This Static Electricity 5E Model Unit Plan is an inquiry-based unit using the 5E Model lesson plans. It focuses on investigating static electricity, learning about what affects static electricity, and diagramming the flow of electrons in static electricity. Throughout the unit, students identify, test and use the cause and effect relationship of static build-up and discharge to explain the phenomena of static electricity. The unit includes three parts for each 5E (Engage, Explore, Explain, Extend, and Evaluate) and more.

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• Google Slides Teacher Presentation that supports the student resources
• Google Slides Student Resources for a paperless option
• Google Form Exit Cards

Included in this Static Electricity Science Resource

• Teacher Notes that provide an overview of the resource and explanation of the NGSS standard for Static Electricity 3-PS2-3.
• Common Misconceptions about Static Electricity
• Teaching Timeline available with four different options, including a correlation with the Third Grade Science Stations
• Vocabulary Cards to reinforce static electricity key terms throughout the unit. These are the same vocabulary cards available in the Third Grade Science Stations
• Big Idea Posters that illustrate the main concepts students will learn
• Exit Tickets in three formats: short answer, fill-in-the-blank, and multiple choice
• Google Slides Teacher Presentation that supports the student resources
• Google Slides Student Resources for a paperless option
• Google Form Exit Cards

What is the 5E Instructional Model?

The 5E Model is student-led, with the teacher acting mainly as the facilitator. Through open-ended questions, real-life experiences, guided investigations, and research, the students gain a deep understanding of the scientific topics that are covered in the lessons. Each stage of the model serves as a foundation to the next, creating a coherent model that frames lessons, activities, and units.

Find out more about the 5E Unit Plans in this blog post.

Objectives and Timeline for Each Section of the 5E Balanced and Unbalanced Forces Unit

Engage

Objectives:

• Students will access their prior knowledge about static electricity.
• Student interest in static electricity will be sparked (pun intended).
• The teacher will be able to identify student misconceptions about static electricity.

Parts and Duration:

• Part 1 (What Is This?): 
10 minutes
• Part 2 (My Experiences): 
10 minutes
• Part 3 (Introducing): 
20 minutes

Explore

Objectives:

• Students will work together to investigate static electricity. They will do this by observing static charge on a balloon.
• Students will gather very general information about factors that affect static electricity.
• Students will use observations and information to make a hypothesis about how to discharge static electricity from a balloon.
• Students will plan an investigation and test their hypothesis.

Parts and Duration:

• Part 1 (Check It Out): 
20 minutes
• Part 2 (Watch and Read This): 15 minutes
• Part 3 (You Try It): 
20 minutes

Explain

Objectives:

• Students will work collaboratively to determine what types of materials are better at removing static electricity.
• Students will listen to the teacher’s explanation about static electrons.
• Students will use the new information to revise their explanations about the factors that affected static electricity.
• Students will draw a diagram to show that they understand the flow of electrons in static electricity.

Parts and Duration:

• Part 1 (What Does It Mean?): 15 minutes
• Part 2 (What Is Static Electricity?): 20 minutes
• Part 3 (Putting It All Together): 20 minutes

Extend

Objectives:

• Students will apply what they have learned about static electricity to a new situation.
• Students will deepen their understanding of static electricity, gaining a more generalized knowledge of these specific scientific concepts.
• The teacher will resolve all persisting student misconceptions about static electricity.

Parts and Duration:

• Part 1 (Where is the Charge?): 15 minutes
• Part 2 (Show What You Know): 15 minutes to 
45 minutes
• Part 3 (Have Fun With It): 15 minutes

Evaluate

Objectives:

• Students will evaluate his or her own understanding of static electricity.
• Students will be able to demonstrate knowledge of the concepts and vocabulary.
• The teacher will encourage students to ask questions that could lead to future investigations.

Parts and Duration:

• Part 1 (What I Know): 
15 minutes
• Part 2 (Showing Charges): 10 minutes per student
• Part 3 (Going Forward): 
20 minutes