Orlando Santiago SEDC 754.

03
Parallel Circuit Lab Lesson Plan
Date: 3/28/23
Topic: Parallel Circuits
Do Now: The following questions will be provided to students on their lab handouts:
1. What is a parallel circuit?
2. How does a parallel circuit differ from a series circuit?
3. How can we describe the voltage and current throughout a parallel circuit (either
through words or equations)?
Aim/Purpose: Students will construct and analyze parallel circuits to determine the voltage and
current across the circuit.
Standards: From the NYS Standards listed in the Physical Setting/Physics Core Curriculum
document:
• STANDARD 4 – The Physical Setting: Students will understand and apply scientific
concepts, principles, and theories pertaining to the physical setting and living
environment and recognize the historical development of ideas in science.
o Key Idea 4: Energy exists in many forms, and when these forms change energy is
conserved.
▪ 4.1: Observe and describe transmission of various forms of energy.
• viii. measure current and voltage in a circuit
• xii. construct simple series and parallel circuits
• xiii. draw and interpret circuit diagrams which include voltmeters
and ammeters
Performance Objectives:
Students will be able to:
• Physically build a three-branch parallel circuit by utilizing the circuit boards and other
lab materials.
• Calculate the theoretical values of the voltage, current, and resistance throughout a
parallel circuit by using the circuit laws available on their Regents reference sheets.
Vocabulary and Academic Language:
• Parallel Circuit: A circuit in which a path branches off into multiple paths for current
flow.
o Common usage: n/a
o Possible Misconceptions: Students may confuse which circuit laws apply for a
parallel circuit as opposed to the series circuits that they have studied the
previous day.
• Ammeter: A device used to measure the current through a point in a circuit.
o Common usage: n/a
o Possible Misconceptions: Students may confuse the voltmeter for an ammeter.
• Voltmeter: A device used to measure the potential difference (voltage) between two
points in a circuit.
o Common usage: n/a
o Possible Misconceptions: Students may confuse the ammeter for a voltmeter.
Material List:
• Holiday lights
• Circuit kits
o Circuit board
▪ Resistors
▪ Batteries
o Wires
• LabQuest 2
o Voltmeter attachment
o Ammeter attachment
• Calculators
• Student lab handouts (included in Appendix A)
Safety and Disposal: The following are the safety precautions that students should be aware of
as they participate in the lab activity:
• There should be no food or drink in vicinity of the electrical devices.
 • Circuit boards should be switched off while not in use to avoid draining the batteries or
overheating the circuit elements.
Once students have completed their activity, they can place the circuit kits and its
associated materials back in its box. The boxes can be left on the desk for the next class to use.
There is no disposal necessary for this lab.
Anticipatory Opening: Use a string of holiday lights to demonstrate to students the value of
parallel circuitry. The teacher should prompt students to think about what would happen if one
of the lights on a string of holiday lights was removed. Some will theorize that all of the lights
will turn off, while others may hypothesize that the rest of the lights will stay on. Relate these
two phenomena to series (all lights turn off) and parallel (the rest stay on) circuits. Plug the
string of lights in and demonstrate that there is indeed a parallel circuit and the rest of the
lights will stay on, thus displaying the value of the parallel circuits that the students are about
to construct.
Development of the Lesson:

What the teacher does What the student does

Prepare each of the circuit kits and LabQuest 2

devices to ensure that they are functional.
Place at least one set of materials at each
group’s table.

Put the HW up on the board.

Place the student lab handouts in the handout Pick up one of the student lab handouts
bin so that students can grab the paper as from the bin and get seated.
they enter class.

Beginning of Lesson

Ask a student to read the Aim/Purpose. Volunteer reads the Aim. Acknowledge the
Inform students that their materials are lab materials.
already at their group tables.

Ask for a volunteer to read the Do Now (pre- Volunteer to read the Do Now questions.
lab) questions. Allow students some time to
 answer the questions on their handouts, Discuss and answer the questions with
either on their own or with their group. tablemates.

