Activity: History of Electricity

Description

This resource provides a brief overview of the history of electricity and human’s experiments with it since the days of Antiquity, as well as a set of 6 experiments which can be done in class. From the 19th century on, the resource focuses on the use of electricity in Australia. There is a brief discussion of methods of power generation and the question of sustainability and the use of renewable energy. Statistics are provided on power generation in the states and territories of Australia.

The second part of the resource contains a set of basic experiments with static electricity and AA batteries, covering curriculum skills for students. Students are provided with information on performing a simple experiment and recording the effects and then moving on to designing their own version of the experiment and recording changes. The activity provides 6 different investigations, allowing teachers to tailor the activity to the needs (and available resources) of the class.

This resource aligns with the Science, History, Geography and HASS curriculum for Year 6.