Science.4.8.C

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The student is expected to

demonstrate and describe how electrical energy travels in a closed path that can produce light and thermal energy.

1666 TEKS header image

Knowledge and Skills Statement

Force, motion, and energy. The student knows that energy is everywhere and can be observed in cycles, patterns, and systems.

A circuit is a closed path through which electricity can travel. There are two types of circuits: series circuits have only one path through which all the electrical energy travels, and parallel circuits have a point at which the electrical energy divides between two or more paths before coming back together. 

energy transmitted by electric currents, caused by the flow of electrons

a measurable quantity that describes how much change can occur within a system

a phenomenon of energy that involves electric and magnetic fields; can be given off or absorbed by objects 

regular sequences that can be found throughout nature

a regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole

a phenomenon of energy that measures the random motion (kinetic energy) of particles (vibrations in solids or free motion in a fluid) in a substance

Research

Concannon, James P; Patrick Brown and Enrique Pareja.  “Making the Connection: Addressing Students’ Misconceptions of Circuits.” Science Scope 31, no. 3 (November 2007): 10–14. https://www.proquest.com/docview/225991151?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true&sourcetype=Scholarly%20Journals. 

Summary: The teacher in this article uses the 5E model to correct misconceptions about circuits. The lesson addresses what makes a complete circuit and explains why electric current does not travel in some circuits. The class uses common items like flashlights, batteries, and foil to try to solve a problem. Students are given a real world scenario of being out in the woods at night with a flashlight that will not turn on. They work together in groups to use the items they have been provided to get their flashlight to produce light. Throughout this experiment, the students are asked to draw their ideas, both the successful and unsuccessful ones. Students may get the flashlight on, but still not understand why or how. The teacher then introduces closed circuits to the class and draws examples. The class completes the activity again with this knowledge and compares how their circuits have changed from their original attempts.