GAYNES SCHOOL SCHEME OF WORK – SCIENCE
Year Group
Key Stage 4
Unit code, title and length
P5, Electric circuits, 12 Lessons, some maybe
combined
Health and Safety
Please refer to individual lessons and activity
plans
L1 - Van de Graaff generator close to
computer equipment or with students with
medical implants.
Assessments
Recall tests
End of unit test
Mock Examination covering all Science
Biology Units
Six Mark Questions (two stars and a wish)
Resources
Please refer to individual lesson plans
Homework
Please refer to faculty homework schedules
Common misconceptions
Electricity can be stored.
BLP
Collaboration
Making Links
Revising
Meta Learning
Social – Areas of Focus
Group Work.
Spiritual
Reflection on learning
Cross-Curricular
Calculating (combining resistance) link to
Maths calculations. Also, plotting graphs of
current, voltage and resistance, link to graph
skills in Maths.
Moral – Key Questions
How to produce the electricity needed to address
modern lifestyle needs.
Cultural
The importance of electricity in modern society
and understanding what life would be like without
electricity.
IT Possibilities
Research on the various ways electricity is
produced and distributed to our home for use.
Key Learning Outcomes – Whole Unit
Must
Should
Could
Describe how electric charge and how moving charges result in an
electric current.
Explain how “models” of what happens in an electric circuit and explain
how these can be used to predict circuit behaviour.
Synthesis information on the energy transfers in electric circuits, and how
mains electricity is generated and distributed.
Grade/Level
D/E
C/B
A/A*
Differentiation Up/Down
Lesson
1 Static Electricity
2 Current in series circuits
Up
Students can find out more
about static electricity at the
Howstuffworks website and
how devices such as
photocopiers and laser printers
work.
Pupils create their own model
to explain how the flow of
charge goes around the circuit
3 Current in parallel circuits
Work out an equation for the
current in a parallel circuit
4 Controlling the Circuit
Pupils explain the importance
of being able to control the
current in a circuit
Pupils apply ohms law triangle
to a number of questions.
Resistance & Current
worksheet answer questions 35 only.
Describe how potential dividers
are used.
List as many variable resistors
and sensors the pupils can
think of themselves.
5 Ohms Law
6 Combining Resistors
7 Potential Difference
8 Variable resistors and Sensors
9 Electrical Power
Find out which types of
components require the most
electrical power to work.
10 Magnets and Motors
Explain how a motor works
referring to magnetism.
11 Electromagnet induction
Explain how a simple
generator can be created
12 Mains Electricity
Research what the mains
power output is in different
countries around the world and
the reasons for this.
Down
Worksheet (w/s) ap5-1-2 and
ap5-1-3
Pupils use the moving rope
role play model to explain how
the flow of charge goes around
the circuit.
Pupils given equation for
current in a parallel circuit and
then just have to apply the
equation to answer some
questions.
Pupil order a number of
batteries in size order due to
voltage produced.
Pupils given simple ohms law
calculations to perform.
Resistance & Current
worksheet answer questions 13 only.
Describe how a voltmeter is
attached in a circuit.
Describe where and how a
variable resistor works in an
electrical device such as a
radio
Explain why the power of an
electric motor in a tube train is
much greater than the power
used in the strip lights on the
train.
Write about the main
differences between an
electromagnet and a bar
magnet.
Describe how moving a
magnet inside a coil of wire
creates an electric current
Describe the basic set up of
the National Power Grid
Key Questions
Lesson
Big Question
1 Static
What is static electricity
Electricity
and how do you make
it?
2 Current in
series
circuits
3 Current in
parallel
circuits
4 Controlling
the Circuit
5 Ohms Law
What is it in electricity
that moves?
How does a car
headlight circuit work
when one bulb stops
working?
How does the battery
voltage and circuit
resistance together
control the size of
current?
What is the relationship
between voltage current
and resistance?
6 Combining
Resistors
What happens to the
voltage across different
resistors and where
would this be useful?
7 Potential
Difference
What is potential
difference in different
circuits and how can we
use a model to explain
what is happening?
How variable Resistors
and sensors can be
used in real life.
How does electrical
device transfer energy
from one place to
another?
How can magnets and
current make a motor?
8 Variable
resistors and
Sensors
9 Electrical
Power
10 Magnets
and Motors
11
What can
Electromagnet electromagnetic
induction
induction do?
12 Mains
Electricity
What is mains voltage
and why do we have big
green boxes around
Upminster called
transforms?
Starter
Have you ever heard a
crackle when taking off
your jumper?
Got an electric shock
getting out of a car?
What would the world be
like if there was no
electricity?
If you want to build a
useful transport system
which style of road is
better?…..
How can current be
controlled?
Looking at different types
of cells
Plenary
Draw a television screen,
then explain why television
screens get so dusty
How voltage and current
are related if the
resistance is fixed?
Practical
Questions on electrical
power
Answering questions using
ohms triangle formula
Recap questions on
resistors in series and
parallel circuits
Question on Christmas
tree lights
What is the missing
reading?
Questions on circuit
diagrams
Checking over definitions
of charge, insulators and
conductors
Pupils creating their own
model which explains the
effect of connecting
resistors in series and
parallel circuits
Questions on what
happens when we add
additional batteries to a
circuit.
Question on combining
resistors in series and
parallel circuit
Explain how a small motor,
in a toy crane, is being
used to lift a weight.
Question on use of LDR
Teacher demo of
electromagnetic induction
which pupils then describe
what happened.
Recap on electromagnet
induction and then pupils
explaining how using a
magnet we can generate
an electric current
Introduction to what’s
behind the electrical
socket
Questions on
transformers.
Completing table on power
and current used in the
home appliances
Pupils explaining how a
dynamo works
Questions on step up and
step down transformers.