What is Static Electricity: An Elementary Lesson Plan

Children of all age are always eager to do experiments with electricity. Second grade students can be encouraged to do activities to find an answer to the question what is static electricity. This lesson plan on what is static electricity details a number of experiments for making classroom learning more enjoyable. It is better to take class during winter season as air is less humid.

Objective:

When two objects are rubbed there is a transfer of electrons from one to the other. As a result of this, electrons are accumulated in one material and hence it is negatively charged and the other has a deficiency of electrons and it is positively charged. This is called static electricity as this accumulated charges don’t have a passage and is produced by friction. This charged object has the ability to attract neutral objects until all the excess charges in it is discharged. Materials with like charges repel and unlike charges attract. Even though the conductors (metals) can be charged through friction the accumulation don’t occur because the excess charge will be discharged easily. So static electricity is more evident in the case of insulators.

What is Static electricity : Activity

Materials:

Balloons

Combs

Tiny bits of paper

Cotton

Woolen cloth

Glass rods

Pen

Metal rod

Procedure:

Ask your students whether anyone of them have seen the hairs in hand stand up, while they stand near a Television which is working for some time.Let them watch the following experiment. Rub a pen with a polyester cloth till you can feel hotness in your palm and bring it near to small cotton pieces. The cotton will stick to the pen.This is because there is a transfer of charges from the polyester to the pen. As a result of this pen becomes negatively charged and will attract the cotton pieces.

Instruct them to do the following experiments and arrive at an answer on their own. Divide your students into small groups and instruct them to record the result of each activity. First provide each group with all the materials.

• Instruct them to run the comb continuously through the dry hair and then hold it close to the hands. Give them explanation that as they have combed the hair there is an exchange of charges from the hair to the comb and as a result of this each gets charged. When this negatively charged comb is brought in contact with the neutral paper pieces they get attracted to it.
• Repeat the above process with a glass rod and woolen cloth bring it near water flowing from a tap ( care should be taken that there is only a thin water flow and the rod shouldn’t touch the water).
• Now direct them to inflate a balloon and rub it with a woolen cloth. Let them bring it close to the paper pieces. Repeat the process with another balloon but this time instead of bringing it in contact with paper bring it close to the other balloon. Since both are charged with same charges there is repulsion.
• Provide students with metal rod and instruct them to repeat the above process. Encourage them to come with a list of materials which can be charged by rubbing on different materials.

Analysis and conclusion: From the results recorded they will understand what is static electricity . They will find that, like charges repel while opposite charges attract. On the basis of the newly acquired knowledge on what is static electricity let them find an answer to the question What is the reason for lightening?.

In this lesson plan on what is static electricity elementary school children use simple and interesting methods. The elementary classes are the building stones upon which a child's like and dislike for a subject is developed. So teachers teaching elementary school children should try to make their classes interesting to develop an aptitude for science and so try this lesson plan on what is static electricity.