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Notes for teachers

When prepping for this lesson, it will be helpful to have the Flower Power materials ready and distributed to students. Step-by-step instructions are crucial, so modeling and asking for students to check each other’s work will help this lesson move smoothly.

My students also had prior knowledge on ecosystems and the importance of balance within an ecosystem.

Please emphasize to students that the coin battery is to not be licked, tasted, or ingested!

List of Materials

Lithium Cell 3V coin battery (each student)
5mm LED light, multicolor changing (each student)
Craft sticks (each student)
5mm Conductive Nylon Tape (students will need a 5 inch strip and a 10 inch strip each)
Leaf Template
Clothespins (2 for each student)
Scissors (each student)
Masking Tape
Green Painters Tape
Flower leis, or other flower templates that students can use to customize their flower.
LED lights article
Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty

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Standards

3rd Grade Science Standards:

3.P4U1.3: Develop and use models to describe how light and sound waves transfers energy.

U2: The knowledge produced by science is used in engineering and technologies to solve problems and/or create products.

3rd Grade ELA Standards:

3.RI.1: Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text, referring explicitly to the text for the basis for the answers.

3.RI.2: Determine the main idea of a text; recount and paraphrase the key details and explain how they support the main idea.

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Objectives:

Today, students will be able to describe the positive effects of LED lights on a primarily nocturnal ecosystem.

Today, students will be able to read a nonfiction article and determine the key details of the text that support the main idea of the text.

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Agenda (Approximately two 1 hour sessions)

Engage (30 minutes)

Explore (30 minutes)

Explain (15 minutes)

Extend/Elaborate (30 minutes)

Evaluate (10 minutes)

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Engage

Engage students by explaining to them the problem: the nearby community park is looking to extend the park hours as the City Parks and Rec Department has noticed an increase in human activity at night time, as the temperatures get higher during the summer months. To ensure the safety of humans, the Parks and Rec department has installed flood lights to light up the park’s paths and trails. The humans are now able to safely enjoy the park’s features while keeping cool and safe, but this action has created an unintended consequence: the nocturnal animals are now affected. Not only are the nocturnal animals leaving the park ecosystem, but now the bugs that would normally be eaten by nocturnal animals are out of control. Further engage students by explaining to them that they are tasked with the job of creating a solution that allows both the humans and nocturnal animals to enjoy the park at night safely.

Introduce LED lights. Pass out the LED lights article to table groups and have them annotate the article for key information. My class uses this following annotation guide- use what your class is familiar with, or decide to read this article whole group. After table groups have had time to annotate and discuss the article, we come back together to review key details. Then, I passed out LED lights to each student so that they could explore them on their own.

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LED Lights Article (copy and paste into a Word doc.)

Bright Ideas: How LED Lights Make a Difference!

Hey there, future scientists! Have you ever wondered why lights are so important in our homes and for our planet? Let’s dive into the bright world of LED lights and find out why they’re super cool!

What are LED Lights?

LED stands for Light Emitting Diode. That might sound like a big word, but it’s actually a tiny electronic device that makes light. LED lights are special because they use very little electricity compared to older kinds of lights, like incandescent bulbs. That means they help save energy and that’s good for our planet!

Why LED Lights are Awesome

Bright and Colorful: LED lights can shine in lots of different colors, like red, blue, green, and even white! They make everything look bright and colorful.
Last a Long Time: LED lights last much longer than old light bulbs. That means we don’t have to change them as often, and that saves money!
Cool to the Touch: Unlike old bulbs that can get really hot, LED lights stay cool. That makes them safer to use, especially around kids and pets.
Help the Environment: LED lights use less electricity, which means they help reduce pollution and protect our planet’s ecosystems. Isn’t that amazing?

How LED Lights Help Nature

LED lights are not only good for our homes but also for animals and plants outside. Here’s how:

Less Light Pollution: Some animals like birds and insects get confused by bright lights at night. LED lights can be designed to shine only where they are needed, reducing light pollution and helping animals live peacefully.
Saving Energy: When we use less electricity with LED lights, power plants don’t have to make as much energy. That means fewer greenhouse gases go into the air, which helps keep our planet healthy.

Let’s Make a Brighter Future!

