KS2 Science: How do electrical circuits work?

Video summary

Mwaksy and Greg construct a simple circuit that uses cells, wires, bulbs and wires and investigate how a switch opens and closes a circuit.

After making an imaginary super-sized circuit using a rope, Mwaksy uses her electricity know-how to play a noisy prank on Greg.

Show Me the Science is a series of short films and teacher resources for primary schools, following presenters Mwaksy Mudenda and Greg Foot as they use demonstrations, experiments and animations to learn about forces and electricity.

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Teacher Notes

Before watching the film:

Prior to this lesson you may wish to introduce students to other relevant topics, for example:

During the film:

Depending on your lesson’s focus, you may wish to pause the video at certain points to check for understanding, asking questions such as:

  • What do you use to turn the lights on and off? Where else could you find a switch?
  • Upper KS2: Which circuit symbols can you see in the animation? (motor, buzzer, lightbulb, switch, cell*)
  • What do you have in the classroom or at home that uses a battery? Does it light up, make a noise, or move? Does it do something else?
  • What other circuit components could Mwaksy be in the super-sized ‘rope’ circuit?
  • How else can we have fun using electricity?

Note: In physics, what we normally think of as a single battery is actually called a cell. The term battery is used to describe a container of one or more cells. Notice that the symbol for a battery is made from joining two cell symbols together.

Final question:

Where else have you seen circuits in action?

Discussion points for the final question:

  • Do you have any circuits in the classroom? What about the lights?
  • Do you have any circuits at home?
  • How do you think circuits have changed our lives? What would our homes have looked like before electricity was discovered? What would schools have looked like?
  • Where else could you see a circuit? What about in a shop, or a bus?
  • How can circuits help keep us safe? (E.g. smoke/burglar alarms, traffic lights, headlights on cars.)

Following on from the film:

  • Ask your students to make their own super-sized circuit, by passing a ball around to represent the electricity flowing between them.
  • Before they start, decide which student will be which circuit component. What should each component do? What will that look like in their circuit?
  • You could also try using a rope loop to represent the electricity flowing around the circuit.

This short film is suitable for teaching science at KS2 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and 2nd Level in Scotland.

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Mwaksy and Greg learn about what electricity is and how we generate it using movement.

What is electricity?

Mwaksy and Greg create circuits using spoons and dough, to learn about conductors and insulators, why they’re useful and how they keep us safe.

What are conductors and insulators?

Mwaksy and Greg explore the different reasons why electricity is useful and convert the chemical energy in a battery into different forms of energy.

Electricity in the world around us
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