What if there were no electricity?

What if there were no electricity?
Lesson narration:
English Spanish
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DISCUSS (1 of 2):

Imagine power is out for a day. How would that affect your life? (For example: What things stop working? What things do you lose the ability to do?)

DISCUSS (2 of 2):

Now imagine power is out for a week (or even a year). What are some ways this might affect your life?

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DISCUSS:

Besides making things move, what else can electrical energy do? (Think about examples from the story.)

Hint...

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Slide Image
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electricity (electrical energy)


1 of 9

a form of energy, such as what usually powers light bulbs

light energy


2 of 9

energy that is in the form of light that can be seen
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energy transfer


3 of 9

when energy travels from one place to another
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battery


4 of 9

a device that stores energy
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circuit


5 of 9

a path where electricity can flow
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conductor


6 of 9

a material that electrical energy easily travels through
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insulator


7 of 9

a material that electrical energy does not easily travel through
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experiment


8 of 9

a test used to discover new information about a question
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invent


9 of 9

to create something new, often an object or a way of doing something

Featured Reviews

“Students LOVE their flashlights. This was such a fun hands on activity. ”
· Jessie · Teacher
“Kids loved making the flashlights and figuring out how to make a switch!”
· Cathy · Teacher
“My boys in my behaviour class were glued to the lesson and our discussions were rich. They loved creating the flashlight. I loved when they were experimenting with the LED light and battery and they were able to get the light to glow. Their faces lit up!! Everyone helped each other. I was very proud of them.”
· Kathy · Teacher
“The students loved the hands on activity where they were able to create flashlights. They were incredibly engaged!”
· · Teacher
“The wonder in the eyes of fourth graders as they make their own flashlight was awesome!”
· Yolanda · Teacher
“The lab was the best part! It had minimal supplies needed with minimal money needed to be spent, yet provided the student with a neat take home!”
· Samantha · Teacher
“This was so easy to use in the classroom and the students loved it!! Best lesson I have found to help teach younger children (4th grade) about electricity!”
· Lynn · Teacher
“Super engaging lesson! So easy to follow with minimal preparation or materials. Thanks!”
· Janet · Teacher
“My students loved making the LEDs light up! Overheard great conversations between students helping each other and discussing what was happening! Wonderful lesson!”
· Laurissa · Teacher
“Kids loved it, just watching their eyes light up when they were successful....the reason I teach!”
· · Teacher
“My students LOVE that they get to design and continually improve their own flashlight. Thanks for such an engaging investigation!”
· Sarah · Teacher
“The excitement the children had while experimenting!”
· · Teacher
“Fantastic introduction to energy and electricity. Thanks for the great videos and doable activities. My kids loved this and I loved teaching it!”
· Kathryn · Teacher
“Fun hands on activity, easy to do but still requiring thinking and evaluating results.”
· Christine · Teacher
“Your guys' site is one of the best laid out, well thought out, organized teacher sites I've ever been on. It is user friendly. I love the way there are so many usable links I can just click on in extras without having to spend hours researching! This lesson was particularly amazing. And kids were super engaged. Thank you!!!!”
· Krysia · Teacher
Lesson narration:
English Spanish

Activity Prep

Print Prep
In this lesson, students are introduced to electricity as a form of energy. In the activity, Build a Flashlight, students investigate how electrical energy requires a circuit and make their own mini flashlights from LEDs, button batteries, and strips of aluminum foil. Along the way, they’ll learn about the anatomy of a battery, begin to see how circuits work, and discover how handy an on-off switch can be.
Preview activity

I have a Mystery Pack

Flashlight Maker worksheet 1 per student
Scissors
1 pair per student
Aluminum Foil
4" per student
File Folder Labels (Stickers)
Masking tape will also work. We prefer stickers for ease of distribution in a classroom.
Details
4 labels per student
Index Cards (3x5)
1 card per student
Batteries (3V 2032 button)
Each student needs one battery. We suggest purchasing a few more in case some don't work.
Details
1 battery per student
LEDs
Each student needs at least one LED, but it's ideal to have more for additional experimentation. We recommend getting an assortment of colored LEDs.
Details
3 LEDs per student
Prep Instructions

Teacher Note: If you purchase the batteries in advance, please read this document for how to safely store them.

We suggest students work in pairs. Homeschool students can work on their own.

Prepare Aluminum Foil

For each student, tear off a strip of aluminum foil that’s about 4 inches wide and as long as the roll (usually about 12 inches).

Exploration

22 mins

Hands-On Activity

35 mins

Wrap-Up

3 mins

Extend this lesson

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Student slideshow: English | Spanish

Teacher printout: English & Spanish

Unit Reading

Unit Reading

People Power

In this reading, students learn how scientists are exploring using energy from human bodies to power machines.

Mini-lessons

Mini-lessons

You can elaborate student learning and engagement with Mystery Science mini-lessons.

If you are in an NGSS state, this mini-lesson supports the DCI PS3.B: Conservation of Energy and Energy Transfer

Discussions

Discussion

Historical footage from the 1930s shows how life changed when electricity made its way to rural America. Watch the video (7:32) and talk about the differences between then and now:

How did electricity change life in the home? On the farm?

How did electricity change the lives of men, women, and children?

Could you live without electricity in your house today?

Activity

Activity

Make a Lemon Battery

All you need are a few lemons, some pennies or copper wire, paper towels, and a nail.

This downloadable PDF from The Tech Museum of Innovation includes information on standards, vocabulary words, and ideas for extended learning. (Grades 4–8)

Activity

Activity

Challenge: Turning Your Flashlight On and Off

Your light up card works as a flashlight — it’ll let you see in the dark. But you probably want more than that in a flashlight.

Change your flashlight to make it easy to turn on and off. Watch this video for ideas if you get stuck.

Transcripts

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Credits
 
Light Energy Tx Lesson 3: What if there were no electricity?

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