Year 4Science Electricity – Block 4E – It’s Electric!

Session 2:Understanding Electrical Safety
Science curriculum area: Electricity / i) identify common appliances that run on electricity
ii) recognise some common conductors and insulators, and associate metals with being good conductors
Working Scientifically (LKS2) / i) asking relevant questions and using different types of scientific enquiries to answer them
Teaching Objectives /
  • To identify the dangers associated with electricity in the home and begin to recognise that the dangers are often associated with materials that are good conductors.

Other Curriculum areas / English
i) write for a range of real purposes and audiences as part of their work across the curriculum
Teaching Objectives /
  • To design and make an electrical safety poster, carefully considering the language used.

Key Vocabularyelectricity, danger, power, electrocute, plug, socket, safety
Resources
Class set of computers, card, pens, pencils, etc., example safety posters PowerPoint / Weblinks
- ElectroMouse safety clip
- Interactive game identifying electrical safety issues
Before the session: If available, set out a class set of computers/tablets/Netbooks, all with the ‘switchonkids’ website set up ready to go.
Whole Class: When chn arrive in class, explain that they will be discovering more about electrical safety by using an online resource. They will work in 2/3s, visiting every room in the virtual house, jotting down all the dangers that they discover (explain that some are repeated in different rooms). Allow them 15 minutes to complete the task. Once complete, take feedback from the class. Which dangers did they see? Did any of them surprise them? Explain that they will be making electrical safety posters for the school, warning chn of some of the dangers associated with electricity. Their poster will focus on one of the dangers they saw on the virtual house. They must think about where the poster would be displayed, for example on the door to the toilets, near a plug socket. Explain that they must choose the words of the poster carefully. Show them the example posters (session resource). Posters showing a potential hazard must get people’s attention first, too many words might mean that people walk past without spending time reading on. Model designing a ‘rough-draft’ poster about overloading plug sockets on the board. Ask chn for their ideas for words or phrases, model choosing the layout. Will they have one large one (e.g. DANGER) at an angle, a clear picture, and then a smaller sentence to explain further? Which colours should they choose? Remind them to plan the size of the letters carefully (they don’t want to start writing and then not be able to fit the whole word on the line). Posters, especially warning posters, need to be clear and uncomplicated. Encourage effort with presentation by explaining that the posters will be displayed around the school.
Activities: With a partner, chn design and make an electrical safety poster. They choose one safety issue to focus on,e.g. not overloading plugs, not using anything with broken wires, never put anything in sockets, don’t leave wires trailing across the floor, don’t touch electrical things with wet hands, don’t take electrical devices near water, don’t have drinks near electrical devices. They make a rough draft, choosing where the words will go, what they will say, where the picture will go, what colours they will choose. Remind them of the sort of powerful language they can use to make an impact.
Plenary / Allow chn to move around the class looking at the other posters. Ask them to stop by a poster that isn’t theirs, can they identify two things that they think is really good about the poster, and one thing that they think could be improved. Model this process if the class are unfamiliar with critiquing other people’s work. Did they choose good language that was clear? Were the colours bright? Was the picture clear? As a class, watch the Electro Mouse safety clip. Does anyone know why putting a metal knife in a toaster is so dangerous? Explain that metal is a very good conductor of electricity, so the electrical current will pass down the knife to your hand. Water also conducts electricity. Explain that they will investigate which materials conduct electricity in another session.
Finish by asking the children to work in pairs to write some quiz questions for the final block buzzer game. Give each pair a set of A8 card squares and say that they should write 5 quiz questions, with the answers, about what they have learned in this session ready for the final ‘It’s Electric’ quiz.
Outcomes / Children will
  • Understand the dangers of electricity
  • Create safety posters to highlight the dangers to others
  • Begin to understand that electrical dangers are often associated with materials that are good conductors

© Original resource copyright Hamilton Trust, who give permission for it to be adapted as wished by individual users.

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