Year 4 Electricity Worksheet - Intermediate

Year 4 Electricity worksheet for Year 4 (Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)). Intermediate level science practice, aligned to the UK National Curriculum. Print-ready with answer key included.

Science•Key Stage 2 / Year 3-6 (Ages 7-11)•Electricityintermediate

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Electricity: Circuits, Switches and Materials

Year 4 Science | Ages 8–9 | Intermediate

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Instructions: Work through each activity carefully and write your answers in the boxes. Use what you know about electrical appliances, simple series circuits, switches, conductors and insulators. For questions asking you to explain, give a clear reason.

Electrical Appliances

Decide whether each appliance usually needs electricity to do its job. Write “yes” or “no” in each box. Think about what powers the appliance, not just whether it is found in a house.

1. A toaster

2. A hand-operated whisk

3. A television

4. A battery-powered torch

5. A wooden spoon

What Makes a Complete Series Circuit?

Choose the best answer for each question. A series circuit has one loop, so the components need an unbroken path for the current to flow. Read all the options before choosing.

1. Which set of components can make a simple series circuit with a bulb?

2. What must be true for a bulb in a series circuit to light?

3. What is the job of a cell in a simple circuit?

4. If a wire is disconnected from a bulb, what is most likely to happen?

5. Which component can make a sound when a complete circuit is made?

Switches: Open and Closed

Write “open” or “closed” to describe each switch. Then say whether the bulb lights. A closed switch completes the circuit; an open switch breaks the path.

1. The switch is closed. Is the circuit complete or broken?

2. The switch is open. Will the bulb light?

3. A switch is changed from open to closed. What happens to the circuit path?

4. A bulb is not lit because the switch is open. What should you do to make the circuit complete?

5. Why is a switch useful in a circuit?

Conductors and Insulators

Classify each material as a conductor or an insulator. Metals usually allow electricity to pass through them, while materials such as plastic and rubber usually do not. Write one category in each box.

1. Copper

2. Plastic

3. Aluminium

4. Rubber

5. Glass

Choose a Material for a Circuit

Use your knowledge of conductors and insulators to answer each question. Give a reason where asked. Use complete, clear sentences for the explanation questions.

1. A pupil wants to use a material to connect two parts of a circuit. Which is a better choice: copper or plastic?

2. Why are the outside coverings of many electrical wires made from plastic?

3. A metal paper clip is placed in a gap in a circuit. Predict whether it will help complete the circuit, and explain why.

4. A rubber band is placed in a gap in a circuit. Predict whether it will help complete the circuit, and explain why.

5. Name one safe test a class could use to find out whether a material conducts electricity.

Explain and Predict

Use what you have learnt about simple series circuits to answer these questions. Explain your thinking rather than giving only a one-word answer. Remember that every part of a series circuit needs a complete conducting path.

1. A series circuit has one cell, wires, a closed switch and a bulb. Predict whether the bulb will light.

2. The bulb in a complete series circuit is replaced by a buzzer. What might happen when the switch is closed?

3. A circuit has a plastic strip in place of one wire. Predict whether the bulb will light, and explain why.

4. A pupil says, “A switch makes electricity.” Is this correct? Explain what a switch actually does.

Answer Key

Activity 1: Yes ; No ; Yes ; Yes ; No

Activity 2: Cell, wires and bulb ; The circuit has a complete loop ; To provide electrical energy ; The bulb will not light ; Buzzer

Activity 3: Complete ; No ; It completes the path ; Close the switch ; It opens or closes the circuit so the current can be stopped or allowed to flow

Activity 4: Conductor ; Insulator ; Conductor ; Insulator ; Insulator

Activity 5: Copper ; Plastic does not conduct electricity, so it helps protect people from the current ; It will help complete the circuit because metal conducts electricity ; It will not help complete the circuit because rubber is an insulator ; Put the material into a simple battery-and-bulb circuit and see whether the bulb lights (with teacher supervision)

Activity 6: The bulb will light because the closed switch makes a complete circuit ; The buzzer may sound because it is in a complete circuit ; The bulb will not light because plastic is an insulator and breaks the conducting path ; No. A switch opens or closes the circuit; the cell provides the electrical energy