Electronics // Circuits
Complete circuits
Electricity flows only around an unbroken loop from one side of a power source, through components, and back to the other side. A switch works by opening and closing that loop.
Quick check
Show the learner a battery, a wire and a bulb connected with one wire to the bulb's side only. Ask: will it light, and what single change makes it light?
Ask this to see whether the topic is secure.
Topic // Mastery
What mastery looks like
What a learner can do once this topic is secure.
- Predicts whether a lamp lights in drawings of complete, broken and short circuits
- Explains that a switch breaks or completes the loop rather than storing or releasing electricity
- Traces the path of current from one battery terminal back to the other
Topic // Map
Where this fits
What to learn first and what this topic opens up, with the reason for each link. Required links come first.
- RequiredMust come first
- HelpfulHelps, but not essential
Before this
0 topicsNothing in the catalogue comes before this topic, so it is a good place to start.
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Complete circuits
Ages 8 to 11 // Concept
Leads to
2 topics- Current, voltage and resistanceRequired
Circuits // Ages 11 to 14
Current, voltage and resistance describe what happens in a complete loop
- Light-emitting diodesRequired
Components // Ages 11 to 14
An LED only lights in a complete loop
Electronics // Circuits