Electric Circuits
Lesson 6
What’s Wrong with the Circuit?
Students use a circuit tester to determine what is wrong with the system.
3. Lesson Set-up and Management
4-5 PS3A Energy has many forms, such as heat, light, sound, motion, and electricity.
4-5 PS3B Energy can be transferred from one place to another.
4-5 PS3E Electrical energy in circuits can be changed to other forms of energy, including light, heat, sound, and motion. Electric circuits require a complete loop through conducting materials in which an electric current can pass.
4-5 APPC Problems of moderate complexity can be solved using the technological design process. This process begins by defining and researching the problem to be solved.
4-5 APPD Scientists and engineers often work in teams with other individuals to generate different ideas for solving a problem.
- Students determine troubleshooting steps that can help find what is wrong with the system.
- Students use a circuit tester and troubleshooting steps to determine what is wrong with a circuit.
3. Lesson Set-Up and Management
Materials:
- Make sure the faulty bulb is faulty; sometime they are not. If the
bulb is not faulty, create another problem with the circuit based on
Procedure step 5.
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| Building a circuit tester. | Circuit tester showing a complete circuit. |
Student Management:
- After determining the troubleshooting tips and determining what is wrong with the circuit, have students take turns creating a problem in the circuit.
- Have students share their experiences using the troubleshooting strategies and if they were able to determine what was wrong with the circuit.
- Make a chart similar to the list of steps under Procedure step 5. You can photocopy the chart and have students keep it as a resource.
- Make and post a photocopy of Figure 6-1 (Circuit Tester) instead of writing it on the board in Procedure step 6.
Writing Support:
- Focus Question: What troubleshooting procedures can we use to figure out what is wrong with the system?
- This question can also be used as a reflection question at the end of the lesson, unless you opt to provide a copy of troubleshooting steps.
Reading Support:
- The Electricity and the Lightbulb book by James Lincoln Collier can be used after this lesson to illustrate the problem-solving that inventors had to go through in order to arrive at a working bulb. This text provides the history of electricity and the bulb. This text is a good fit for high readers or for lower readers with a lot of teacher support. There is also a time line that can be used throughout the unit with important discoveries about electricity.