BBC’s Terrific Scientific: The Power Investigation

Well, currently, the BBC have a number of investigations going on for schools to get involved with. There has already been some on forces, time and feet, and now, their next one, which is running between January and March, is all about power and electricity.

To find out more info about the newest investigation and how your school can take part, just visit the BBC’s page to find out more. However, right now, we’re about to tell you what content we have that is ideal for supporting your lessons on power and electricity, and which is perfect for being used alongside this investigation.

We’ve Learn Screens, Activities, Topic Tools and more, all for EYFS and Key Stage 2 students, to support your lessons. The variety of resources are all found on EducationCity easily too – all you need to do is use Search to find them and type in their ID number.

Okay, let’s look at the content you could use to support your lessons on power and electricity…

 

EYFS

Activities

Desert Island: #764 – Decide whether an object requires electricity to make it work.

 

Lower Key Stage 2

Learn Screens

Robot Repair: #12613 – Understanding the basic components of an electric circuit.

Say Watt: #22449 – Explore circuits and the description of each component that they represent.Say Watt Science Learn Screen

Activities

Pulling Power: #1850 – Perform a full investigation using magnets, magnetic and non-magnetic materials.

Hardware Store: #538 – Identify which items use mains electricity and which items use batteries.

Sparks Fly: #910 – Identify the electrical hazards in Manu’s Lab.

Robot Repair: #559 – Make a working circuit using bulbs, switches and batteries.

Disco Fever: #558 – Select from the conductor or the insulator to repair a broken circuit.

ThinkIts

Making a torch work: #13699 – What do you need to make a torch work?

Conducting electricity: #14989 – What materials can you think of that are good insulators of electricity?

Things that use electricity: #13708 – What do radios, televisions and toasters have in common?

Switched on: #14990 – What does a switch do and how does it work? Talk to your partner about your ideas.

Constructing a circuit: #14057 – Look at the circuit and describe what steps are needed to light the bulb.Constructing a Circuit ThinkIt

Materials – common features: #13759 – What do these materials have in common – aluminium, copper and gold?

Complete the circuit: #14988 – Talk to your partner about what you would need to make a complete circuit. How would it work?

Topic Tools

Conductors: #2263 – Use a range of materials to explore their different effects in circuits.

Circuit Builder: #2254 – Explore a range of circuits and the components required to build them.

 

Upper Key Stage 2

Learn Screens

Robot Repair: #12621 – Understanding voltage in electric circuits.

Buzz Words: #22328 – Explore circuit symbols and the description of each component that they represent.

Opaque It In: #22447 – Explore key vocabulary associated with properties of materials and examples of how these can be tested.Opaque It In Science Learn Screen

Activities

Robot Repair: #560 – Fit the correct component that best suits the performance of the circuit.

Robot Repair: #580 – Fit the correct component into the circuit, using the circuit diagram as reference.

Electric Shock: #579 – Fit the correct component that best suits the performance of the circuit.

Short Fuse: #1115 – Understanding circuits and fuses in the home environment.

ThinkIts

Plug it: #14132 – Look at the plug. Why is some of it made from plastic and some from metal?

Electrical insulators: #14138 – Help Stig to think of some electrical insulators.

Signs and symbols: #14127 – Which electrical component do each of the symbols represent?

Circuit changes: #14136 – Manu has a circuit with a bulb, a battery and a switch. He wants to investigate the ways he could change his circuit. What could he investigate?

Topic Tools

Circuit Builder: #2254 – Explore a range of circuits and the components required to build them.

 

Word Search Topic Tool

Look out for the handy resource, the Word Search Topic Tool, which can support your lessons too. It’s available in all years in the Science module and can be used to cover power and electricity. You just add the words you want to it and then either complete it as a class on the whiteboard or print it for your students to do as an activity. Perfect!

 

Want to see all the content for yourself? Just log in to EducationCity. Don’t forget to look out for more resources from EducationCity on these investigations in the future.