THURSDAY 10/10 Conductors & Insulators

4th Grade Science
Topic 3 Energy
Lesson 7

Thursday
October 10, 2024

Electrical ​Conductors





Electrical Insulators

2

Do Now

A circuit is shown below. What will most likely happen in this circuit?

A.

The lightbulb on the left will light up because it is connected to the negative
terminal of the battery.

B.

Both light bulbs will light up because both are connected to the battery.

C.

The lightbulb on the right will light up because it is connected to the positive
terminal of the battery.

D.

Neither of the light bulbs will light up because the circuit is incomplete.

Show your work!

Annotations

3

Energy

LO: SWBAT identify conductors and insulators of
electrical energy.

DOL: Given scenarios, SW correctly identify conductors
and insulators of electrical energy in at least 4 of 5
questions.

SCI.4.8B Identify conductors and insulators of thermal and electrical energy.
SEPs 4.1G
RTCs 4.5E

4

Essential Understandings &

Guiding Questions

What are the properties of an object that make it conduct or

insulate electrical energy?

5

Lesson Vocabulary

electrical energy

conductor

insulator

10

How does energy move through these cables?

11

Electrical Conductors & Insulators

A conductor is a material through which energy travels easily.

An insulator is a material through which energy does not travel easily.

Electrical Conductors

(The bulb lit up.)

Electrical Insulators

(The bulb did not light up.)

Coin

Paper clip
Steel wool

Paper

Craft stick

Modeling clay

What do you think these
materials are made of?

What do you think these
materials are made of?

What are some everyday objects you think might
be electrical conductors/insulators?
Provide your reasoning.

12

Electrical Conductors & Insulators

A conductor is a material through which energy travels easily.

An insulator is a material through which energy does not travel easily.

Electrical Conductors

(The bulb lit up.)

Electrical Insulators

(The bulb did not light up.)

Coin

Paper clip
Steel wool

Paper

Craft stick

Modeling clay

7

Open & Closed Circuits

8

Testing Materials in a Circuit

Test each material to determine whether the bulb lights up.

Material

Does the bulb light

up?

Coin

Paper

Paper clip

Craft stick

Modeling Clay

Steel wool

9

Electrical Conductors & Insulators

A conductor is a material through which energy travels easily.

An insulator is a material through which energy does not travel easily.

Electrical Conductors

(The bulb lit up.)

Electrical Insulators

(The bulb did not light up.)

Coin

Paper clip
Steel wool

Paper

Craft stick

Modeling clay

Why do you think an electrical circuit might require electrical conductors

instead of insulators to work properly?

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

How does electrical energy transfer?

Electrical energy
is a form of energy
that can move
through wires.

Electrical energy
flows from an
energy source to
an energy receiver.

Photo credit: 2p2play/Shutterstock

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Electrical Energy Transfer

Describe how electrical energy transfers to the toaster.

Electrical energy flows
through the wires from
the outlet to the toaster.

Photo credit: DD Images/Shutterstock

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

How do conductors and insulators affect

electrical energy?

The metal wire inside a cord is a
conductor because it allows electrical
energy to move easily.

The plastic coating is an insulator
because it prevents the movement
of electrical energy.

Photo credit: Claudio Divizia/Shutterstock

Copyright © Savvas Learning Company LLC. All Rights Reserved. Savvas is not responsible for any modifications made by end users to the content posted in its original format.

Electrical Conductors and Insulators

Identify the materials on the
electrical cord as insulators or
conductors.

conductor

1

insulator

2

1

2

Photo credit: MasterPhoto/Shutterstock

17

Electrical Energy

a form of energy
that can move
through wires

18

Conductor

a material through
which electrical
energy or thermal
energy can move
easily

19

Insulator

a material through
which electrical
energy or thermal
energy cannot
move easily

20

Conductors and Insulators

The diagram shows a piece of the mineral Mica in series with a light bulb and battery. The
light bulb does not light up. The picture shows the mineral mica, being placed on a hot plate,
after which it becomes hot to the touch.

Which of the following is true of Mica?

A.

Mica is a poor thermal conductor and a poor electrical
conductor.

B.

Mica is a good thermal conductor and a good
electrical conductor.

C.

Mica is a good thermal conductor but a poor electrical
conductor.

D.

Mica is a poor thermal conductor but a good electrical
conductor.

21

Conductors and Insulators

In which of these applications would an insulator be more suitable?

A.

In the core of an electric motor

B.

For covering electrical cables

C.

As the main material for electric circuits

D.

In electrical generators

22

DOL: Given
scenarios, SW
correctly identify
conductors and
insulators of
electrical energy in at
least 4 of 5
questions.

Demonstration of Learning

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from Adobe Stock. Adobe Stock
https://stock.adobe.com

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from Great Minds. Great Minds
https://digital.greatminds.org

●Some images used in this lesson are taken from SAVVAS realize. SAVVAS
realize https://www.savvasrealize.com

23

Copyright for Reference