Lesson 1: What Is Electricity
This is Lesson 1 of 7 in the National FFA Organization’s Electricity Unit, titled “What Is Electricity?” It introduces students to the basic concept of electricity, how it is used in daily life and agriculture, and the three core parts of an electrical system (source, path, load). The lesson serves as a supplement to the Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems Career Development Event (CDE) and includes a worksheet, a card sort activity, and a PowerPoint.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Define electricity in simple terms
- Recognize electricity's use in everyday life and agriculture
- Identify the three core parts of an electrical system (source, path, load).
- Time required
- 50 minutes (*Time requirements may vary based upon student understanding and class schedule.)
- Grade level
- Grades 9 and 10
- Materials
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- A copy of the "Electricity 101: Powering Our World" worksheet for each student
- A copy of the Electricity Card Sort Cards, one set per group of two or three students
- What Is Electricity? PowerPoint
- Vocabulary
- Circuit, Conductor, Electricity, Insulator, Load, Path, Source
- Cross-Curricular Connections
- Science; English/Language Arts
- SAE and FFA Connections
- Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems CDE; Agricultural Proficiency Area: Agricultural Mechanics Design and Fabrication; Foundational SAE Connections: Agricultural Literacy
- Description of Lesson
- This lesson introduces students to the basic concept of electricity and how it is used in daily life. It is a supplement to the National FFA Agricultural Technology and Mechanical Systems Career Development Event (CDE). These lessons are designed to be used in order.
Downloads & Links
Lesson plan
Presentation
Worksheet
Aligned Standards
AFNR Career Ready Practices
- CRP.02Apply appropriate academic and technical skills. Career-ready individuals readily access and use the knowledge and skills acquired through experience and education to be more productive.
- CRP.04Communicate clearly, effectively, and with reason. Career-ready individuals communicate thoughts, ideas and action plans with clarity, whether using written, verbal and/or visual methods.
- CRP.07Employ valid and reliable research strategies. Career-ready individuals are discerning in accepting and using new information to make decisions, change practices or inform strategies.
- CRP.08Utilize critical thinking to make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Career-ready individuals readily recognize problems in the workplace, understand the nature of the problem, and devise effective plans to solve the problem.
AFNR Performance Element
- PST.04Plan, build and maintain AFNR structures.
Common Career Technical Core
- AG-PST4Plan, build and maintain AFNR structures.
Common Core – Reading: Informational Text
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.9-10.1Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
Common Core – Science & Technical Subjects
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.2Determine the central ideas or conclusions of a text; trace the text's explanation or depiction of a complex process, phenomenon, or concept; provide an accurate summary of the text.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.4Determine the meaning of symbols, key terms, and other domain-specific words and phrases as they are used in a specific scientific or technical context relevant to grades 9-10 texts and topics.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RST.9-10.9Compare and contrast findings presented in a text to those from other sources (including their own experiments), noting when the findings support or contradict previous explanations or accounts.
Common Core – Speaking and Listening
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.1Initiate and participate effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one, in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grades 9-10 topics, texts, and issues, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
- CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.9-10.4Present information, findings, and supporting evidence clearly, concisely, and logically such that listeners can follow the line of reasoning and the organization, development, substance, and style are appropriate to purpose, audience, and task.