How a Closed Circuit Works

How a Closed Circuit Works Worksheet: Closed circuits, light, and heat (Grade 4 Science, TEKS 4.8C)

Students follow three circuit drawings to decide if each path is closed or open and if the bulb lights, then circle what a lit bulb gives off, how a switch turns a lamp off, and where electricity flows after the bulb. The page teaches the idea first, so no prior lesson is needed, and every answer is on the page.

What's Inside

• A teach box on closed paths, open paths, switches, and how a bulb makes light and heat, with a worked flashlight example
• Part A: three circuit drawings; circle closed or open and whether the bulb lights
• Part B: three circle questions about light, heat, and switches
• A raccoon guide with a hint that matches the answer key
• An answer key with answers marked in red, plus a short teacher note with what to watch for

How Teachers Use It

Read the teach box and the worked example together, then let students try Part A and Part B. It takes 8 to 10 minutes and prints clearly in black and white. The focus skill is describing how electrical energy travels in a closed path to make light and thermal energy, part of TEKS 4.8C: demonstrate and describe how electrical energy travels in a closed path that can produce light and thermal energy.

Why It Works

Simple circuit drawings let students trace the path with a finger. Questions are short, mostly circle answers, and the reasoning is on the teacher key.