This document provides a summary of a 5th grade physical science lesson on conductors and insulators. It defines conductors as materials that allow electric charges to pass through easily, while insulators do not allow electric charges to pass through easily. It includes an image of a wire with conductive copper wiring surrounded by an insulative plastic coating and asks students to label and explain the arrangement. The document encourages students to use circuits to test whether everyday objects are conductors or insulators.

1. 5th Grade Physical Science

2. Recap
In our previous lesson, we learned that:
• Electricity is the
movement of electrons
from one atom to
another.
• Current electricity
flows through
conductors while static
electricity collects on a
surface.
• Current electricity
moves through circuits
that are either series
(no branches) or
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/ks3/science/energy_electricity_forces/electric_current_voltage/revision/4/ parallel (branches).

3. In this lesson you’ll
learn how not every
material allows electric
current to flow through
them in the same way.
First, though, let’s
review what electricity
and electric current is:
Electricity & Magnetism
(stop when it gets to magnetism)

4. Conductors & Insulators
Some materials allow electric
charges to pass through them
easily, these materials are
called conductors. Other
materials do not allow electric
charges to pass through them
easily, these materials are
called insulators.
(This is probably something you want to write down)
Source: http://www.physics4kids.com/files/elec_conduct.html

5. Conductors & Insulators
Below is a picture of a typical wire. Draw it in your notebooks and label which
part is a conductor and which is an insulator. Why do you think they are
arranged in this way?

6. Let’s Try It!
Circuits & Conductors
Click on the link (above), then follow the directions to use a circuit to test
whether different objects are insulators or conductors.
Electrical Conductors
Click on the link (above), and follow the directions to discover what
materials are conductors and which are insulators.

7. Now You Try It!
Follow your teacher’s directions to
construct a simple circuit and test your own
materials to see if they are conductors or
insulators.