4th GRADE ELECTRICITY
Web Link
Bibliography
By:
Wendy Maloney
The links
listed below are to assist the 4th grade science curriculum for electricity.
It offers sites that will lead the student from Ben Franklin’s discovery to
creating a simple closed circuit. Many of the sites include diagrams and
experiments that students can perform in the classroom or at home. This
bibliography is designed to be used by the students with the teachers
assistance.
History
Get a quick lesson about the discovery of
electricity. How did Ben Franklin prove lightening was electricity? This is very kid friendly. http://bensguide.gpo.gov/benfranklin/inventor.html
Date
visited
A more involved explanation of Ben Franklin’s great
invention involving more text and insight to his findings on electricity. This
site has a link to explore how to make your own lightening. http://sln.fi.edu/qa99/attic3/index.html Date
visited
Ben Franklin’s Lightening Bells
This is a great extension to how Ben Franklin
used another invention to experiment with lightening. It includes Ben
Franklin’s own description about his invention. This is a great place to go to
expand your knowledge. http://sln.fi.edu/franklin/bells.html Date visited
Benjamin
Franklin- The Science Years
This is a
great site to conclude Ben Franklin’s contribution to the discovery of
electricity. It adds a little more information but mainly restates the
information quickly. This site is moderate reading.
http://www.school-for-champions.com/biographies/franklin2.htm Date visited
Static Electricity
Find out about atoms and why opposites
attract. Great diagrams too! It contains
easy to read text for all levels, and great experiments to try in your classroom
with your teacher. http://www.sciencemadesimple.net/static.html Date visited
You can find more
information on this site to understand the way static electricity works. It
gives examples of the differences of static and electrical electricity. It also
has a great mini quiz at the end. It is an easy to moderate text.
http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/static.htm Date visited
Device
for Detecting Static Electricity
How do you
detect static electricity? Go to this sign to design an electroscope and try to
explain why and how it works. Easy to read and follow directions. http://www.school-for-champions.com/science/experiments/expstatic2.htm Date visited
Lightening
Get a brief but
descriptive lesson on how lightening occurs and is related to static
electricity. There are new vocabulary words with a link to get the definitions.
The content is challenging but straight to the point.
http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/bigspark.html Date visited
Once you understand
how lightening and static electricity occur there are some experiments you can
try to help understand the concept better. Easy to read and follow directions.
http://weathereye.kgan.com/cadet/lightning/experiment.html Date
visited
Electricity
Everything
you wanted to know about electricity. This site contains comparisons and
contrasts of static electricity and current electricity and gives a brief
history of Ben Franklin and Thomas Edison. Easy to moderate reading.
http://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season3/electricity/facts.html Date visited
This site explains
the way electricity works. It also goes into detail about electrons and protons
Understanding static electricity will help you to understand “What is
Electricity”. Moderate reading.
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter02.html Date visited
Electrical Circuits
Understanding
how a circuit works can be difficult, but this web site gives a great description
without a lot of words. It also explains series and parallel circuits with
great diagrams. Great for easy reading.
http://whyfiles.larc.nasa.gov/text/kids/Problem_Board/problems/electricity/circuits2.html Date visited
Learn how a
simple circuit works by following the directions for a hands-on experience.
Diagrams offer great assistance to be able to create simple, parallel and series
circuits. This is for moderate readers. http://can-do.com/uci/lessons99/electricity.html
Date visited
A great
explanation of how circuits work using a battery and light bulb. Try the
experiment to get experience with circuits. Parallel circuits are also
explained. Moderate reading.
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/story/chapter04.html
Date visited
Make an
online circuit. This site will direct and guide you to complete a successful
circuit. Great understanding and easy to understand text. http://gwydir.demon.co.uk/jo/elect/
Date visited
What a
great way to review everything you have learned about electricity. This slide
show provides everything from Ben Franklin to nuclear electricity. Very easy to
follow and understand.
http://www.msnucleus.org/membership/html/k-6/as/technology/4/ast4_3a.html
Date visited
Short Circuits
How
Does a Short Circuit Work ?
Understand how
a short circuit occurs by trying this great experiment. It will enlighten you.
This site provides you with everything you will need to demonstrate a short
circuit. Easy to moderate reading.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/short_circuit.html
Date visited
Easy to understand instructions of how
to create a short circuit and why it happens. Great
illustrations. http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/projects/open-short-circuit.html
Date visited
Conductors and insulators
What are
conductors and Insulators?
This is a site that is short and to the point
to explain the difference between a conductor and an insulator. Easy to
moderate reading.
http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/302l/lectures/node4.html
Date visited
Conductor
and Insulator Puzzle
What a great puzzle
that anyone can do over and over to help in understanding different conductors
and insulators. Easy to follow directions.
http://www.quia.com/servlets/quia.activities.common.ActivityPlayer?AP_rand=1048266494&AP_activityType=14&AP_urlId=25645&AP_continuePlay=true&id=25645
Date visited
Looking for an in
depth but simple description of conductors and insulators? This would be a
great place to go. Easy to understand.
http://www.ndt-ed.org/EducationResources/HighSchool/Electricity/conductorsinsulators.htm
Date visited