Now that we know how awesome LED lights are, we can make a big difference by using them in our homes and schools. They are bright, colorful, long-lasting, and good for our planet and all the creatures that live on it. So, next time you see an LED light, remember all the great things it’s doing to make our world a better place!

Keep shining bright, little scientists!

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

I suggest students to be set up in table groups, so that students can help each other if need be while making the LED night lights.

Step 1: Pass out the following materials- coin battery, LED light, craft stick, conductive tape strips, leaf template, clothespins, scissors, masking tape, green painters tape.

Step 2: Place a craft stick and the shorter strip of conductive tape on the table.

Step 3: Remove the sticker backing from the conductive tape. Starting at one end of the craft stick, stick the tape along the stick. You should have a sticky tail hanging off the end- leave this.

Step 4: Carefully cut out the leaf template.

Step 5: Place the leaf template and the long strip of conductive tape on the table.

Step 6: Remove the sticker backing from the conductive tape. Place it along the center of the leaf template, so that the sticky tape tails are about even on both sides.

Step 7: Fold the leaf template in half and cut along the fold so you have to separate leaves.

Step 8: Place the leaves TAPE SIDE UP and fold each leaf towards the stem. (They should look like clapping hands)

Step 9: Lay the craft stick TAPE SIDE DOWN on the table. Lay the two leaves TAPE SIDE UP on top of the craft stick, clapping hands together. Use the two clothespins to hold the leaves together.

Step 10: Wrap a piece of green tape around the craft stick and leaf, close to the fold. Repeat on the other side. Remove the clothespins.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Step 11: Place the coin battery + (positive) side up at the end of the craft stick with the sticky tail. Wrap the sticky tail of conductive tape over and the top of the coin battery. Tightly tape masking tape around the coin battery and craft stick.

Step 12: On the OPPOSITE side of the coin battery, slide the LED onto the craft stick. MAKE SURE THE SHORTER LEG OF THE LED IS ON THE SAME SIDE OF THE LEAVES.

Step 13: Pinch the leaves together… does the LED light up? YES! Secure the LED with plain masking tape.

NO? ensure that the coin battery is positive side up, that the sticky tail of conductive tape is on the coin battery, that the smaller leg of the LED is on the same side of the craft stick that has the leaves, that the leaves are touching at a point where the conductive tape is also touching.

Step 14: Wrap green tape around the whole stem.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Explain: Explain to students that their Flower Power night light will only work if the leaves are touching. This is a simple electric circuit. When the leaves are not touching, the circuit is broken. When the leaves are touching, the circuit is complete, thus allowing the LED to emit light.

In this electric circuit, the coin battery is acting as the power source. The conductive tape is used to create electrical connections between the battery and the LED leads.

When the circuit is closed (meaning all connections are complete), current flows from the positive side of the battery, through the LED, and back to the negative side of the battery. This flow of electricity causes the LED to light up.

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Hands-on Activity Instructions

Elaborate: Students can now decorate their stems with flower leis and their own flower templates that they create. For inspiration, read the children’s book Aaron Slater, Illustrator by Andrea Beaty (optional), paying close attention to the flower illustrations throughout the book.

Explain to students that the center of their hand-made flower templates needs to have a small hole in the center so that the flower can go over the LED. Some taping may be required to make sure that the flower is secured to the stem.

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Pictures

Step 3:

Step 6:

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Pictures

Step 9:

Step 10:

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Pictures

Step 11:

Step 12:

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Pictures

Step 13:

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Assessment

Evaluate: Have students write to the following prompt: Convince the Park and Rec department that they should use your flower power night lights instead of the flood lights. Make sure to pull information gained from the article and from the exploration portion of the lesson.

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Differentiation

For the assessment portion of the lesson, students could just verbalize to you why LED lights are a better option.

For a simpler version of the Flower Power night light, slide the longer leg of the LED on the + (positive) side of the coin battery, making sure the the shorter leg is on the - (negative) side. Tape the LED to the coin battery with masking tape, then tape the coin battery to the craft stick with green tape. Wrap the entire stem in green tape, taping the leaves as well to the stem. This simple version does not use conductive tape, but still illustrates the electric circuit on a smaller scale. This simpler version would be great for Kinder-1st students.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Have students create an LED light campaign, that convinces other school members, teachers, and their friends that LED lights are the better choice for the environment. Students can create informational posters for their campaign and give “elevator pitches” to other classrooms.