Circuit breakers
View Sequence overviewStudents will:
- demonstrate curiosity about electricity.
- identify items that require electricity to function.
- discuss how people are affected when there is no electricity.
Students will represent their understanding as they:
- record their predictions and observations in a T-chart.
- participate in and contribute to discussions, sharing information, experiences and opinions.
- draw a diagram of two batteries connected together.
In the Launch phase, assessment is diagnostic.
Take note of:
- How do students describe the source of electricity?
- For example, do batteries store electricity, do overhead wires 'bring' the electricity?
- How do students describe energy transformation?
- For example, do appliances 'use' or 'use up' electricity?
- Have students described different types of batteries and voltages?
- For example, do big batteries mean they are more 'powerful'?
- What vocabulary are students using?
Whole class
Class science journal (digital or hard-copy)
Materials to create a word wall
Materials to create a TWLH chart
Materials to create a wall T-chart
Videos or images depicting the consequence of a blackout, for example “Queensland blackout causes chaos” (2021, 5:41 minutes, swear word beeped out at 1:46 minutes)
Videos or images depicting the causes of a blackout, for example "Why did many Victorians lose power after wild storms?" (2024, 1:32 minutes)
Each group
A small cheap LED torch with AA or AAA batteries. Torches can be all identical or a variety of different types.
Each student
Individual science journal (hard-copy or digital)
Lesson
The Launch phase is designed to increase the science capital in a classroom by asking questions that elicit and explore students’ experiences. It uses local and global contexts and real-world phenomena that inspire students to recognise and explore the science behind objects, events and phenomena that occur in the material world. It encourages students to ask questions, investigate concepts, and engage with the Core Concepts that anchor each unit.
The Launch phase is divided into four routines that:
- ensure students experience the science for themselves and empathise with people who experience the problems science seeks to solve (Experience and empathise)
- anchor the teaching sequence with the key ideas and core science concepts (Anchor)
- elicit students’ prior understanding (Elicit)
- and connect with the students’ lives, languages and interests (Connect).
Students arrive in the classroom with a variety of scientific experiences. This routine provides an opportunity to plan for a common shared experience for all students. The Experience may involve games, role-play, local excursions or yarning with people in the local community. This routine can involve a chance to Empathise with the people who experience the problems science seeks to solve.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider what experiences will be relevant to your students. Is there a location for an excursion, or people to talk to as part of an incursion? Are there local people in the community who might be able to talk about what they are doing? How could you set up your classroom to broaden the students’ thinking about the core science ideas? How could you provide a common experience that will provide a talking point throughout the sequence?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkThe importance of electricity
Optional: Beginning the lesson by having students walk into a darkened classroom with all electricity turned off can have an immediate impact. This can be done by switching off all the electrical appliances/lights in the classroom either manually or at the safety switch.
Pose the question: How important is electricity?
Ask students to:
- predict what would happen if there was no electricity at the school, their home, or the local area.
- write their predictions on a sticky note.
- collect their predictions by sticking them in a T-chart.
Watch a video depicting the consequences of a blackout, for example “Queensland blackout causes chaos”. Consequences include: no traffic lights, no computers, no electricity for hospitals/airports/television, no lights in shops/hairdressers.
Students share their observations of the way that people were affected when there was no electricity. Record these in the second column of the T-chart.
Compare the predictions with what actually happened in the video.
Compare and discuss the terms ‘blackout’ (there is no electricity at all) and ‘brownout’ (the electricity is restricted making it difficult to keep everything going). In the video, the electricity to some areas was cut so that there would be enough for hospitals.
Watch a video depicting the causes of a blackout, for example "Why did many Victorians lose power after wild storms?" (2024, 1:32 minutes).
Keep the T-chart for the Act phase of the unit.
Adapting to your context
If selecting other videos or images of blackouts for students to view, select footage that demonstrate the same types of examples without introducing new content.
If selecting other videos or images of blackouts for students to view, select footage that demonstrate the same types of examples without introducing new content.
You might also consider activities to allow students to experience and observe the phenomena themselves, such as turning off the electricity in the classroom.
Alternatively, you may use the challenges of renewable energy used to generate electricity where the sun does not always shine, or the wind does not always move.
If selecting other videos or images of blackouts for students to view, select footage that demonstrate the same types of examples without introducing new content.
