Conductivity Explorers

• Science
• 5th Grade

Conductivity Explorers

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to classify and test objects based on electrical and thermal conductivity.

Introduce the learning objective to the students and explain the importance of understanding conductivity in everyday life.

What do you already know about electrical and thermal conductivity?

What is Conductivity?

Conductivity is the ability of a material to allow the flow of electrical or thermal energy.

Explain the concept of conductivity and provide examples of conductive and non-conductive materials.

Electrical Conductivity

Electrical conductivity refers to a material's ability to conduct electricity.

Discuss the factors affecting electrical conductivity, such as the presence of free electrons and the material's atomic structure.

Testing Electrical Conductivity

To test electrical conductivity, you can use a circuit with a battery, wires, and a light bulb or buzzer.

Demonstrate how to set up a simple circuit and encourage students to test various materials to determine their electrical conductivity.

Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity refers to a material's ability to conduct heat.

Explain how thermal conductivity is important for energy transfer and provide examples of good and poor thermal conductors.

Testing Thermal Conductivity

To test thermal conductivity, you can use a heat source, such as a light bulb, and measure how quickly different materials heat up.

Demonstrate how to safely conduct a thermal conductivity experiment and encourage students to record their observations.

Classifying Materials

Based on their electrical and thermal conductivity, materials can be classified as conductors or insulators.  

On the next few slides, make an educated guess if your objects are insulators of electricity and heat or conductors of electricity and heat.

Discuss the different classifications and provide examples of common materials in each category.

Which items are conductors?

Which items are insulators?

Interactive Activity: Insulator or Conductor?

Use the open circuit to test each object.  

Make sure your OPEN CIRCUIT looks like the photo provided on the Benq with all wires connected the correct way.  Use your light buddy if you need help.  Get out your journal to write each object down as an insulator or conductor.  Then answer the correct answers on the next slides.

If the buzzer buzzes when the circuit is closed that indicates the object is a conductor.  If the buzzer does not buzz that indicates the object is an insulator. 

On the next slides, type in the items that are magnetic and are non magnetic.

Engage students in an interactive activity where they can apply their knowledge by classifying objects as magnetic or non-magnetic.

Which items are conductors?

Which items are insulators?

Real-World Applications

Understanding conductivity is essential in fields like electrical engineering, materials science, and energy efficiency.

Highlight the importance of conductivity in various industries and encourage students to think about real-world applications.

Which type of material has high electrical conductivity?

1. Plastics
2. Metals
3. Ceramics
4. Wood

What is electrical conductivity?

1. The ability of a material to resist electricity.
2. The ability of a material to conduct electricity.
3. The ability of a material to generate electricity.
4. The ability of a material to store electricity.

What is thermal conductivity?

1. Material's ability to generate heat
2. Material's ability to conduct heat
3. Material's ability to absorb heat
4. Material's ability to resist heat

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you learned in this lesson that can help your design team with The Cooler Project.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.

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