Electricity and Light Elicitations

This resource includes 9 ready-to-use knowledge checks/elicitation tasks for Year 3/4 science, covering the topics of Electricity (6 tasks) and Light (3 tasks).

The activities are carefully designed using task design principles to effectively elicit pupils’ prior knowledge, misconceptions, and understanding. Each task uses some of the following: logos, visual prompts, word banks, or labelling activities, allowing children to demonstrate what they know without relying heavily on extended writing.

Several tasks are scaffolded to support all learners, including:
-Visual cues and diagrams to reduce cognitive load
-Simple word banks to support vocabulary recall
-Clear labelling and matching activities suitable for SEND and EAL learners

The checks are ideal for:
-Lesson starters or pre-unit assessments
-Mid-unit retrieval practice
-Formative assessment
-Low-stakes quizzes
-Independent or small-group work

Because the tasks are quick to complete and easy to interpret, they allow teachers to rapidly identify gaps in understanding and plan next steps. They are also highly suitable for mixed-ability classes, where children can access the same scientific content at different levels of support.

All resources are classroom-tested and require no additional preparation—simply print and use.

What’s Included
-6 electricity knowledge checks (appliances, simple circuits, switches).
-3 light knowledge checks (light sources, reflections, what light can/cannot pass through).