You might also consider activities to allow students to experience and observe the phenomena themselves, such as turning off the electricity in the classroom.
Alternatively, you may use the challenges of renewable energy used to generate electricity where the sun does not always shine, or the wind does not always move.
The Launch phase is designed to increase the science capital in a classroom by asking questions that elicit and explore students’ experiences. It uses local and global contexts and real-world phenomena that inspire students to recognise and explore the science behind objects, events and phenomena that occur in the material world. It encourages students to ask questions, investigate concepts, and engage with the Core Concepts that anchor each unit.
The Launch phase is divided into four routines that:
- ensure students experience the science for themselves and empathise with people who experience the problems science seeks to solve (Experience and empathise)
- anchor the teaching sequence with the key ideas and core science concepts (Anchor)
- elicit students’ prior understanding (Elicit)
- and connect with the students’ lives, languages and interests (Connect).
Science education consists of a series of key ideas and core concepts that can explain objects, events and phenomena, and link them to the experiences encountered by students in their lives. The purpose of the Anchor routine is to identify the key ideas and concepts in a way that builds and deepens students’ understanding. During the Launch phase, the Anchor routine provides a lens through which to view the classroom context, and a way to frame the key knowledge and skills students will be learning.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider the core concepts and key ideas that are relevant. Break these into small bite-sized pieces that are relevant to the age and stage of your students. Consider possible alternative concepts that students might hold. How could you provide activities or ask questions that will allow students to consider what they know?
Electrical links
Brainstorm all the objects in the classroom that need to be plugged in to electricity to work. If the students need to move, encourage them to put a post-it note or similar on the object.
Discuss how students know if something is ‘working’ when plugged into the electricity.
- How do you know a light is working?
- How do you know a fan is working?
- How do you know a mobile phone is working?
- How do you know a speaker is not working?
- How do you know an automatic door is not working?
Core concepts and key ideas
When planning for teaching in your classroom, it can be useful to see where a sequence fits into the larger picture of science.
When planning for teaching in your classroom, it can be useful to see where a sequence fits into the larger picture of science. This unit is anchored to the Science understanding core concepts for Physical sciences.
- Energy can be transferred and transformed from one form to another and is conserved within systems.
In Year 6, students have already examined sources of light (Year 5), heat (Year 3), and sound (Year 2), and how these forms of energy can be transferred. In this teaching sequence, students identify the role of circuit components in the transfer and transformation of electrical energy.
This core concept is linked to the key science ideas:
- Energy moves through and can cause observable changes to systems. (Matter and energy)
- Components of systems work together to serve particular functions. (Systems)
- Models can be used to investigate relationships between components of systems. (Systems)
- Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships and make predictions. (Patterns, order, and organisation)
When your students next progress through this core concept, they will classify different types of energy as kinetic or potential and investigate energy transfer and transformations in simple systems (Year 8).
When planning for teaching in your classroom, it can be useful to see where a sequence fits into the larger picture of science. This unit is anchored to the Science understanding core concepts for Physical sciences.
- Energy can be transferred and transformed from one form to another and is conserved within systems.
In Year 6, students have already examined sources of light (Year 5), heat (Year 3), and sound (Year 2), and how these forms of energy can be transferred. In this teaching sequence, students identify the role of circuit components in the transfer and transformation of electrical energy.
This core concept is linked to the key science ideas:
- Energy moves through and can cause observable changes to systems. (Matter and energy)
- Components of systems work together to serve particular functions. (Systems)
- Models can be used to investigate relationships between components of systems. (Systems)
- Patterns can be used to identify cause and effect relationships and make predictions. (Patterns, order, and organisation)
When your students next progress through this core concept, they will classify different types of energy as kinetic or potential and investigate energy transfer and transformations in simple systems (Year 8).
Scientific terminology
‘Plugged into electricity’ is the preferred term. Objects do not ‘use’ or ‘use up’ electricity. Instead, they transform (change) the energy from one form to another.
‘Plugged into electricity’ is the preferred term. Objects do not ‘use’ or ‘use up’ electricity. Instead, they transform (change) the energy from one form to another.
Energy is the capacity to do work; force is the influence that causes energy to affect change. A person standing next to a door has energy stored in their muscles. When the person decides to close the door, their arm and hand communicate force to the door, transmitting energy from the muscles. The amount of energy present in the system is the same; however, the door is now moving due to a force exerted upon it and the person is left with less stored energy.
