Christmas Light Show

STEMLinc Video Conferencing: Let Santa (AKA Professor Noah Lott) engage your students in festive science!  Explore the basics of electrical circuits by designing and constructing a circuit-lit Christmas tree.  Students have the opportunity to create their own artistic tree that will light up with the circuitry. (Image: GT Mall)

Year Level: 5 – 6

Duration: 1 hour

STEM in a box:

The STEM-in-a-Box will be sent to schools and includes 2 AA batteries, 4 LEDs, and 1 piece of thick A4 paper per student, plus sufficient conductive adhesive tape for at least 20cm per student.  The class will need to provide scissors, ordinary tape or adhesive, and extra coloured paper, coloured markers etc. for additional decoration.

Background Information:

One of the simplest electric circuits that can be constructed comprises a battery, a switch, and a lamp (in this case, an LED) wired up in series.  LEDs are a device that allows electricity to flow in one direction only, and will light up if electricity is flowing in the right direction and is of sufficient voltage.  A second LED can be wired up in parallel, introducing the first level of complexity to the circuit.

Prior Knowledge:

In this program, students build a simple electric circuit comprising a battery, a switch, and an LED.  It would be useful, although not essential, if the students have encountered a basic circuit such as this already, so that the task of constructing a circuit will be more intuitive.

Learning Intentions:

In this program students will:

• Learn about basic electric circuits and how to add a component in parallel
• Solve a basic mechanical design problem.

Activities:

In this program students will:

• Construct and decorate a Christmas tree that lights up.

Victorian Curriculum:

Science – Physical sciences

• Energy from a variety of sources can be used to generate electricity; electric circuits enable this energy to be transferred to another place and then to be transformed into another form of energy (VCSSU081)

Science – Planning and conducting

• With guidance, plan appropriate investigation types to answer questions or solve problems and use equipment, technologies and materials safely, identifying potential risks (VCSIS083)

Technologies – Engineering principles and systems

• Investigate how forces or electrical energy can control movement, sound or light in a designed product or system (VCDSTC034)

Technologies – Generating

• Generate, develop, communicate and document design ideas and processes for audiences using appropriate technical terms and graphical representation techniques (VCDSCD039)

Technologies – Producing

• Apply safe procedures when using a variety of materials, components, tools, equipment and techniques to produce designed solutions (VCDSCD040)

IMPORTANT:  Cancellation Policy

1. 1. When you book you will receive an automated message from Eventbrite.  Save this carefully please.
   2. Any cancellations need to be received in time for STEMLinc to re-sell your tickets to other teachers.
   3. Please use the Eventbrite confirmation email to facilitate any cancellation of your booking.  That will automatically release your ticket for re-sale on our system.