Topic: Learn how to make a simple electric circuit.
Suggested grades 3 – 6
Target standards - Grade 4
Materials/Resources needed:
• SMUD downloadable circuit template
• SMUD downloadable “I Had a Bright Idea at SMUD”
card and template
• Copper adhesive tape
• Button batteries 2032
• LED light stickers
• Small binder clips
• Large needle or sharp object to poke a hole
• Cardstock
• Assorted art supplies: markers, scotch tape, scissors,
pencils, pens, rulers, construction paper
• Student Greeting Card worksheet (optional)
Prep time: 15 minutes
Lesson time: 10 minutes
Teacher-guided templates: 1 hour per template
Outcome: Students follow a template to make a simple circuit with an LED.
They apply what they learn to creating greeting cards which have LED light.
Standards:
In appendix
Vocabulary:
In appendix
Making Simple Circuits
Using Greeting Cards
©SMUD 0115-18
Powering forward. Together.
Thank
you!
• Tray #1 (1 tray per group)
o One Circuit Template (1 per student)
o Pre-cut 5” copper adhesive strips (2 per student)
o Button batteries (1 per student)
o Small binder clip (1 per student)
• Tray #2 (1 tray per group)
o One “I Had a Bright Idea at SMUD” card template (1 per student)
o Pre-cut 7” copper adhesive strips (2 per student)
o Button batteries (1 per student)
o Small binder clip (1 per student)
• Make craft items available at a separate, common table.
o Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, tape, etc.)
o Card stock
o Additional batteries
o Pre-cut, adhesive copper tape
o Copper tape band-aids
• Purchase sample greeting cards which have lights, sounds, music etc. when opened.
• Show students a fancy electronic greeting card “you just received in the mail.”
• Ask students if they would like to make their very own greeting card that lights up.
• Ask students, “What stores electricity?”
• Write/draw the responses on the board (encourage students to notice objects which store energy in
the room). Have a ashlight handy.
• Draw and label battery on the board with lines extending from the positive and negative sides.
• Ask students to give examples of what the battery can power. List examples on the board.
• Draw in a light bulb and make a complete circuit.
• Write the word circuit on the board.
• Ask students, “How we can turn the light on and off?”
• Write the word “switch” on the board and draw a switch on the circuit.
• Tell students they will be making a circuit to power a LED light bulb.
• Have students draw and label the following terms on the circuit on the student worksheet.
o Wire
o Battery
o Load /LED light bulb
Engage
Prep
Teach/Build/Activity
2 | Teacher
o Switch
o Positive
o Negative
• Using the materials which have already been set up on Tray #1, help students follow the steps to
create a circuit on the Circuit Template.
o Apply copper tape placing it directly over the template markings.
o Some students may require help in peeling the backing from the tape.
o If the tape tears, make any repairs with the copper band-aids.
o Apply the LED sticker on the outline for the sticker.
o Pointy end (negative –) should touch the negative copper tape.
o Wide end (positive +) should touch the positive copper tape side.
o Poke one hole (Step 4) on page 3, using a sharp object.
o Place button battery on the designated template marking.
o Ensure that the positive side is facing up.
o Observe how the electricity will move from the positive side of the battery to the LED and
then back to the negative side of the battery.
o Close the circuit by closing page 3 over page 2.
o This closes the circuit and the LED will glow on the back cover.
o Secure the battery in place with a small ofce clip.
• Using the materials which have already been set up on Tray #2, help students follow the steps to
create a circuit on the “I Had a Bright Idea at SMUD” greeting card.
o Apply copper tape placing it directly over the template markings.
o Some students may require help in peeling the backing from the tape.
o Demonstrate with duct tape on a board how to fold the corners back.
✔ A good folding technique will be tear free and ensure conductivity.
o If the tape tears, make any repairs with the copper band-aids.
o Poke the one hole, where indicated, using a sharp object.
o Apply the LED sticker on the outline for the sticker.
o Pointy end (negative –) should touch the negative copper tape.
o Wide end (positive +) should touch the positive copper tape side.
o Place button battery on the template marking.
o Ensure that the positive side is facing up.
o Put a small dab of glue or small double sided tape to hold the battery in place.
✔ Avoid placing glue on the copper tape.
o Observe how the electricity will move from the positive side of the battery to the LED and
then back to the negative side of the battery.
o Close the circuit by folding along the dotted lines.
o This closes the circuit and the LED will glow through the front cover when the card is closed.
o Have the students use the proper electronic terms when discussing their circuits.
o Battery, wire, positive, negative, switch and etc.
• Tray #1 (1 tray per group)
o One Circuit Template (1 per student)
o Pre-cut 5” copper adhesive strips (2 per student)
o Button batteries (1 per student)
o Small binder clip (1 per student)
• Tray #2 (1 tray per group)
o One “I Had a Bright Idea at SMUD” card template (1 per student)
o Pre-cut 7” copper adhesive strips (2 per student)
o Button batteries (1 per student)
o Small binder clip (1 per student)
• Make craft items available at a separate, common table.
o Art supplies (markers, colored pencils, tape, etc.)
o Card stock
o Additional batteries
o Pre-cut, adhesive copper tape
o Copper tape band-aids
• Purchase sample greeting cards which have lights, sounds, music etc. when opened.
• Show students a fancy electronic greeting card “you just received in the mail.”
• Ask students if they would like to make their very own greeting card that lights up.
• Ask students, “What stores electricity?”
• Write/draw the responses on the board (encourage students to notice objects which store energy in
the room). Have a ashlight handy.
• Draw and label battery on the board with lines extending from the positive and negative sides.
