Science of Technology

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Start by showing how a circuit is created by including a power source (like a battery) with a load (like a light bulb) in a complete loop.  (Snap Circuits would be perfect for this!)

Show them Crack the Circuit: Free Draw to show how your real-life circuit could be modeled with a circuit diagram.

Introduce them to the game, by completing level 1 on the board.  Get them to complete as many levels as they can.

Link: https://universeandmore.com/crack-the-circuit/

At an appropriate interval, ask them to share a level that they found interesting (e.g., a challenge they solved, a frustration they could not solve, the highest level they reached, etc.).  Give them a chance to verbalize what they learned and hear the logic they used along the way.  Maybe ask them to show a variety of ways to solve the same circuit, or show them a variant on the board and ask if that would accomplish the same thing.

Preview these concepts: 
* Lights are only one type of load.  The same diagram could be made for motors, heaters, speakers, etc.
* Batteries are only one type of power source.  The two-pronged outlets serve the same purpose, and the power cords for your appliances are actually two wires--one for each prong--to make the loop.
* Switches are sometimes in disguise--and called sensors.  For example, the hand drier "knows" when to turn on and off, because a switch is opened or closed (usually depending on the reflection of an invisible infrared beam).  The car "knows" to lock the doors with a motor that is connected to an accelerometer-based sensor.

Science of Technology

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