Resources and conversation on PreK to 2 science

Static Electricity: The Shocking Truth

By Peggy Ashbrook
PHOTOGrApHS COUrTESY OF THE AUTHOr

ou may have experienced a small electric shock called static electricity when you brushed your hair and then touched a cat or another person, or pulled socks out of the dryer. The static electricity shock occurs when electrons rub off materials and accumulate on our body, and then we touch a positively charged object. Not every environment allows static electricity to build up in people and objects we touch (humid environments, for example). Asking questions about experiences with natural phenomena is part of the National Science Education Content Standard A: Science as Inquiry, and learning about the properties of materials and electricity is part of Standard B: Physical Science. Learning about particles of matter too small to see begins with learning about the properties of matter that we can observe. A Framework for K12 Science Education (NRC 2012) states that by the end of grade 2, students should understand that different kinds of matter exist, can be described and classified, and have different properties. Young children may experience natural phenomena such as static electricity whose explanations extend beyond their understanding, including concepts like the existence of atoms, electrons, and electrical charges. However, when

children get a shock from sliding down a plastic slide, touching a doorknob, or getting a hello kiss from their parents at dismissal time, they may become interested in learning about how the sensation happens (or how to avoid it). Using accurate vocabulary in discussions at an age-appropriate level, teachers can help children build a beginning understanding without developing a misconception about the phenomena. Providing the proper materials can help children safely explore the force of static electricity acting on small objects. Younger children will benefit from exploring a variety of materials to feel differences in texture, see the effect of static electricity on small objects, and possibly feel a slight electric charge. Teachers can guide discussion about cause and effect away from talking about magic by noting how the effects can be reproduced

by anyone, not using magic words or special powers. When there is a phenomenon that the children are not developmentally ready to understand, teachers can describe it as being caused by the nature of the material, or what these objects are made of. By testing various materials to see if, and under what conditions, they can cause static electricity to build up and move, children can gather evidence and observe patterns. Children can make observations and record them. Observable properties could include color, texture, and hardness. Use the following activity if your students experience static electricity and become interested in exploring its effects. This activity is meant to be a way to explore static electricitynot a science inquiry by itself. n Peggy Ashbrook (scienceissimple@ yahoo.com) is the author of Science Is Simple: Over 250 Activities for Preschoolers and teaches preschool science in Alexandria, Virginia.

References
National Research Council (NRC). 1996. National science education standards. Washington, DC: National Academies Press. National Research Council (NRC). 2012. A framework for K12 science education: Practices, crosscutting concepts, and core ideas. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.

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Materials

Exploring Static Electricity

Objectives
Students will gain experience feeling a variety of materials and observing the effects of static electricity.

Procedure
1. Gather the fabric and other materials ahead of time. Make a sample Static Electricity Discovery Bottle and try this activity yourself to see if static electricity effects can be created in your local environment. 2. Have children cut or tear the tissue paper, Mylar, Styrofoam tray, and yarn into smaller and smaller pieces. While they are cutting, have the children feel and describe the materials and guess what they are made of. For this activity, categories like paper, plastic, and wool/cotton are sufficient. 3. Each child can put one or several small pieces into the bottle for a total of 1030 pieces. Put on the lid and tape around it to symbolize that it should stay closed and set the bottle aside. 4. Pass around the fabric, plastic wrap, and foil for students to feel and describe, including textures. Support their growth in vocabulary by using additional words when you describe the materials: The plastic sticks, or adheres, to itself; The foil can be bent and folded and then smoothed out again. It is malleable. 5. Reintroduce the Static Electricity Discovery bottle. Model asking a question: I wonder if anything will change if I rub the bottle with this piece of fabric? Demonstrate how to hold the bottle sideways and rub with a piece of fabric. Beginning with the cotton, have children rub the bottle with each of the materials, checking each time to see the position of the small pieces. If a static charge is rubbed onto the bottle, some of the small pieces will be attracted up to the sides. A vigorous downward shake will move pieces off the sides and down to the bottom between turns. The work can be documented with childrens drawings, writing, photography, or a class chart to sort the materials that do and do not cause the small pieces to be attracted. 6. Tell students that the bottle will be available in the classroom for them to use to explore its behavior when rubbed with or on different materialsfabrics, hair, rugs, and so on. Have students continue to add to the chart, or draw and write about results.

Large clear plastic bottle with lid (1 liter soda bottle works well) Small (510 mm) pieces of thin (tissue) paper, Mylar (small shapes cut from chip bags), Styrofoam tray, and any type of yarn Tape Pieces of pure silk, wool, and cotton fabrics; plastic wrap; aluminum foil (handkerchiefsize) Drawing materials for student documentation and class chart Digital camera (optional)

In dry environments, try rubbing a balloon on your hair and holding it slightly away from your head and using the materials on plastic playground equipment to demonstrate static electricity. For additional activities using static electricity, visit the Exploratorium website (see NSTA Connection). This activity was adapted from Discovery Bottles by Sandy Watson (see Resources).

Resources
Watson, S. 2008. Discovery Bottles: A unique, inexpensive science tool for the K2 science classroom. Science and Children 45 (9): 2024.

NSTA Connection

Find trade book titles and links to Exploratorium static electricity activities at www.nsta.org/ SC1303. For more on early childhood science, visit the Early Years Blog, www.nsta.org/earlyyears.

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