Author: Ramona Gravesande
Time: 1 one-hour class period
Description: Students will use household materials to create an electric current similar to lightning.

Grade Level:

• K-3
• 4-6

Lesson Objectives:

• To teach students how lightning forms and why it strikes
  

Materials Needed:

• Aluminum pie pans
• Styrofoam plates
• Wool cloth
• Pencils
• Thumbtacks
  

Preparation and Setup:

• Gather necessary materials
• Arrange student into groups of 2 - 4
• Distribute necessary materials.
  

Teacher Background: Lightening occurs when a connection is made from electrons in the bottom of a cloud to protons in the ground.  Electrons in the bottom of the cloud are attracted to the protons in the ground.  When the connection is made the protons rush to meet the electron and that is when you see lightening.  A bolt of lightening heats the air along its path casing it to expand rapidly.  Thunder is the sound caused by this rapid expanding air
Vocabulary:

• lightning
• electrons
• protons
• lightning
• thunder
  

Procedure:

1. Push a thumbtack through the bottom center of an aluminum pie pan.
2. Push the eraser of a pencil through the thumbtack to make a handle to lift the pan.
3. Take a styrofoam plate and rub the underside with wool  for one minute, rubbing hard and fast.
   
4. Pick up the pie pan with the pencil.an dplace it on top of the upside-down styrofoam plate again.
   
5. If students do not feel anything they should rub the styrofoam plate again and touch the pie pan with the lights out and see what happens.

Curriculum Standards: ES6

Sample Images: