Simple circuits
I can name the parts of a circuit, tell if a bulb will light, and sort conductors from insulators.
For grown-ups: this lesson in words
Years 4 to 6 · Science
Simple circuits: I can name the parts of a circuit, tell if a bulb will light, and sort conductors from insulators.
Some things need electricity to work, and some do not. Let's sort them.
A TV and a laptop use electricity. Machines like these are called appliances.
A torch uses electricity too.
A book and a kite do not need electricity at all.
Picture: Sorting into 2 groups: Uses electricity, No electricity. Uses electricity: TV, Laptop, Torch. No electricity: Book, Kite.
Your turn: Which of these needs electricity to work?
Choose one:
- Pencil: pencil
- Phone: phone
- Ball: ball
Answer
The answer: Phone
The phone needs electricity to work. The pencil and the ball do not.
Electricity needs a path to flow round. The path is called a circuit.
This is a cell. Many people call it a battery. It pushes the electricity round.
Wires join the parts together in a loop.
The electricity flows through the bulb, and the bulb lights up.
Picture: A drawing of an electric circuit. The circuit is a complete loop, so it works. Labels: cell, wire and bulb.
Words to know
- appliance:
- A machine or tool that uses electricity, like a TV or a laptop.
- circuit:
- A complete loop that electricity can flow round.
- cell:
- The part that pushes electricity round a circuit. Many people call it a battery.
- switch:
- A part that opens or closes a gap in a circuit.
- conductor:
- A material that lets electricity flow through it, like metal.
- insulator:
- A material that does not let electricity flow through it, like plastic.
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