Next Science Unit: Electricity

We have begun our second science unit this year, which we will be studying until the end of January. 
Here is what we will be covering in this unit:

Big Ideas:

Fundamental Concepts: Energy 
Big Ideas: Electrical energy can be transformed into other forms of energy.

Fundamental Concepts: Systems and Interactions 
Big Ideas: Other forms of energy can be transformed into electrical energy. 

Fundamental Concepts: Sustainability and Stewardship 
Big Ideas:

• Electrical energy plays a significant role in society, and its production has an impact on the environment. 

• Society must find ways to minimize the impact of energy production on the environment.  

Specific expectations:

1.1 assess the short- and long-term environmental effects of the different ways in which electricity is generated in Canada

1.2 assess opportunities for reducing electricity consumption at home or at school that could affect the use of non-renewable resources in a positive way or reduce the impact of electricity generation on the environment 

2.1 follow established safety procedures for working with electricity

2.2 design and build series and parallel circuits, draw labelled diagrams identifying the components used in each, and describe the role of each component in the circuit

2.3 use scientific inquiry/experimentation skills to investigate the characteristics of static electricity 

2.4 design, build, and test a device that produces electricity

3.1 distinguish between current and static electricity

3.2 use the principles of static electricity to explain common electrostatic phenomena

3.3 identify materials that are good conductors of electricity (e.g., copper, gold, silver, aluminum, water [when it has a high mineral content]) and good insulators (e.g., glass, plastic, rubber, ceramics) 
3.4 describe how various forms of energy can be transformed into electrical energy
3.5 identify ways in which electrical energy is transformed into other forms of energy 
3.6 explain the functions of the components of a simple electrical circuit  
3.7 describe series circuits (components connected in a daisy chain) and parallel circuits (components connected side by side like the rungs of a ladder), and identify where each is used.
3.8 describe ways in which the use of electricity by society, including the amount of electrical energy used, has changed over time

Here is a blendspace page that covers most of the expectations in this unit.