• Ask students to give examples of what the battery can power. List examples on the board.
• Draw in a light bulb and make a complete circuit.
• Write the word circuit on the board.
• Ask students, “How we can turn the light on and off?”
• Write the word “switch” on the board and draw a switch on the circuit.
• Tell students they will be making a circuit to power a LED light bulb.
• Have students draw and label the following terms on the circuit on the student worksheet.
o Wire
o Battery
o Load /LED light bulb
3 | Teacher
o Switch
o Positive
o Negative
• Using the materials which have already been set up on Tray #1, help students follow the steps to
create a circuit on the Circuit Template.
o Apply copper tape placing it directly over the template markings.
o Some students may require help in peeling the backing from the tape.
o If the tape tears, make any repairs with the copper band-aids.
o Apply the LED sticker on the outline for the sticker.
o Pointy end (negative –) should touch the negative copper tape.
o Wide end (positive +) should touch the positive copper tape side.
o Poke one hole (Step 4) on page 3, using a sharp object.
o Place button battery on the designated template marking.
o Ensure that the positive side is facing up.
o Observe how the electricity will move from the positive side of the battery to the LED and
then back to the negative side of the battery.
o Close the circuit by closing page 3 over page 2.
o This closes the circuit and the LED will glow on the back cover.
o Secure the battery in place with a small ofce clip.
• Using the materials which have already been set up on Tray #2, help students follow the steps to
create a circuit on the “I Had a Bright Idea at SMUD” greeting card.
o Apply copper tape placing it directly over the template markings.
o Some students may require help in peeling the backing from the tape.
o Demonstrate with duct tape on a board how to fold the corners back.
✔ A good folding technique will be tear free and ensure conductivity.
o If the tape tears, make any repairs with the copper band-aids.
o Poke the one hole, where indicated, using a sharp object.
o Apply the LED sticker on the outline for the sticker.
o Pointy end (negative –) should touch the negative copper tape.
o Wide end (positive +) should touch the positive copper tape side.
o Place button battery on the template marking.
o Ensure that the positive side is facing up.
o Put a small dab of glue or small double sided tape to hold the battery in place.
✔ Avoid placing glue on the copper tape.
o Observe how the electricity will move from the positive side of the battery to the LED and
then back to the negative side of the battery.
o Close the circuit by folding along the dotted lines.
o This closes the circuit and the LED will glow through the front cover when the card is closed.
o Have the students use the proper electronic terms when discussing their circuits.
o Battery, wire, positive, negative, switch and etc.
Explore/Engineer
4 | Teacher
Assessment
Crossover
Accommodations and Extensions
Anticipated Misconceptions
Safety
• Have students create their own greeting cards.
o
Students must rst complete the “Student Greeting Card” worksheet and draw out their
circuits for approval before giving them additional tape and batteries. The drawing should indicate:
o Electricity path
o Battery placement
o Position of LED light sticker
o Nature of switch
• Encourage students to experiment and create new switching devices for their greeting cards.
• Have available conductive materials on the craft table such as brads, wire and paper clips.
Students apply their learning in developing a circuit by designing, drawing and creating a correct circuit
using appropriate vocabulary.
Have the students create a card to celebrate an event in another subject:
• Pi day - Math
• Poetry - Language Arts
• Capital Light Up Map - Geography
Experiment with varying circuit switching devices and journal the observations.
Have students start a marketing campaign to sell their greeting cards for a fundraiser.
Have students make greeting cards for a specic holiday: Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, Chinese New Year and etc.
Make Valentine’s Day special by creating mailboxes in which a light shines when the mailbox ag is raised.
Students may think that circuits have to be a circle.
Students may think that wire is the only available conductive material.
Supervision may be needed when using a sharp object to poke holes.
Front Loading
References
Additional References and Digital
Read one or more of the following books:
Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas by Susan Titus Osborn
Children Just Like Me: Celebrations! by Anabel Kindersley and Barnabas Kindersley
How I Celebrate: A Young Person’s Guide to Celebrations of the World by Pam Robson
Zoe’s Extraordinary Holiday Adventures by Cristina Minaki
Kids Around the World Celebrate!: The Best Feasts and Festivals from Many Lands by Lynda Jone
History of the Greeting Card
quillcards.com/blog/the-history-of-greeting-cards-unfurled/
Read/Write/Think Greeting Card Lesson Plan
readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/using-greeting-cards-motivate-1066.html
Greeting Card Lesson Plan
myartcards.com/wp-content/uploads/MyArtCardsClassroomLessonPlan.pdf
Holidays and Special Days
educationworld.com/a_lesson/archives/holidays.shtml
Instructible
instructables.com/id/Light-Up-LED-Card/
Chibitronics.com - LED light stickers
Standards
4-PS3 Energy
Students who demonstrate understanding can:
4-PS3-4 Apply scientic ideas to design, test and rene a device that
converts energy from one form to another.
Common Core State Standard Connection
•
Mathematical practices.
•
Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
•
Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
•
Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
•
Model with mathematics.
•
Use appropriate tools strategically.
•
Attend to precision.
•
Look for and make use of structure.
•
Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning.
5 | Teacher
Appendix
Battery – Device which stores electricity.
Circuit – Path which the electricity follows.
Electron – A sub atomic particle with a negative charge.
LED – Light emitting diode.
Load – Device which uses electricity on a circuit.
Negative – Part of the battery which receives electrons.
Positive – Part of the battery which pushes electrons.
Switch – Mechanism which opens and closes a circuit.
Wire – Material through which the electric current passes.
Vocabulary
6 | Teacher