‘Plugged into electricity’ is the preferred term. Objects do not ‘use’ or ‘use up’ electricity. Instead, they transform (change) the energy from one form to another.
Energy is the capacity to do work; force is the influence that causes energy to affect change. A person standing next to a door has energy stored in their muscles. When the person decides to close the door, their arm and hand communicate force to the door, transmitting energy from the muscles. The amount of energy present in the system is the same; however, the door is now moving due to a force exerted upon it and the person is left with less stored energy.
The Launch phase is designed to increase the science capital in a classroom by asking questions that elicit and explore students’ experiences. It uses local and global contexts and real-world phenomena that inspire students to recognise and explore the science behind objects, events and phenomena that occur in the material world. It encourages students to ask questions, investigate concepts, and engage with the Core Concepts that anchor each unit.
The Launch phase is divided into four routines that:
- ensure students experience the science for themselves and empathise with people who experience the problems science seeks to solve (Experience and empathise)
- anchor the teaching sequence with the key ideas and core science concepts (Anchor)
- elicit students’ prior understanding (Elicit)
- and connect with the students’ lives, languages and interests (Connect).
The Elicit routine provides opportunities to identify students’ prior experiences, existing science capital and potential alternative conceptions related to the Core concepts. The diagnostic assessment allows teachers to support their students to build connections between what they already know and the teaching and learning that occurs during the Inquire cycle.
When designing a teaching sequence, consider when and where students may have been exposed to the core concepts and key ideas in the past. Imagine how a situation would have looked without any prior knowledge. What ideas and thoughts might students have used to explain the situation or phenomenon? What alternative conceptions might your students hold? How will you identify these?
The Deep connected learning in the ‘Pedagogical Toolbox: Deep connected learning’ provides a set of tools to identify common alternative conceptions to aid teachers during this routine.
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkEliciting prior knowledge
Elicit students' previous experiences with electricity by asking questions.
- Who needs to know about electricity?
- Does anyone have solar panels/batteries/generators at home?
- How are they used by the family?
- Can anyone tell me about a TV program they have seen that involved people who did not have electricity?
- Does anyone know someone who works with electricity in their job?
- Have you ever experienced a place with no electricity?
- Camping, power/generator off, etc.
- From your knowledge outside school, how important would you describe electricity?
- What do you know about electric cars? Do they have electricity? Where does their electricity come from?
Begin a class TWLH chart by recording students’ thoughts about what electricity is in the ‘What we THINK we know’ column.
Discuss what questions students have about electricity. Record their questions in the ‘What we WANT to know’ column.
- How does electricity get to our power points?
- How does the electricity move from our power points to the objects?
- How does a switch turn an object on/off?
- What could we do if we had no electricity on the power points?
Eliciting and linking students’ prior knowledge
Asking open questions about a student’s hobbies or family experiences allows students to bring their own experiences to what they are learning.
Asking open questions about a student’s hobbies or family experiences allows students to bring their own experiences to what they are learning. This provides context to the science content that they are learning. It is also an opportunity to examine any alternative conceptions for electricity. These may include:
- The terms electricity, power, energy, current or charge are all interchangeable.
- Batteries store electricity because they go flat (instead of batteries store chemical energy).
- Only one wire is needed to connect the battery to the globe.
- Energy or electrical current ‘uses up’ the energy in the battery.
- Electricity flows from both the positive and negative battery terminals.
Asking open questions about a student’s hobbies or family experiences allows students to bring their own experiences to what they are learning. This provides context to the science content that they are learning. It is also an opportunity to examine any alternative conceptions for electricity. These may include:
- The terms electricity, power, energy, current or charge are all interchangeable.
- Batteries store electricity because they go flat (instead of batteries store chemical energy).
- Only one wire is needed to connect the battery to the globe.
- Energy or electrical current ‘uses up’ the energy in the battery.
- Electricity flows from both the positive and negative battery terminals.
TWLH chart
A TWLH chart is a critical thinking learning tool that is used to document the learning journey across the course of a learning sequence.
A TWLH chart is a critical thinking learning tool that is used to document the learning journey across the course of a learning sequence. Construction of a TWLH chart typically begins in the Launch phase, starting with asking students what they Think they know, and what they Want to know.
