Introduction
Title: Lets Make Some Static
Grade: 3-5
Performance Expectations/NGSS standards:
3-PS2-3. Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact with each other.
Science and Engineering Practices (SEP)
SEP1: Asking Questions and Defining Problems
SEP3: Planning and Carrying Out Investigations
SEP6: Constructing Explanations and Designing Solutions
SEP7: Engaging in Argument from Evidence
SEP8: Obtaining, Evaluating, and Communicating Information
Crosscutting Concepts (CCC)
CCC5: Energy and Matter: Flows, Cycles, and Conservation
Material List:
Balloons
Wool cloth
Dry cereal
Hair
Integration Idea
Language Arts: Students will write a reflection in their journals and fill in sentence frames.
Technology: Students will use www.bubbl.us to create a concept map.
Known Misconceptions:
Static electricity is caused by friction.
Static electricity is a buildup of electrons.
Static electricity is electricity, which is static.
Task
Students will observe the effects of static electricity on different types of matter. Based on these observations students will understand that materials with opposite charges will be attracted to one another while materials with similar charges will repel.
Process
Engagement:
The class will begin by watching the Brain Pop video Static Electricity. The teacher will facilitate a discussion about what the students learned from the video about static electricity.
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What is static electricity made of?
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How are electrons different from protons and neutrons?
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Teacher will go over vocabulary from the unit.
Explain to students that they are going to conduct two experiments to observe other effects of static electricity.
Exploration
Experiment 1
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Have students inflate balloon with air and tie it off.
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Have students to rub it against their hair and slowly pull the ballon away from their head.
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Have students observe and discuss what happened.
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Explain to the students that when you rub the balloon on your head, the balloon pulls electrons from your hair. The negatively charged balloon then attracts the positively charged objects, such as your hair, and causes it to rise.
Experiment 2
1. Have students crush the dry cereal into small crumbs. Make sure students do not crush the cereal into powder.
2. Have students inflate a balloon with air and tie it off. Ask students what they think they should do to the balloon to create static electricity. What action was demonstrated in the video to create a spark?
3. Have students vigorously rub the inflated balloon on the wool. Ask students what they think is happening on a molecular level to the balloon as they are rubbing it.
4. Have students place the part of the balloon being rubbed close to the crushed cereal without actually touching it. Have students observe and discuss what happened. Why did the cereal jump onto the balloon?
Explanation:
As a class, students will discuss their findings and answer the following questions:
1.What do the balloons do?
2.Do you think the balloons are conductors or insulators?
3.How can static electricity cause your hair to stand up?
4.What would happen if you brought a positively charged object next to the stream of water instead of the negatively charged balloon?
Elaborate:
Experiment with other materials (such as confetti, Styrofoam, salt or pepper) to see what the charged balloon will attract. Have students compare and contrast their observations for each material.
Evaluation
Evaluation:
Students will create a concept map using www.bubbl.us about static electricity. Students learned how to use website in a previous lesson. Students will complete a journal entry reporting their findings and additional questions that they may have after the experiment.
Conclusion
Students will complete sentence frames their exit slip