Unit Overview

Introduction:

Electricity is a large concept to cover in the fifth grade curriculum. This unit represents a series of lessons which address, what I feel, are the most important concepts that children in the fifth grade should know regarding electricity. It covers electricity and its uses in the home, the differences between current and static electricity, atomic structure, the history of electricity, electrical circuits (simple, series and parallel), conductors and insulators, and circuit breakers. In addition, this unit is designed to build on what the children already know about electricity and to address misconceptions that the children express in the preassessment. Therefore, some lessons currently included in the outline may be adapted or omitted upon completion of the preassessment.

Rationale:

This unit will benefit children because it is designed to provide a variety of hands-on, critical thinking activities where students construct their own knowledge of the scientific concepts related to electricity. Children are provided with a variety of experiences (individual, whole-class, and group work) to meet and challenge their individual learning styles. In addition, I feel that electricity is a topic that most children will be familiar with, but wo't necessarily understand. This unit will provide students with the opportunity to develop a better understanding of the scientific concepts involved in electricity in a meaningful and constructive manner.

Unit Goals:

By the end of this unit, students will be able to:

• Realize the importance of electricity to their everyday lives.
• Distinguish between the two types of electricity: static and current electricity and provide examples of each.
• Explain how objects of different charges react when they are brought together.
• Understand and illustrate the basic structure of an atom.
• Identify and describe the contributions of a variety of scientists and inventors who had a significant impact on the history of electricity.
• Construct a variety of working circuits (simple, series, and parallel).
• Explain the importance of circuit breakers.
• Apply the knowledge that they have learned from the unit to construct a circuit quiz board of their own.

Class Description:

The class for which I designed this unit is a fifth grade, self-contained classroom of 21 students including several who receive additional help for either language or learning disabilities throughout the day from a specialist. There is a wide range of diversity in learning styles and abilities in this classroom. For the most part, the class enjoys and works effectively during hands-on group work, however, there will be time provided throughout this unit for students to work in a variety of settings including heterogeneous groups, individual, and whole class instruction.

Teaching Methods:

As mentioned earlier, this unit will address and meet the needs of a variety of learning styles by providing several different instructional strategies. These include cooperative learning, hands-on activities, and constructivist teaching. Students with special needs will benefit from working with others in small groups, and the lessons which include written assignments will be adapted and shortened for students with special needs.

Time Line:

1. Preassessment of students' interests and background knowledge
2. Introduction to electricity
3. Defining the two types of electricity
4. Static electricity and current electricity
5. The structure of an atom and more experiences with static electricity
6. History of electricity
7. Electric circuits-Morse code
8. Conductors and insulators
9. Series and parallel circuits
10. Circuit breakers
11. Hands-on Assessment of Circuits
12. Culminating Activity: Circuit quiz boards
13. Post-assessment: KWL