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Science Lesson Kit · Teacher Resource

Static Electricity: Forces Without Touching — 5E Lesson Plan

Physical Science · 45 minutes

Grade 3

5E lesson flow

  1. 01

    Engage

    6 min

    Teacher Does

    Demonstrate paper moving toward a charged balloon before contact.

    Students Do

    Record what moves and whether objects touch.

    Ask

    • What evidence shows a force acted?

    Look For

    Motion across a visible gap.

  2. 02

    Explore

    12 min

    Teacher Does

    Guide near/middle/far distance comparisons.

    Students Do

    Test or analyze prepared evidence and record motion strength.

    Ask

    • What changed? What stayed the same?

    Look For

    Distance changed; setup stayed matched.

  3. 03

    Explain

    9 min

    Teacher Does

    Introduce static electricity, electric force, attract, repel, charge, and distance.

    Students Do

    Connect vocabulary to observed motion.

    Ask

    • Which interaction pulls? Which pushes?

    Look For

    Attract versus repel.

  4. 04

    Elaborate

    11 min

    Teacher Does

    Compare static and magnetic non-contact examples.

    Students Do

    Sort evidence and identify what is similar and different.

    Ask

    • What do both forces have in common?

    Look For

    Both can act across a gap; the causes differ.

  5. 05

    Evaluate

    7 min

    Teacher Does

    Assign the distance-evidence performance task.

    Students Do

    Write a cause-and-effect explanation using test evidence.

    Ask

    • What does the evidence support, and what would be an overclaim?

    Look For

    Bounded evidence-based claim.

Student goal

I can use evidence to explain how static electric forces act across a gap and how distance changes the interaction.

Learning objectives

  • Explain from observations that static electric force can act without objects touching.
  • Compare how changing distance affects an observable static electric interaction.
  • Use evidence to distinguish static electric attraction or repulsion from contact forces.

Materials

  • Balloons or plastic rods
  • Dry fabric
  • Small paper pieces
  • Distance markers
  • Observation sheets

Before class

  • Pretest the static setup.
  • Prepare data-card backup evidence.
  • Check allergy needs.
  • Use classroom-safe non-mains materials only.

Prior knowledge

  • Students know a force is a push or pull.
  • Students have seen magnetic forces act without touching.
  • Students can compare repeated observations.

Vocabulary

static electricity
An electric effect caused by a buildup of electric charge on an object.
electric force
A push or pull caused by an electric interaction.
attract
To pull toward.
repel
To push away.
charge
A property of matter involved in electric interactions.
distance
The amount of space between objects.

Differentiation

  • Use visual near/middle/far markers.
  • Provide a cause-effect frame: When distance decreased, ___.
  • Allow students to analyze prepared data instead of handling balloons.
  • For extension, ask students to propose another variable that could be tested fairly.

Assessment

  • Check identification of attraction and repulsion.
  • Check fair-test reasoning.
  • Check distance-pattern interpretation.
  • Require evidence that force acted without contact.

Exit ticket

Describe one static electric interaction and one piece of evidence that the force acted across a gap.

Extension

Design a fair test for one new static-electricity question while keeping all other conditions as constant as possible.