Lesson 3- Create a Circuit E-Textiles in the Elementary Classroom STANDARDS PURPOSE Students will create a parallel circuit using conductive thread and become familiar with positive and negative leads and traces. Standards listed here will be addressed in the lesson. TIME Lesson should require 2 to 3 class periods to complete. Making your circuit project Begin by learning about the materials you will use. Begin by learning about the materials you will use. Needle and thread Used to sew both the positive and the negative trace from your button case to each LED. You will need to knot and cut your thread, then use the remaining thread to sew the second trace. Materials One per person: Needle Fabric cutout Coin Battery Case Coin Battery Two LED lights Button Battery Case two posts (positive and negative) must be attached to LEDs via thread. Felt Fabric Cutout in the picture a Halloween cutout is used. Yours could be different. Coin Button Battery, 3 volt Battery to power your LEDs. Positive and negative sides are marked. Safety Tip! Keep Coin batteries away from pets and small children! Safety Tip: Plan a specific place for needles before you start, and always put them in that spot when you aren t using them. Shared supplies: Pens and fabric pens Thread Permanent Markers Glue Gun or Fabric Glue Needle nose pliers Scissors Fabric Markers for decorating 43
Step 1: Choose Eyes Notes and Ideas: 1. Choose two LEDs to become the eyes of your cutout. 2. Test them using your battery. Hold the positive lead of the LED to the positive side of the battery, and the negative lead of the LED to the negative side of the battery. You ve just completed a circuit! Step 2: Draw Trace Lines Trace lines mark the path where you will sew your conductive threads onto the fabric. The path of the sewn in thread is called the trace line. 1. On your fabric cutout, mark the spot for your battery case. 2. Mark a dot on the fabric where the center of each of the eyes (LEDs) should be placed. HINT If you will need to remove trace line markings later, use sewing pencils to mark them. 3. Draw a line connecting the positive lead of the battery case to the positive leads of both LEDs. 4. Do the same for the negative leads, using a different color and taking care to keep the two lines separate. They must not touch. Somewhat parallel lines between positive and negative, ¾ to 1 apart are recommended. 44
Step 3: Prepare the LEDs Notes and Ideas: 1. Mark the positive lead of each LED using a permanent marker or some nail polish. 2. Curl the leads of the LED using the needle nose pliers. HINT Curl the leads of the LED bulbs into two different shapes, for example positive in circle and negative in a triangle keep help recognize them as you work. Step 4: Sew the traces, battery case, and LED s. 1. Following the drawn lines, attach the battery case using needle and thread. Be sure to choose the correct lead, to match the LED leads that will be attached at the other end. 2. Sew along the line to the LED position, and sew the LED s into place. Loop the thread several times around each curl. 3. Knot, and sew back through the trace just a bit and cut the thread. Knot one end of the thread still on the needle to use on the second trace. 4. Follow the drawn lines for the other trace, starting with the battery case and ending with the lead. 5. Pop the battery into the case to see your project light up! 6. A dot of glue (fabric or hot) can be added under the battery case to help hold it in place. 7. Use fabric markers to add detail to your project. 8. Cut out cardboard in the shape of your project, and cut out a space for the battery case. Hot glue cardboard backing to the back of your project. 45
Step 5: Discussion Questions Students can respond to these questions in their Science Notebooks as well as in discussion. 1.As you worked, what was most interesting to you? 2.Which parts of this were difficult? 3.What do you want to do next? 4.What questions do you have about electricity and creating circuits? 46
1. Trace Lesson 3 Vocabulary 2. Lead 3. LED 4. Positive 5. Negative 6. Conductive Thread 7. Pliers 8. Circuit 47
Background information: Parallel and Series Circuits Common Misconceptions Regarding Electronic Circuitry References and More Information Soft Electronic Tutorials http://kaytdek.trevorshp.com/projects/conductive/tutorial/tutorial.html#parallel, June 5, 2016 Basic Concepts of Electricity http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/directcurrent/, June 5 2016 Wikipedia, Series and parallel circuits, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/series_and_parallel_circuits, June 5, 2016 Common Misconceptions www.physicsclassroom.com/class/circuits/lesson-2/common-misconceptions- Regarding-Electric-Circuits 48