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Time to Design!

Science Year 3/4
This unit is part of Year 3/4 Science Electric Personalities

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Objectives

It’s time to decide what sort of working electric personality you will make - a robot, an animal or a person. Can you build the circuit that will be needed to make it work? You will need to decide what type of switch to use and draw a circuit diagram to explain how to put it all together.

Science Objectives
i) Construct a simple series electrical circuit, identifying and naming its basic parts, including cells, wires, bulbs, switches and buzzers.

Working Scientifically

  1. Asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them.
  2. Identifying differences, similarities or changes related to simple scientific ideas and processes.
  3. Using straightforward scientific evidence to answer questions or to support their findings.

Other Curriculum Areas

Design and Technology

  • Use research and develop design criteria to inform the design of innovative, functional, appealing products that are fit for purpose, aimed at particular individuals or groups.
  • Generate, develop, model and communicate their ideas through discussion, annotated sketches, cross-sectional and exploded diagrams, prototypes, pattern pieces and computer-aided design

You Will Need

Provided Resources

  • ‘Designing my Electric Personality’ Task Sheet (1 per child – pages 2 and 3 of the resource pack double backed on A3 paper and folded to make a booklet for planning, and later evaluating, the Electric Personality)

Additional Resources

  • A wide range of clean recycled packaging that can be used to create working electrical models
  • A collection of other materials to use for the modelling task
  • Split pins
  • Cells (in battery holders)
  • Double ended crocodile clip leads
  • Bulbs
  • Bulb holders
  • Buzzers
  • Motors
  • Switches (optional)
  • For Buzz Games - a wire coat hanger each, and a pair of wire cutters and pliers (to share)
  • A named carrier bag for each child where they can keep all the resources for their project

Lesson Planning

Teaching

  • Design a circuit that has a particular function within a working model choosing the type of switch and components needed.
  • Draw a diagram to represent the circuit (Yr3) using recognised symbols (Yr4).


Activities

  • Recap on which materials are electrical conductors and which are insulators (Yrs3&4)
  • Plan a working electrical model - An Electric Personality and build the circuit required (Yrs3&4)
  • Understand the difference between an on/off switch and a pressure switch and build one of these into their circuit (Yrs3&4)
  • Draw their circuit either in a way of their choice (Yr3) or using recognised symbols (Yr4)

Investigation
Your electric personalities will need to be switched on and off. Investigate switches and how they work also predict then test which materials allow electricity to pass through them (electrical conductors) and which do not (electrical insulators) (exploring, pattern seeking, classifying and identifying)
Year 3 – Use sorting hoops to sort conductors and insulators
Year 4 – Draw a results table to record results


Vocabulary
Electricity, circuit, switch, pressure, battery, device, motor, bulb, buzzer, component, wire, lead, crocodile clip, connection, power, cell, energy, flow, current, conductor, insulator, disconnect, design, test, adapt, modify

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