Mississippi Science PHS.9

PHS.9 is a cluster heading. These are the individual standards under it.

• PHS.9.1

  Use digital resources and online simulations to investigate the basic principles of electricity, including static electricity, current electricity, and circuits...

• PHS.9.2

  Distinguish between magnets, motors, and generators, and evaluate modern industrial uses of each.

• PHS.9.3

  Enrichment: Use an engineering design process to construct a working electric motor to perform a task. Communicate the design process and comparisons of task pe...

• PHS.9.4

  Use an engineering design process to construct and test conductors, semiconductors, and insulators using various materials to optimize efficiency. *

01

What Students Need to Do

Students use simulations to compare static charge with current flowing through a circuit. They model the magnetic field made by a current and explain what magnets, motors, and generators do in machines.

02

What Mastery Looks Like

A student can build a working circuit in a simulation and predict what happens when the switch opens. They can show that current creates a magnetic field. They can explain the jobs of a scrapyard electromagnet, a conveyor motor, and a wind turbine generator.

03

Common Misconceptions

Students may think a charged balloon supplies a steady current or that one wire is enough to light a bulb. They may think a motor and generator do the same job, or that a stationary magnet alone produces current.

04

How to Assess It

Exit ticket: Draw a closed battery-bulb circuit and mark the magnetic field around one wire. Explain why a rubbed balloon sticks to a wall and how a motor differs from a generator.

1. 01

   Wrap insulated wire around a nail, connect it briefly to a battery, and count how many paper clips it lifts before and after adding coils.

2. 02

   Ask: Why can a rubbed balloon stick to a wall without a circuit, while a bulb needs a closed circuit? Have students write an answer.

3. 03

   In PhET Circuit Construction Kit, build a working circuit, open it at three different points, and record what happens to the bulb each time.

4. 04

   Show photos of a scrapyard electromagnet, conveyor motor, and wind turbine generator; have students label each and explain its job.

• PHY.5

  Students will investigate the key components of electricity and magnetism.

• P.3.6

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of magnets and the effects of pushes, pulls, and friction on the motion of objects.

• P.4.6A

  Students will demonstrate an understanding of the common sources and uses of heat and electric energy and the materials used to transfer heat and electricity.