Present an interactive

What the Activity is for

Provoking discussion around a screen.

Children revisit and review their ideas developed by earlier teaching by using an interactive from the electric circuits topic (see below) as a presentation support.

What to Prepare

• a selection of interactives chosen from the electric circuits or electricity and energy topics (see below)
• a clear set of tasks and timescales, appropriate to the small groups within the class
• some real circuits to compare the models with some physical rope loops

What Happens During this Activity

Children use the interactive to explain what's happening in the circuit – they provide the voice-over. It will be important to establish the need to get a full commentary on the interactives – more than: There you are, it's obvious. You could increase the demand by setting one or a small group of children to make a screencast/video podcast of the action, but this might best be done in small groups around the computers, with children taking it in turns to be the explainer, using physical models, animations and the real circuits. They should be encouraged to make real efforts to relate the physical model, the animation and the circuit and to use this relationship as an explanation.

Select a variety of interactives from the following topics:

Teaching Electric Circuits to students aged 11-14

• Modelling simple electrical loops PN | TL | TA

• Adding elements to circuits PN | TL | TA

• Power and voltage PN | TL | TA

Teaching Electricity and Energy to students aged 14-16

• Setting up electrical loops PN | TL | TA
• Electrical working in loops PN | TL | TA
• Designed devices switch pathways PN | TL | TA
• Efficiency and calculations PN | TL | TA