Investigating Electricity: Testing for Electrical Conductivity (Conductors and Insulators) Using a Variety of Materials

This activity is designed for students to discover what materials will conduct an electric current. Throughout this activity the students will be observing, questioning, communicating, experimenting, classifying, recording, and designing investigations.
Finding out what an electric circuit is, what materials conduct electric current, and what materials insulate electric current are the key concepts.
New vocab words: electric current, conductors, and insulators.

This lab activity is designed for a classroom of 4th graders. It will take approximately 30-45 minutes. It could also be done individually, but I would prefer groups of 2-3 for cooperative investigating, involvement, and discussion. This activity is encouraged early in the unit, and introduces how to set up a basic circuit. It then moves into the conductors/insulators activity. As long as you have all the materials, this lab could be performed almost anywhere, with any size group.

Students begin by following directions on building a simples circuit with two copper wires. They observe what happens. Then a third wire is added, and each object is individually testing and results are recorded in their activity journal. After all the materials have been tested and recorded, students are asked to collect 15 additional items to test the following week, when this lab will continue (optional). Students may choose to make a poster in which they classify and list the conductors and insulators.

Materials needed for each lab: D-cell battery, three 51-cm lengths of insulated copper wire with the ends stripped, wire holders, bulb holder, light bulb, a variety of materials for testing conductivity (a nail, a marker cap, an eraser, a marble, one checker piece or other game marker), coins of three different values, a shoelace, a key, graphite mechanical pencil "lead," and markers and poster board for posters.

Closure activities include class discussion and sharing of posters, and discussion of "conclusion" and "new questions" in the Activity Journal.

This activity was adapted from SRA/McGraw-Hill Real Science textbook pp. C22-23 and Activity Journal pp. 81-84.

Tips for this activity: Some common misconceptions that students may have are that the wall outlet is a source of electricity, all electricity behaves the same way, and electrical energy is everywhere. These may need to be addressed. For safety purposes, tell students not to connect wires only to the battery or heat will be created. If wires heat up, they must disconnect their circuits. Students must also be reminded to work cooperatively and to persevere. This activity is different than what I've done in the past because I am using more materials, smaller cooperative groups, and additional items to test. I am also incorporating a hands-on demonstration in which students need to build specific circuits for me as part of their final grade for this unit.

Assessment: As we continue through this electricity unit, the students will need to remember and apply what they have learned from this lab. They will need to demonstrate and express their knowledge of conductors and insulators in future lessons. They will also be tested at the end of the unit, not only in a hands-on demonstration, but will also a paper-pencil exam.

Grade 4.II.C.3 The student will identify objects and materials that conduct electricity and those that are insulators.