Ever wonder what an electric transformer really does? Or what the difference is between 110-volt and 220-volt appliances? Do you really understand how electricity is produced, or do you just gloss over the details because you really aren’t sure? Wired is unique in that it can support basic technological literacy in both students and teachers.
Along the top of the page is a very simple presentation of how electricity is produced, conducted, and the steps it takes until it is used in the home. The illustrations are great, with lots of labels. Along with these are paragraphs of detailed explanation for the reader/teacher that explain electricity in simplistic, understandable terms. This background for upper-elementary level children as well as teachers makes electricity and its production understandable.
From the beginning, where electricity is explained as electrons moving and dancing in circles to create electricity, to the last pages, where electricity is used in computers, the reader is guided through technical topics that are explained in a comprehensible way. For example, making a switch work with the three incoming wires and the use of wire nuts breaks the concept down into meaningful and understandable parts. Also included is a page on how to be smart with power as well as two websites and four books to find out more. An extensive glossary and index are also included.
Electricity is often a subject elementary teachers try to avoid. This book makes the concepts understandable and provides the background to help teachers help their students understand these concepts as well as comprehend those concepts themselves. It could be used for some group reading to support activities and then placed in a center or reference corner for further reading (because most students would need to cover the material several times to really comprehend these concepts). This is the best book I have seen on this topic, and I highly recommend it. I plan to reread it several times myself, in fact, to make sure I’m fully knowledgeable when we work on this unit in the fall.