Practical activity/investigation

This online resource investigates electrical switches.

The resource is a lesson plan for a hands-on activity where students test a range of materials to determine if they make good switches.

The resource includes downloadable worksheets to enable students to easily record their results and answer questions.

Plenty of background information is provided for the teacher so as to make this a very thorough lesson.

Answers to questions posed to students are given throughout the lesson plan in brackets. Ideas for assessment and extension are also included.

This online resource looks at electrical conductivity.

The resource provides a lesson plan for a hands-on activity where students build a conductivity tester to explore the difference between electrical conductors and insulators.

Details on how to build the conductivity tester from a battery, light bulb and wires are provided. The resource also lists a number of solid and liquid substances that can be tested to determine if they are conductors or insulators.

This online resource looks at series electrical circuits.

The resource provides details for a practical activity where students build a simple series circuit and discover the properties associated with this type of circuit.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S6U03 (Year 6), AC9S9U04 (Year 9)

This online resource investigates the conductivity of salt water.

The resource gives details for a practical activity where students build a saltwater circuit; an electrical circuit that uses salt water as a conductor in the circuit.

Students can investigate the conductivity of salt water, and develop an understanding of how the amount of salt in a solution impacts on how much electrical current flows through the circuit.

They can also learn about one real-world application of a saltwater circuit—a desalination plant.

This online resource introduces student to electrical circuits.

The resource give details on a teacher demonstration where students are introduced to electrical circuits through a set of Christmas lights. The students can then build simple circuits using batteries, wires and light bulbs.

The students can then examine how electricity is conducted through a light bulb using a battery as a power source. Students can also observe the differences between series and parallel circuits by building each type and relate the Christmas tree lights to the circuits they have built.

These downloadable resources investigate the electrical resistance of wire.

The resources detail a student practical activity that looks at the factors that determine electrical resistance in a wire.

The independent variables of length and cross-sectional area are investigated for nichrome wire.

Graphs can be drawn to confirm the relationship of these variables to the resistance, and the concept of resistivity is introduced and explained.

Sample answers are provided along with a sample Excel spreadsheet of data tables and graphs.

This downloadable resource deals with determining the value of an unknown resistor.

The resource is a student-designed investigation, with a basic concept presented and a series of questions for them to consider.

It relies on some student knowledge of Ohm's Law and how to determine a resistor's value from the gradient of a voltage vs current graph.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U04 (Year 9)

This downloadable resource investigates Ohm's Law.

The resources details a practical activity where students measure the voltage across, and current through, a 56 ohm (or similar) resistor.

A graph of Voltage vs Current gives a straight line and the gradient is the value of the resistance.

Sample answers are also provided.

Australian Curriculum v9 Codes: AC9S9U04 (Year 9)

This online resource looks at the harmful effects of acid rain.

Details are given for a simple experiment to model and explore the harmful effects of acid rain on living and non-living objects.

Acid rain is a complex environmental problem that concerns many environmental and chemical engineers. When engineers examine the acid rain damage to water, wildlife, forests, crops and structures, they consider the impact on human health.

This resource book provides a hands-on introduction to the topic of biodiversity.

The resource is a companion to the Queensland Museum's, Backyard Explorers—Leader's Guide.