Students will investigate how electrical energy requires a circuit and make their own mini flashlights from LEDs, using button batteries, and strips of aluminum foil. White boards will be used during cooperative learning groups while they share and brainstorm ideas. This will allow me to see their thought processes and understand their designs. Students will use persistence and think like creative innovators to solve this problem: "How will I be able to use foil, and a coin battery to light up the lightbulb?" Students will find out what works and does not work as they experiment with these materials. They will also create a switch to turn these paper flashlights off and on. Along the way, they’ll also learn about the anatomy of a battery, electrical energy, and begin to see how circuits work. Our lessons from this unit will focus on engineering, testing hypotheses and using results to develop their ideas.
The donations to this project will help support students' understanding of energy and enhance their problem solving skills. These materials will boost student engagement and encourage students to think about the world in terms of energy. This project will create meaningful learning moments for each individual and enrich student understanding. We will continue to use these whiteboards in other subjects to help students see their thinking. From this activity, students will learn the process is as important as figuring out a solution. Thank you for your support!
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas Edison
About my class
Students will investigate how electrical energy requires a circuit and make their own mini flashlights from LEDs, using button batteries, and strips of aluminum foil. White boards will be used during cooperative learning groups while they share and brainstorm ideas. This will allow me to see their thought processes and understand their designs. Students will use persistence and think like creative innovators to solve this problem: "How will I be able to use foil, and a coin battery to light up the lightbulb?" Students will find out what works and does not work as they experiment with these materials. They will also create a switch to turn these paper flashlights off and on. Along the way, they’ll also learn about the anatomy of a battery, electrical energy, and begin to see how circuits work. Our lessons from this unit will focus on engineering, testing hypotheses and using results to develop their ideas.
The donations to this project will help support students' understanding of energy and enhance their problem solving skills. These materials will boost student engagement and encourage students to think about the world in terms of energy. This project will create meaningful learning moments for each individual and enrich student understanding. We will continue to use these whiteboards in other subjects to help students see their thinking. From this activity, students will learn the process is as important as figuring out a solution. Thank you for your support!
"I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."
-Thomas Edison