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Science Y3/Y4 – Electricity – week 2

STATIC ELECTRICITY

Truth to Teach (Source)
To discover who invented static electricity.

To make and observe static electricity.

To learn about thunder and lightning.

To discover how to be safe in a thunderstorm

Way to Work (Means)
1. Review the first lesson.

2. Review the invention of electricity. (Static electricity was invented by the Greeks in
600BC. It was found that when amber, which is hardened tree sap, had been rubbed by a
cloth, it picked up small objects. Thales experimented with static electricity.) In 1570 AD

William Gilbert named electricity after the Greek word for amber which is ‘elektron’.)
Ensure that the children know that static electricity does not move.

3. Ask the children where we see static electricity. (When our clothes, made of materials
such as nylon and wool, rub together. Hair standing on end. Lightning)

4. Show pictures of lightning from books and establish how much the children already know
about thunder and lightning by question and answer, or a quiz. Establish why we see
lightning before we hear thunder. (Light travels faster than sound.) Encourage the
children to find out more about thunder and lightning.

Talk about lightning conductors. Some children may like to find out what we can do to
protect ourselves in a thunderstorm.

5. Split the class into groups to carry out the experiments on static electricity. Talk about
fair tests.

6. Gather back to share results and conclusions. The comb becomes charged with static
electricity and attracts the tissue paper. Some objects do not become charged with static
electricity. Plastic and nylon hold static electricity.

Static charges can be positive or negative. Objects with opposite charges attract one

another.

Learning for Life (Fulfilment)
The children should have a greater understanding of static electricity as well as safety in a
thunderstorm. They should understand the importance of fair testing.

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