Class consensus diagrams and TWLH charts can be used together—representations can provide ideas, explanations, and questions that can be incorporated into the TWLH chart—and the TWLH chart can help students think about how they might refine their representation.
A TWLH chart is a critical thinking learning tool that is used to document the learning journey across the course of a learning sequence. Construction of a TWLH chart typically begins in the Launch phase, starting with asking students what they Think they know, and what they Want to know.
Class consensus diagrams and TWLH charts can be used together—representations can provide ideas, explanations, and questions that can be incorporated into the TWLH chart—and the TWLH chart can help students think about how they might refine their representation.
The Launch phase is designed to increase the science capital in a classroom by asking questions that elicit and explore students’ experiences. It uses local and global contexts and real-world phenomena that inspire students to recognise and explore the science behind objects, events and phenomena that occur in the material world. It encourages students to ask questions, investigate concepts, and engage with the Core Concepts that anchor each unit.
The Launch phase is divided into four routines that:
- ensure students experience the science for themselves and empathise with people who experience the problems science seeks to solve (Experience and empathise)
- anchor the teaching sequence with the key ideas and core science concepts (Anchor)
- elicit students’ prior understanding (Elicit)
- and connect with the students’ lives, languages and interests (Connect).
Each student comes to the classroom with experiences made up from science-related knowledge, attitudes, experiences and resources in their life. The Connect routine is designed to tap into these experiences and that of their wider community. It is also an opportunity to yarn with community leaders (where appropriate) to gain an understanding of the student’s lives, languages and interests. In the Launch phase, this routine identifies and uses the science capital of students as the foundation of the teaching sequence so students can appreciate the relevance of their learning and its potential impact on future decisions. In short, this routine moves beyond scientific literacy and increases the science capital in the classroom and science identity of the students.
When planning a teaching sequence, take an interest in the lives of your students. What are their hobbies, how do they travel to and from school? What might have happened in the lives of your students (i.e. blackouts) that might be relevant to your next teaching sequence? What context might be of interest to your students?
Read more about using the LIA FrameworkConnecting with electricity
Discuss:
- how a torch could be used in a blackout.
- how a torch is different from the light in the classroom (plug-in/not plug-in, moveable).
Ask students where a (LED) torch gets its energy.
Take the batteries out of a torch and show the students.
Explain that, throughout the unit, students will also keep a collective record of ideas—an individual or class science journal—and why this might be important:
- It can mirror the practice of working scientists.
- It gives us more ideas to consider.
- It helps us achieve shared sense-making and build consensus, and a shared/deeper understanding.
Students draw a picture of a battery in their science journals, noting the positive and negative ends.
Replace the torch's batteries, pretending to forget how to correctly insert them (connecting two positive ends together or two negative ends together). Observe that the torch no longer operates.
Note: A LED torch must have batteries connected in a single direction. Older bulb torches are less dependent on the direction of the battery connections.
Discuss:
- observations of the arrangements of batteries in students' torches.
- why the teacher's torch will not operate.
- how the batteries in the teacher's torch should be arranged.
- the importance of observation in science.
Explain that scientists often draw diagrams so they can remember what they have seen. Ask students to draw a picture of the batteries and how they are connected.
Reflect on the lesson
You might:
- begin a class word wall or glossary, including the words from the lesson that students think would be useful to recall throughout the unit. This can also be done throughout the lesson, and referred back to it during this reflection, re-defining terms as appropriate.
- At this stage, the word wall should only include words that students have offered themselves during the lesson. The word wall is added to in subsequent lessons. Thus, new vocabulary is introduced in context.
- ask students to talk to family members about their experiences of blackouts, especially across generations. They can discuss frequency, length, causes and effects of a blackout and how/why these may have changed over time. What happened? How did they feel without electricity or lights?
Batteries
Batteries store chemical energy that is transformed into electrical energy. Power is a way to measure electrical energy.
Batteries store chemical energy that is transformed into electrical energy. Power is a way to measure electrical energy. Preferred language at Launch phase: the battery gives us energy so the battery can light. “How does a battery provide energy to the bulb” can be added to the TWLH diagram.
Batteries store chemical energy that is transformed into electrical energy. Power is a way to measure electrical energy. Preferred language at Launch phase: the battery gives us energy so the battery can light. “How does a battery provide energy to the bulb” can be added to the TWLH diagram.