How electrical insulators keep us safe (non-statutory)
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can identify how electrical insulators keep us safe.
Key learning points
- People who work in some jobs risk exposure to high voltage electricity.
- People who work with electricity have a variety of safety wear or PPE, that they put on to work in certain places.
- Insulators are used in many places in our daily lives to protect us from the dangers of electricity.
- Scientists and engineers in industry test, design and make new and improved materials and products.
- Lightning rods can be used to protect buildings from lightning strikes.
Keywords
Electric shock - An electric shock occurs when electricity passes into our bodies. It can be very dangerous.
High voltage - High voltage electricity flows with a stronger push than low voltage electricity.
Personal protective equipment - Personal protective equipment or PPE refers to clothes and equipment used by people to keep them safe.
Electrical insulator - An electrical insulator is a material that does not allow electricity to pass through it easily.
Electrical conductor - An electrical conductor is a material that allows electricity to pass through it easily.
Common misconception
Electrical insulators cannot conduct electricity at all.
Children will be taught that electrical insulators are materials that do not allow electricity to pass through them easily.
Teacher tip
You might like to remind pupils that people should never touch things like train tracks or cables, as they could get shocked or electrocuted.
Equipment
None
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In which types of material does electricity flow more easily?
Q2. is a measure of the electrical push provided to a circuit.
Q3.Which of these might cause a bulb in a circuit to blow or burn out?
Q4.If you increase the voltage in a circuit, what happens to the volume of a buzzer?
Q5.Which of these materials would be the worst electrical insulator?
Q6.What causes an electric shock to a human?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Which of these types of material are used to protect us from the dangers of electricity?
Q2.In which of these jobs are workers exposed to high voltage electricity?
Q3.In which of these careers would you be most likely to test, design and make new and improved materials and products?
Q4.What does PPE stand for?
Q5.What is PPE, or personal protective equipment, for?
Q6.If there is more than one possible route, is most likely to travel along the route made of the best conductor.
To help you plan your 6 science lesson on: How electrical insulators keep us safe (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 6 science lesson on: How electrical insulators keep us safe (non-statutory), download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
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