Static vs. Current Electricity

• build on what they already know and classify examples of electricity in their lives into two categories: static and current electricity.
• begin to understand the difference between static and current electricity and be able to provide examples for each.

3.2.7 Ask, "How do you know?" in appropriate situations and attempt reasonable answers when others ask the same question.
4.2.7 Identify better reasons than "Everybody knows that…" or "I just know" and discount such reasons when given by others.

• chalkboard
• chalk

1. Brainstorm ways that we use electricity at home. Once a reasonable list has been made, draw two columns on the board. Label one column "Static electricity" and the other "Current electricity."
2. Explain that the students will be studying two types of electricity, static and current. Using the examples that they brainstormed, students will try to come up with their own definition of each. Start the lesson by putting an everyday example of electricity under the appropriate heading. For example, under "Static electricity" write, "When my sister rubs her feet on the carpet and gives me a shock on my hand." Under "Current electricity" write "flashlight."
3. Now open it up to the class in the format of a game. One side of the room versus the other. Each side may submit an example (either from their list or spontaneously), but they must put it under the appropriate heading in order to get a point. They must also be ready to justify the choice that they made. If one side of the room submits an addition to the list, but it is incorrect, the other side gets a point. This will encourage the teams to work together and think through their answers before blurting them out.

1. Begin the game by taking an example from one side. The response may be, "stereo." In this case, the group will have to decide which heading it would fall under. If they are incorrect, the other team gets a point. Either way, the teacher should make sure that the examples go under the correct heading on the board. This will help students determine which type of electricity applies to the examples they have left for the remainder of the game.
2. Through the course of the game, students will realize that they use current electricity more often than static electricity. When both columns have a sufficient amount of examples, stop the game and have the children work in small groups to come up with a definition or explanation of each type of electricity using the examples that they have found for each on the board.
3. Give the students enough time to jot down a response to share with the rest of the group. Have the groups write each definition down on a small piece of paper. Then write all of the submitted definitions on the board including the correct definition (that you add to the list). Go through each one and see if they are accurate or not. Check to see if their explanation applies to all of the examples in the column. Guide the students towards the accurate definition for each.

1. Spend some time as a whole class discussing the differences between the two types of electricity. Give some additional examples of electricity that are not on the list and have the children determine the appropriate column.
2. Children should be able to determine which column the new examples will fall under given their new definitions for each.

• see a pattern in the examples that they provide and come up with informal guidelines to distinguish examples of current electricity from examples of static electricity?
• use the examples to construct their own informal definition for each type of electricity? Were they able to use these definitions to distinguish between the two types of electricity, and see that current electricity is more familiar and used more often in the home than static electricity?