When teaching static electricity, it’s tempting to tell kids the basics... • • like charges repel • • unlike charges attractAnd to do this without actually allowing them to work through a process that develops this understanding. Teaching static electricity is compounded by the fact that much of what is happening is occurring at the atomic level… so we’re not going to be able to observe that directly. How can we help kids develop a mental model of what’s going on?Enter the manipulative...
