Electricity in Closed Circuits Activities for 4th Grade Science

The Kesler Science 5E Electricity in Closed Circuits unit for 4th grade focuses on teaching students how electrical energy travels in a closed path and produces light and thermal energy. Aligned with the 2021 TEKS 4.8C standard, this lesson offers a flexible and engaging approach with editable PowerPoints, worksheets, choice projects, and assessments. The content is designed for differentiated, student-led learning, and is available in both printable and digital formats to accommodate various learning environments, whether in-class or virtual.

The unit follows the 5E Model, starting with an engaging exploration of the concept through hands-on, multimodal activities. Students will participate in nine differentiated stations that cover topics like open and closed circuits, including reading passages, videos, and experiments. Output stations help students demonstrate their learning through writing, drawing, and categorization tasks. A bonus station provides extension activities for early finishers, reinforcing the concepts further.

In the Explanation phase, students will use interactive notebooks, editable PowerPoints, and note-taking templates to deepen their understanding. The Elaboration phase encourages independent projects where students show how electrical energy travels and produces light and thermal energy. The lesson wraps up with assessments updated for STAAR 2.0, including review questions and worksheets for practice, making it ideal for both classroom and virtual learning settings.

This modular, student-led station lab focuses on open and closed circuits, energy sources, loads, conductors, and switches, covering the 2021 TEKS 4.8C standard. Designed for 4th grade students, this lesson engages learners through nine interactive stations where they explore how electricity travels through a closed path and how electrical energy produces light and thermal energy. The lab promotes independent learning with differentiated activities, allowing students to guide their own exploration.

The nine stations include a variety of activities like watching a video on circuits, reading about how circuits light a bulb, and researching circuits with switches. Students also manipulate materials to organize their learning, sketch circuit diagrams, answer questions, and complete assessments to show their understanding. For advanced learners, the bonus “Challenge It!” station offers extension activities like games and projects.

This resource is ideal for both in-person and virtual learning environments, with materials that can be used in class or adapted for online platforms.

The Electricity in Closed Circuits Student Choice Projects align with the 2021 TEKS 4.8C standard for physics and energy, offering 4th graders a variety of ways to demonstrate their understanding. The project page presents six student-led options along with a “design your own” project, and an editable grading rubric allows for teacher, peer, or self-assessment. Teachers can modify the rubric to suit grading needs, and the projects offer flexible, multimodal choices that cater to diverse learning styles.

The resource includes nine project options plus the "design your own" choice, a Teacher Directions page for guidance, and editable rubric pages to assess vocabulary, concepts, clarity, and accuracy. Differentiated versions of the project page are provided to support students needing remediation or additional challenges. Many projects can be completed using standard classroom supplies like paper, markers, and scissors, with digital options available.