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Arizona STEM

Acceleration Project

Circuits Scrutiny - Part 2

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Circuit Inquiry Lab

Series & Parallel Design - Part 1

A HS Physics STEM Lesson

Sara Howell

June 2024

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Notes for Teachers

This lesson takes place in a classroom for 60 minutes.
Students may work in pairs or small groups (you know your classroom best).
Creativity when creating gifs is encouraged (although it is assumed that students are somewhat familiar with the software).
Facilitate discussions about real-world examples in the classroom and/or at home.
A general prior understanding of series and parallel circuits, and Ohm’s Law, is essential for successful exploration and statement creation.
The level of guided inquiry that is executed should be based on prior inquiry activities (again, you know your classroom best).

List of Materials:

Technology

Personal devices for gif creation OR shared device that can be projected on a screen so all students can participate

General Lab Supplies

Rulers, Protractors, Pencils, etc.

Multimeters

Circuit Kits

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Arizona Science Standards

Science Standards:

HS.P4U3.9: Use mathematics and computational thinking to explain the relationships between power, current, voltage, and resistance.

Science and Engineering Practices

Develop & use models
Analyze and interpret data
Obtain, evaluate, and communicate information
Engage in argument from evidence
Use mathematics and computational thinking

Arizona Ed Tech Standards

9-12.1.b Students build networks of experts and peers to customize their learning environments in ways that support the learning process and in accordance with school policy.

9-12.1.d Students choose, use and troubleshoot current technologies, and are able to transfer their knowledge to explore new technologies.

9-12.5.b Students collect data or identify relevant data sets, use digital tools to analyze them, and represent data in various ways to facilitate problem-solving and decision-making.

9-12.6.a Students choose the appropriate platforms and tools for meeting the desired objectives of their creation or communication.

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I can describe how current changes through resistors connected in series.

I can describe how current changes through resistors connected in parallel.

I can collaborate and communicate effectively with my peers about current changes through resistors in parallel and series circuits.

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Think-Pair-Share…Times Two!

Current in Series

Current in Parallel

Show What You Know!

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Let’s Share…Twice!

Question: what can we say about potential differences in series and parallel circuits?

Think-Pair-Share with a partner

Think-Pair-Share in a quad

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Current in Series Circuits

Your goal: assess how current changes across resistors connected in series.

Then, create a gif to share with your classmates about what you discovered.

Exploration Activity #1 (15 minutes)

With their partners, students should create a circuit that has 2 resistors in series with each other and a battery. Students should then investigate the current through each resistor. Students should make a qualitative assessment about how currents change through resistors in series circuits & support this with quantitative data. They should then create a gif to represent their qualitative assessment to share with their classmates at the end of class. Depending on your technology resources, different gif creation sites are available (such as MakeAGif, Ezgif, and Giphy).

Teacher notes: circulate the room while students are working & considering posing the following questions:

What happens to the current if the resistors are the same vs. if the resistors are different?
What do you notice about the amp readings when you flip-flop the position of the probes on the multimeter? How is this the same/different from yesterday?
What happens if you add a third resistor?
How do individual amps compare to the total amps of the circuit?

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Current in Parallel Circuits

Your goal: assess how current changes across resistors connected in parallel.

Then, create a gif to share with your classmates about what you discovered.

Exploration Activity #2 (15 minutes)

With their partners, students should create a circuit that has 2 resistors in parallel with each other and a battery. Students should then investigate the current through each resistor. Students should make a qualitative assessment about how currents change through resistors in parallel circuits & support this with quantitative data. They should then create a gif to represent their qualitative assessment to share with their classmates at the end of class. Depending on your technology resources, different gif creation sites are available (such as MakeAGif, Ezgif, and Giphy).

Teacher notes: circulate the room while students are working & considering posing the following questions:

What happens to the current if the resistors are the same vs. if the resistors are different?
What do you notice about the amp readings when you flip-flop the position of the probes on the multimeter? How is this the same/different from yesterday?
What happens if you add a third resistor?
How do individual amps compare to the total amps of the circuit?

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Show What You Know!

Let’s Share!

What “tweet” did you create for potential difference changes across resistors connected in series?

What “tweet” did you create for potential difference changes across resistors connected in parallel?

What quantitative data supports your statements?

If you used images and/or drew a schematic, how does that support your “tweet”?

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Differentiation Notes

Offer students who are having trouble getting started some examples from previous years.
Ask students to connect concepts to current events if they are struggling with ideas for a gif.
Offer a video resources for students who struggle understanding the differences between series & parallel circuits and/or current & voltage.

Remediation

Extension/Enrichment

Students can create a schematic to support their gif if they have extra time and haven’t already done so.
Students can create more complex circuits by combining resistors in series and parallel and measuring current.
Students can find gifs that have already been created (related to circuits) and explain how they know if the gif is accurate (or not).