Electricity 4: Series Circuits

SUBJECT TEACHER GRADE DATE

Science Lynch 4th

OVERVIEW
Students will investigate and determine how to make 2 lightbulbs turn on only using a battery,
wires, switch, and 2 lightbulbs. They will see how electricity flows through a circuit and turn on
the lightbulbs.
Students will notice that the lightbulbs are dimly light, this is because the when the electricity
flows through the first lightbulb, it slows down, then goes through the next battery and slows the
electricity even more, and not as much electricity can get through. **relate to an obstacle
course, you are running through to get through it fast, but the obstacle course slows you down,
then you go through the next obstacle and you go slower because you used up a lot of energy on
the first one.**

PHASES TEACHER GUIDE

OBJECTIVES Students can identify the flow of electricity through a circuit, including a switch.

Students can interpret and draw an electrical schematic drawing.

PREP i. Have 1 battery, 1 battery holder, 1 switch, 2 lightbulbs, 4 wires put on a

tray per table.
ii. After the students complete making a circuit with the lightbulb, have them
draw the circuit on a blank piece of paper
iii. Materials are in white bins on the table with the computers

I DO Explain the procedure

5 MIN  Have students clear everything off of the tables, iPads go in the cart
 Have the students try to make a the lightbulb turn on with the materials on
the tray
 Make the announcement that if something feels hot, STOP what they are
doing and try something else
1. Have students work with their tables to get the 2 lightbulbs to turn
on
 With your tables, I want you to try and get the 2 lightbulbs to turn on,
using all the materials on the tray.
2. When the table completes that task, have them show how they did it,
then ask them to draw the circuit on a blank piece paper
 When you finish and get the lightbulbs to turn on, I would like to see
10 MIN how you did it, then I want you to draw the circuit on a blank piece of
paper
 Pass out trays with materials.

 (after 10 min have students put materials back onto the tray)
 Please put all the materials back onto the tray
 Have students take out Magnetism and Electricity packet and a pencil, turn
to pg 15
PHASES TEACHER GUIDE

WE DO  Teach the flow of electricity and a complete circuit with a

switch.
10 MIN  What did you notice about the circuit when there was 2 lightbulbs?
 Why do you think the lightbulbs were dimmer?

 Teach about series circuits. Draw the circuit on the whiteboard

 These kinds of circuits that have 2 lightbulbs, or also known as

receivers because they receive the electricity, connected by only one
path is called a series circuit.
 The lightbulbs are dimmer because the electricity slows down as it
goes through the 1st lightbulb, then slows down again because of the
second lightbulb, so not as much electricity can flow through to make
it brighter.
 *relate to an obstacle course, you are running through to get
through it fast, but the obstacle course slows you down, then
you go through the next obstacle and you go slower because
you used up a lot of energy on the first one.*

 Please draw this drawing in your science packet in section 1

 Another series circuit that you can draw in the next box, is a circuit
that uses 2 motors instead of lightbulbs.

 Have students convert the series circuit drawing into a schematic drawing on
the BACK of their blank piece of paper
 How would we draw our series circuit as a schematic drawing?

 Draw the circuit as a schematic drawing, Have students walk you through
the process.

 Have the students copy the picture on the whiteboard on the backside
of their BLANK paper

MATERIALS STUDENT’S MATERIALS NOTES

 6 batteries  Magnetism and Electricity

Packet
 6 battery holders
 Pencil
 12 lightbulbs
 Blank paper
 18 wires
 6 switches
 Trays

2
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