Author

Barbara Avery & Christopher West (SRSB)

Title

Electrostatics

Grade Level

Grade 9

Subject Area

Science

Overview of unit/lessons/activities (assumptions of prior knowledge/learning)

In the first lesson of the electroscope unit, students will get hands on lab experience with charge separation, charging by conduction and charging by induction.  Here students will observe these processes and attempt to explain why the foil leaves behaved as they did, using their prior knowledge of the behaviour of charges in insulators and conductors.

In the second lesson of the electroscope unit, students will be using a computer based simulation to investigate the behavior of charges in an electroscope when a charged rod is used with the electroscope.  After completion of the computer simulation, students will go back to their explanations in the Electroscope Lab Activity and write a revised description of the reasons for their observations.

To assess students’ understanding, an Electrostatics Assignment will be used as a cumulative assessment tool.

Prior knowledge

• students should understand what an electron is and some of its properties; as well as positive, negative, and neutral charges
• students will have some experience with static electricity
• students should understand the forces of attraction and repulsion

Correlations to ICT and curriculum outcomes

BOC 9.1 - operate a wide variety of school media, computer, and other educationally appropriate equipment for learning, communication, and the representation of their learning, independently and safely with teacher supervision

BOC 9.3 - demonstrate comfort with keyboarding and manipulation of computer input and peripheral devices as they work

BOC 9.4 - manage their electronic files and correspondence efficiently

PTS 9.2 -  explore curriculum concepts under study using specialized software; measuring, sampling and recording equipment; and computer-based simulations, with teacher assistance

PTS 9.3 -  explore the curriculum through a wide range of print and electronic forms; accessing and processing information by means of the specialized techniques associated with the technology they select

Science 9

209-3 use instruments effectively and accurately for collecting data

211-2 communicate questions, ideas, intentions, plans, results, using lists, notes in point form, sentences, data tables, graphs, drawings, oral language and other means.

308-14  identify properties of static electrical charges

308-13 explain the production of static electrical charges in some common materials

Projected timeline for preparation and for carrying out activities

3-4 one hour classes.

Equipment Requirements: (computers, software, etc)

• Electroscope
• Ebonite rod (or any other rod that can hold a charge)
• Fur or wool to charge the rod
• Computer

·           with internet access

·           shockwave to run simulation

·           Word processor (for students to record answers to computer simulation)

Teaching materials provided (Blacklines, worksheets, templates, teacher materials)

Student Procedural Sheets:

Student Data Worksheets:

• Student worksheet to record lab diagrams and predicted and revised descriptions (Word format) (pdf format)
• Record sheet for computer simulation (Word format) (pdf format)
• Electroscope Assignment Sheet (Word format) (pdf format)

Resources available for teacher/student use (websites, references, etc)

http://www.shep.net/resources/curricular/physics/P30/Unit2/electroscope.html

Detailed instructions for each activity or lesson (teacher notes, activity information, learning strategies, teacher role, student roles)

Day 1:  Electroscope Lab Activity –see complete lesson plan (Word format) (pdf format)

• Break students up into lab groups
• Pass out electroscope lab procedure sheet (Word format) (pdf format) and student worksheets (Word format) (pdf format) to record diagrams and description.
• Read through lab procedure with students.  
• Clearly explain the difference of how to charge an electroscope by conduction and how to charge by induction.  A demonstration of the different processes may be required.
• Get students to clean up lab area.
• Get students to pass in student worksheet diagrams to assess the diagrams that were observed.

Day 2 & 3:  Charging an Electroscope Computer Simulation –see complete lesson plan (Word format) (pdf format)

• Pass out “Charging an Electroscope Computer Simulation Direction Sheet” (Word format) (pdf format)
• Read through what is expected of the students in this activity.
• Take students to computer lab to work on activity.
• The website they will be using is:
                                http://www.shep.net/resources/curricular/physics/P30/Unit2/electroscope.html

• Get students to save their work, log off computer and head back to class.

Student products expected

Students will  pass in the following worksheets:

1. Student worksheet to record lab diagrams and predicted and revised descriptions (Word format) (pdf format)
2. Record sheet for computer simulation (Word format) (pdf format)
3. Electroscope Assignment Sheet (Word format) (pdf format)

Samples (include teacher notes, assessment information, student work if available)

Logistics (organization, grouping, management issues, access to technology)

Electroscope Lab Activity:

• Students can work in a group of 3 (depending on class size and available electroscope lab supplies)

Electroscope Computer Simulation:

• Students can work individually (depending computer availability)

Assessment information (e.g., rubrics for products and/or process)

1. Electroscope Lab:
   • Electroscope lab student worksheets (Word format) (pdf format)
   • Lab Rubric (Word format) (pdf format)
2. Electroscope Computer Simulations

·           Student record sheet for computer simulation (Word format) (pdf format)

·           Performance Rubric (Word format) (pdf format)

3. Electrostatics Assignment (Word format) (pdf format)

Possible extensions

Adaptations for students requiring additional support

• For students who struggle with writing and are on adaptations, skeletal notes could be used for the written predicted and revised descriptions in the electroscope lab activity.  With skeletal notes, the students would just need to fill in important key terms in the description instead of constructing the whole description on their own. 
• For example:

“When the negative rod is brought  near the metal ball on the electroscope the __________ (negative/positive) charges on the rod _________ (repel/attract) the __________ (negative/positive) charges in the metal.  This is because metals are __________ (insulators/conductors) and the __________ (negative/positive) charges can move freely in __________ (insulators/conductors).  The _________ (negative/positive) charges in the metal move __________ (up/down) the metal rod attached to the ball and the __________ (top/bottom) become __________ (negatively/positively) charged.  Since the leaves have a __________ (negative/positive) charge, they will _________ (repel/attract) each other.

• The electrostatics assignment could be modified to accommodate adaptations in your class.