TEACHER GUIDE · TWO WEEKS

Circuit Systems: Paths, Control + Signals

Students learn to make electrical behavior predictable, then use a circuit to send a message another person must decode.

Time
10 class periods

Core materials
Snap Circuits kits

Final
Blind partner decode

Grade
100-point Major

What students are learning

TopicComplete paths, safe testing, series and parallel reliability, controlled outputs, and coded signals.

Student-friendly objectiveI can build, test, and explain how paths and components control what a circuit does.

Demonstration of learningA partner decodes a sound signal. The builder records the first result, revises, and tests again.

Teacher-tomorrow setup

✓ Count kits and choose stable pairs before Day 1. Keep the same partners through Day 10 when possible.
✓ Download the connected teacher deck and four lab packets. Each guide below names the exact slide range and leave-up screen.
✓ Test one complete lamp circuit, one parallel circuit, the LED/resistor circuit, the motor circuit, and the speaker/alarm circuit.
✓ Prepare only dry, teacher-approved material samples for the conductor test. Never use liquids.
✓ Decide where batteries will live. Students wire first, inspect, then receive or insert batteries.
✓ Choose the final evidence route: photo plus lab packet, or a short video plus lab packet.

Download the two-week teacher deck · Make a Google copyDownload all lab packets

Safety boundary

Before powerSwitch off. Build from the diagram. Check every snap and component direction.

NeverConnect one battery terminal directly to the other. A short circuit can heat parts and drain batteries.

During motor workKeep faces, hair, fingers, and loose objects clear of the fan.

After testingSwitch off and disconnect the battery pack before changing the circuit or returning the kit.

Ten-day route

Days 1-2 · Follow and test a path

Open/closed circuits, kit safety, fair conductor test, and troubleshooting.

Days 3-5 · Design for reliability

Series, parallel, failure testing, a reliability challenge, and Xello/fallback goals.

Days 6-7 · Control outputs

LED direction, resistor comparison, motor direction, and a status-and-motion system.

Days 8-10 · Send a coded signal

Morse planning, sound circuit, blind partner decode, revision, and final evidence.

Teaching routes

Whole-group routeTeach from the connected deck, pause for the modeled build or prediction, then leave the named work screen projected while pairs build and record evidence.

Independent or absence routeStudents use the Canvas Learn page, official video, and matching lab packet. They still need a teacher-approved kit session for any physical evidence.

Likely misconceptions

✓ Open does not mean on. An open switch breaks the path; a closed switch completes it.
✓ Brightness does not define series or parallel. Students must trace the number of available paths.
✓ Reversing an LED is not proof that it is broken. Check polarity before replacing the part.
✓ Sound alone is not readable code. Dot/dash duration and the quiet gaps both carry information.

Portable instruction

The Canvas Learn pages and official YouTube videos are the default student route. The connected deck supports whole-group teaching. Edpuzzle is optional and course-specific; if you use it, copy the public lesson into your own Edpuzzle account, reconnect the Canvas External Tool, keep it unpublished until Student View works, and remove any teacher setup note before students enter.

No RISE or SCORM launch is required. The lab still runs if an external package disappears.

100-point rubric

Final criterion	Points	Evidence
Safe, working circuit	25	A dependable sound circuit demonstrated more than once.
Code accuracy + signal timing	25	Written Morse matches the message; dots, dashes, and letter spaces are distinct.
Partner test + revision	25	Exact first decode, a specific revision, and final result.
Evidence + explanation	25	Required circuit evidence and a clear path/switch/speaker explanation.

Support route: teacher-provided three-letter message, partially completed planner, one-letter rehearsal, and one replay. Grade the same four criteria.

If time is tight

Protect the first complete-path build, one series/parallel failure comparison, the controlled-output model, and the first-decode/revision/final-decode sequence. Reduce repeated builds and material-test rows before removing those learning moves.