials that readily conduct electricity and those that do not conduct electricity.

Activity

Students set up a simple circuit with light bulb, wires, and battery. Teacher introduces a variety of materials: paperclip, glass marble, rubber band, cork, penny, water and saltwater. Teacher asks students to predict which materials will make the light bulb light. Once predictions are made, the students will test each object and record their results on a table.

CONDUCTORS AND NON-CONDUCTORS

Object or Material Prediction (light or no light) Does the light bulb light? Material is a conductor?
paperclip
glass marble
rubber band
cork
penny
water
saltwater

What do the materials that conduct electricity have in common?

/instruction/lessons/science/grade4/xml/5C2d.xml
Resources for Objective 5.C.2.d:
Clarifications | LESSON SEEDS | Public Release Items |