Simple circuits: a 40-minute 4th grade electricity activity
What it is: a 4th grade electricity activity where students build a simple circuit with a battery, wires and a small bulb, find out why the loop must be closed, and test which classroom materials let electricity flow (conductors) and which do not (insulators).
Time: about 40 minutes. Grade: 4th grade.
Materials: per group: one AA or D battery in a battery holder, 3 insulated wires with alligator clips, a small flashlight bulb in a holder (or an LED), and test objects (a coin, a paper clip, an eraser, foil, a craft stick, a key, a plastic spoon).
- Show the parts. Ask: "How could we get the bulb to light?" Groups try, with one rule: only the parts provided.
- When bulbs light, draw a working circuit together and trace the closed loop with a finger.
- Open the loop by unclipping one wire. Ask: "Why did it stop?"
- Groups add a gap in the circuit and test each object in the gap, recording conductor or insulator.
- Look for a pattern: "What do most conductors have in common?"
Safety: use only regular AA or D batteries in a holder; never use button batteries or wall outlets. Disconnect the circuit when not testing so wires don't get warm.
Differentiation: students who need support follow a picture of a working circuit. Students who are ready add a switch made from a paper clip and two brass fasteners. English learners can use the words circuit, closed, open, conductor and insulator.
Quick check: show a drawing of a circuit with a gap and ask a student whether the bulb will light and why.
For more ideas at this grade, browse the other free activities on the Hub.
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About this resource
- Shared by
- @UpOnlyLearning · Curriculum team
- Posted
- Oct 30, 2026
- Type
- Lesson plan
- Grade
- Grades 3–5
- Subject
- Science
- Language
- English
- License
- Free for classroom, co-op and tutoring use. Please don't resell.