1: What would life be like without electricity?

With electricity playing such an important role in our everyday lives, it’s easy to take it for granted.
But have you ever stopped to wonder what your life would be like if you had no access to electricity? 

This video will help your students explore electricity and make creative links between science, history, literacy and designWe'd love to see what you come up with!

Filmed at Wonderlab: the Statoil Gallery at the Science Museum, London

These resources are hand-picked by the TES team

Graphite Circuits - Science Museum STEM Activity

We rely on electric circuits every day, in our homes, schools and places of work, in our portable gadgets and kitchens.

In this activity from the Science Museum, a circuit drawn in pencil conducts electricity to light an LED. You’ll need to get hold of an LED and some wires and crocodile clips – all these things are available cheaply online or from high street electronics shops.

Learning Outcomes:

- Investigate the conductive properties of graphite
- Use observation and creative problem solving skills
- Understand how the conductive properties of materials have useful applications in our everyday lives.

Curriculum Links:

KS3 Science: Physics; Electricity

KS3 Science: Working scientifically; experimental skills and investigations

By Science Museum Learning

Uses of electricity

Begin by finding out what children already know about electricity, including which everyday appliances use either mains electricity or batteries (or both).

Sort appliances using a Venn diagram. Discuss what electricity does – heat/cooling, light, movement and sound.

Suitable for Year 2 pupils.

Find other lesson plans and resources at www.hamilton-trust.org.uk.
By Hamilton Trust

Year 6 Electricity science topic - powerpoint lessons, activities and display pack

A set of resources to assist practical investigations when learning about electricity and simple circuits.
POWERPOINTS

CIRCUITS AND ELECTRICITY: Asks questions to recap on learning from Year 4, to see if children have the appropriate background knowledge. It explains electricity and how it will only flow when it has a complete circuit. It talks about batteries as a source of electricity and introduces the use of symbols for creating circuit diagrams.

CIRCUIT DIAGRAMS: Goes into circuit diagrams in more detail, showing different symbols, and different circuits, explaining how bulbs can be made brighter etc. Ends with questions about circuits and asks how the children can test out their answers.

ACTIVITIES

AfL, to record what they know / would like to find out
Circuit recording sheet
Circuit cards (to make pictorial representations of circuits)
Topic cover x 2, with and without a picture

DISPLAY

A-Z lettering
Banner
Cards - circuit symbols
Vocabulary cards

INVESTIGATION AND RECORDING SHEETS

A folder of sheets for recording and investigations

Plus an adaptable medium term plan, with web links
By highwaystar

Balloon Buggies - Forces & Motion KS2/3

In this exciting practical session pupils will design, build and test their own balloon buggies using cheap and recycled materials, whilst linking to KS2 and KS3 Science, DT and Mathematics curricula.
By technologyforfun

History of Electricity Reading Comprehension

A fact file about the history of electricity that was written as part of the Year 6 Science curriculum for electricity with two different sets of questions and answers included.
By krisgreg30

Make a Fan Boat: Electricity Materials Forces KS2

In this fun hands-on session pupils will design, build and test their own working fan boat, whilst linking to Key Stage 2 Science (electricity, materials and forces) and D&T curricula.
By technologyforfun

Worksheet: Electric Safety (primary/elem)

Each pair of pictures shows something safe and something not safe. Mark an X over the picture that is not safe.
By abcteach

Using electricity (Unit 2F) - sorting pictures

children can use pictures to identify appliances which use electricity and to sort into use electricity/do not use electricity (or sub sort into use batteries).
By Lori1

Planning and Worksheets for Electricity

A selection of planning (with web links), activities, ideas and worksheets for covering this unit of work. Hope you might find them useful. Sorry they can't be edited as they have been exported from an Active- primary flip-chart.
By Paws and Clause

Electricity Circuit Building Activity

Teach your children about electricity through our Electricity Task Cards. This is a fantastic hands on activity that will teach your children to construct series and parallel circuits. They will love creating the circuits from the differentiated task cards.

This can be done using electrical components or our symbol cards provided.

Contents:
- x 14 Electricity circuit diagram cards
- Electrical components symbol cards

We hope you enjoy!

From Saving The Teachers
By Saving The Teachers

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1: What would life be like without electricity?