Children can feel inspired, motivated and spend more
time engaged on task when the problems posed involve them searching for a
purposeful outcome, particularly when some-one is asking for their advice! The
sensor activity on page 16 of our publication ‘Generating Electricity’ (which can be found at http://www.ciec.org.uk/resources/generating-electricity.html) provides this
kind of context and would be a useful challenge to give children during ‘Tomorrow’s
Engineers Week’ (6th -10th November) while covering KS2
objectives for electricity.
After
receiving a letter from ‘Electricaid’ children work collaboratively to design
and build a mini working model of a well which includes some kind of sensor to
warn when the water has reached a desired level. Each group is given a large
beaker (1000ml) to represent their well, one 1.5V cell and the rest is up to
them!
The
most innovative designs are achieved when children are provided with a
selection of basic circuit equipment as well as lots of everyday conducting and
insulating materials to choose from - paper clips, drawing pins, split pins,
coins, corks, cotton reels, tin foil, bottle tops, glue, blu-tac, sellotape,
card, plastic tubes and plastic sheets (A4 overhead projector transparencies
are ideal) plus anything else that the children think they will need.
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| Working collaboratively |
Children
are encouraged to discuss and swap ideas not just at the planning stage but
throughout this activity, jotting and amending notes and annotated drawings on
whiteboards and listing the types of equipment they may need to start with and
then to modify and improve their designs. Giving children space to make mistakes
as they design and evaluate their designs through a process of trial and error
helps children to develop a deep understanding of what they are doing as well
as fostering real pride in their achievements.
It can be valuable not to show
children the diagram of a successful design which is provided in the resource
until after they have made their own sensors. When they do this teachers are amazed at the variety of
ideas and at the ingenuity of children. Most models have some kind of floating
conductor (say a ‘raft’ of corks covered in tin foil) placed in the bottom of
the well. When water is added and the level rises, this floats up to touch a
carefully positioned contact point near the top of the well which is then connected
to a simple circuit built safely away from the water.
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| Close up of a working sensor |
We
would love to see your children’s designs; you can tweet them to @ciecyork for
a chance to win a hard copy of some of our resources!
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