Anticipatory opening. Engage with anticipatory opening.

Introduce the main activity of the lesson. Participate in the main activity of the lesson
Supervise students’ progress through the (constructing and analyzing a parallel
activity and provide guidance throughout their circuit). Work together with their group
work. members and ask the teacher for assistance
if they get stuck.

End of Lesson

Have a student read the homework. Make a note of the homework and its due
date.

Summative Assessment Complete summative assessment

(“Conclusion” and “Further Thinking”)
questions on the student lab handout.
Collect student handouts before they leave Hand their work in to the teacher before
class. leaving class.

Differentiated Instruction:
• Students are provided instructions on what components their circuits are required to
contain; however, they are given the freedom to construct that circuit in a manner that
they understand best.
Homework: Castle Learning assignment due tomorrow, 3/29!
Summative Assessment: The following questions will be given to students on their handouts:
1. How closely do your experimental values compare with your theoretical data?
2. If the experimental current measured did not exactly match your theoretical value, what
could be a possible error to consider?
3. What would happen to the voltage drop for each resistor as you add more resistors
(based on the equation)?
4. What would happen to the equivalent resistance as you add more resistors (based on
the equation)?
Notes for Revision
 APPENDIX A: STUDENT LAB HANDOUT

Parallel Circuit Construction

Introduction: An electric circuit may contain resistors in series, parallel, or in some combination of series and
parallel. A circuit in which a path branches off into multiple paths is a parallel circuit. Since this circuit has multiple
paths, the current flows through each resistor at a fixed amount relative to the resistor. Therefore, if a parallel circuit
is broken or a resistor is removed for one path, the current continues to flow through the remaining closed paths of
the circuit.

Purpose: Students will construct and analyze parallel circuits to determine the voltage and current across the circuit.

Materials: A circuit kit: wires, various resistors, battery, LabQuest 2 (ammeter and voltmeter).

Pre-Lab Questions:
1. What is a parallel circuit?

2. How does a parallel circuit differ from a series circuit?

3. How can we describe the voltage and current throughout a parallel circuit (either through words or
equations)?

Activity: *Safety Practice: Keep the circuit off by switching the Power Source Switch to External*
1. In groups, draw the circuit schematic diagram of a three-branch parallel circuit containing the
following circuit elements:
a. Batteries (set SW4 to x4)
b. Two 10Ω resistors
c. One 51Ω resistor

2. Physically construct the circuit sketched above using the circuit boards and other materials
provided to you.

3. Use the LabQuest 2 ammeter and voltmeter attachments to measure your current and voltage at
the indicated points throughout the circuit; record your data in the Data Analysis section.

4. Sketch the circuit diagram of your circuit as you are using the ammeter to measure the current
across one of the resistors.
**NOTES**:
• Record only one piece of data at a time (don’t try to simultaneously measure the current and
voltage across a resistor).
• For each measurement, record the value presented on the LabQuest device as soon as you turn the
batteries on.
• Turn the batteries off for at least 15 seconds in between measurements.

Data Analysis
Experimental Data
Voltage (V) Current (I)
Resistor 1 (10 Ω)
Resistor 2 (10 Ω)
Resistor 3 (51 Ω)
Total

Theoretical Data
Voltage (V) Current (I) Resistance (R)
Resistor 1 10 Ω
Resistor 2 10 Ω
Resistor 3 51 Ω
Total/Equivalent
*NOTE: For the total voltage here, use the same value as the experimental value*

Show your work for the theoretical data (with equations, substitutions, and units):

Conclusion

1. How closely do your experimental values compare with your theoretical data?

2. If the experimental current measured did not exactly match your theoretical value, what could be a possible
error to consider?

Further Thinking:

3. What would happen to the voltage drop for each resistor as you add more resistors (based on the equation)?

4. What would happen to the equivalent resistance as you add more resistors (based on the equation)?