Lesson Plan

• Describe the key differences between series and parallel circuits, including current and voltage behaviour.
• Calculate total resistance, voltage distribution and branch currents for series and parallel circuits using Ohm’s law.
• Construct simple series and parallel circuits on a breadboard and predict their operation.
• Analyse circuit diagrams to determine voltage drops across individual components.

• Breadboard and jumper wires
• Assorted resistors (1 Ω – 10 Ω)
• 9 V battery pack with holder
• Multimeter (voltage & current)
• Projector and slide deck
• Worksheet with circuit diagrams and practice questions
• Safety goggles

Begin with a quick discussion of everyday devices that use series or parallel wiring (e.g., Christmas lights vs. household outlets). Review Ohm’s law and the concept of resistance, reminding students that they already know how to calculate V = IR. State that by the end of the lesson they will be able to build and analyse both types of circuits and explain their behaviour.

1. Do‑now (5'): Short quiz on Ohm’s law and basic resistance concepts.
2. Mini‑lecture (10'): Explain series vs. parallel characteristics and introduce the relevant formulas.
3. Demonstration (5'): Build a simple series circuit on the breadboard; measure current and voltage.
4. Guided practice (10'): Students calculate total resistance, current and voltage drops for a given series circuit.
5. Hands‑on activity (10'): Construct a parallel circuit; use multimeter to verify equal voltage across branches.
6. Group problem solving (10'): Work through the two worked‑example problems and one mixed‑circuit question from the worksheet.
7. Check for understanding (5'): Exit‑ticket – write one key difference between series and parallel circuits and one common mistake to avoid.

Summarise the main points: series circuits share current, parallel circuits share voltage, and the appropriate ways to combine resistances. Collect exit‑tickets to gauge understanding and assign homework to complete three additional circuit problems from the textbook. Remind students to bring their multimeters for the next lab.