Physics Circuit Construction Activity — NGSS Grades 9-12
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$3.00
Regular price $2.50Instant digital download -- no physical shipping.
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✓
NGSS Aligned
✓
Instant Digital Download
✓
Created by a 7+ Year Physics Teacher
📦 Save with the Circuits Unit Bundle: Get every circuits resource I sell — quizzes, slide decks, labs, crosswords, warmups, the test, and the escape room — bundled for $59.25. Get the High School Physics Electrical Circuits Unit Bundle →
Transform abstract circuit concepts into concrete understanding as your students build working circuits with everyday materials. This hands-on activity gets students thinking about current flow, resistance, and energy transfer by constructing real circuits they can see and manipulate.
What's Included:
- ✓ Step-by-step circuit construction procedures for series, parallel, and combination circuits
- ✓ Student worksheet with guided analysis questions
- ✓ Complete answer key for easy grading
- ✓ Schematic diagrams and visual guides
- ✓ Materials list using simple, inexpensive supplies
- ✓ NGSS HS-PS3-3 alignment documentation
Why Teachers Love This:
- ✓ No-prep convenience: Print-and-go format saves you planning time
- ✓ Conceptual understanding: Students see why circuits behave differently rather than just memorizing formulas
- ✓ Classroom-tested: Uses holiday lights that work reliably and engage student curiosity
- ✓ Reasoning-based questions: Develops critical thinking about electrical principles
- ✓ Flexible format: Works for in-person labs or take-home assignments
Perfect For:
- High school physics (grades 9-12)
- Conceptual physics courses
- Physical science electricity units
- NGSS-aligned curriculum
- Students who need concrete experiences before abstract concepts
Pro Tip: Have students predict brightness changes before building each circuit to activate prior knowledge and create cognitive conflict when predictions don't match reality.
Update your location to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
Physics Circuit Construction Activity — NGSS Grades 9-12
Sale price
$3.00
Regular price $2.50Instant digital download -- no physical shipping.
✓
NGSS Aligned
✓
Instant Digital Download
✓
Created by a 7+ Year Physics Teacher
📦 Save with the Circuits Unit Bundle: Get every circuits resource I sell — quizzes, slide decks, labs, crosswords, warmups, the test, and the escape room — bundled for $59.25. Get the High School Physics Electrical Circuits Unit Bundle →
Transform abstract circuit concepts into concrete understanding as your students build working circuits with everyday materials. This hands-on activity gets students thinking about current flow, resistance, and energy transfer by constructing real circuits they can see and manipulate.
What's Included:
- ✓ Step-by-step circuit construction procedures for series, parallel, and combination circuits
- ✓ Student worksheet with guided analysis questions
- ✓ Complete answer key for easy grading
- ✓ Schematic diagrams and visual guides
- ✓ Materials list using simple, inexpensive supplies
- ✓ NGSS HS-PS3-3 alignment documentation
Why Teachers Love This:
- ✓ No-prep convenience: Print-and-go format saves you planning time
- ✓ Conceptual understanding: Students see why circuits behave differently rather than just memorizing formulas
- ✓ Classroom-tested: Uses holiday lights that work reliably and engage student curiosity
- ✓ Reasoning-based questions: Develops critical thinking about electrical principles
- ✓ Flexible format: Works for in-person labs or take-home assignments
Perfect For:
- High school physics (grades 9-12)
- Conceptual physics courses
- Physical science electricity units
- NGSS-aligned curriculum
- Students who need concrete experiences before abstract concepts
Pro Tip: Have students predict brightness changes before building each circuit to activate prior knowledge and create cognitive conflict when predictions don't match reality.
Update your location to see state-specific standards (only available in the US).
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
NGSS HS-PS2-2
Use mathematical representations to support the claim that the total momentum of a system of objects is conserved when there is no net force on the system. Emphasis is on the quantitative conservation of momentum in interactions and the qualitative meaning of this principle. Assessment is limited to systems of two macroscopic bodies moving in one dimension.
NGSS HS-PS3-1
Create a computational model to calculate the change in the energy of one component in a system when the change in energy of the other component(s) and energy flows in and out of the system are known. Emphasis is on explaining the meaning of mathematical expressions used in the model. Assessment is limited to basic algebraic expressions or computations; to systems of two or three components; and to thermal energy, kinetic energy, and/or the energies in gravitational, magnetic, or electric fields.
NGSS HS-PS2-1
Analyze data to support the claim that Newton’s second law of motion describes the mathematical relationship among the net force on a macroscopic object, its mass, and its acceleration. Assessment is limited to one-dimensional motion and to macroscopic objects moving at non-relativistic speeds. Examples of data could include tables or graphs of position or velocity as a function of time for objects subject to a net unbalanced force, such as a falling object, an object sliding down a ramp, or a moving object being pulled by a constant force.
NGSS HS-PS4-1
Use mathematical representations to support a claim regarding relationships among the frequency, wavelength, and speed of waves traveling in various media. Examples of data could include electromagnetic radiation traveling in a vacuum and glass, sound waves traveling through air and water, and seismic waves traveling through the earth. Assessment is limited to algebraic relationships and describing those relationships qualitatively.
NGSS HS-PS2-3
Apply scientific and engineering ideas to design, evaluate, and refine a device that minimizes the force on a macroscopic object during a collision. Examples of evaluation and refinement could include determining the success of the device at protecting an object from damage and modifying the design to improve it. Examples of a device could include a football helmet or a parachute. Assessment is limited to qualitative evaluations and/or algebraic manipulations.
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