Electricity and Electrical Devices: Grade 6 Science Inquiry

The Grade 6 classes at St. Thomas Aquinas have begun their Science unit on Electricity using an inquiry stance. To activate the prior knowledge of the students, the teachers approached introducing the unit by playing a rendition of the popular game "Four Pics, One Word." The teacher posted four pictures: a light bulb, a metal spoon, a solar panelled house and a lightning bolt. In groups, the students discussed how the four pictures were related, then they shared their ideas with the class. They came up with the following words to link the four pictures: light, electricity, solar, energy and food. Through active discussion, the students eventually rationalized why the common link among the four pictures was electricity including that the lightning bolt was a form of electricity, the metal in the spoon helps conduct electricity, the light bulb needs electrity to light up, and that the house used solar panels to power up. Interestingly, although some students demonstrated that they had some prior knowledge or experience with electricity (i.e. - that the metal spoon conducts electricity), they also demonstrated that there were gaps in their knowledge (i.e. - that electricity produces the light in the bulb, that solar energy can be used to produce electricity, etc.). This activity enabled the teachers to find out what the students already knew about electricity and elicit questions they had about it. It was a good beginning what looks like an engaging inquiry on electricity!