Organising the electrical work place; types of wire and electrical tools
An electrical assembly lesson takes place at a flat table whose top is covered with non-conducting material. Tools sit on the right-hand side and materials on the left, with the most needed ones within easy reach. Materials: wire, cord, insulating materials, tubes; tools: screwdriver, stripping knife, side cutters, round-jaw and flat-jaw pliers. Assembly wires are made of copper or aluminium and covered with an insulating sheath. A cord connects household appliances to the mains: a thin insulated wire made of one or two conducting strands in a common sheath. Insulating tape and tube insulate joints of conductors. Side cutters cut wire; round- and flat-jaw pliers bend and twist it; their handles are insulated. The knife strips insulation off wire. Electric current is dangerous: mains voltage can kill, so a child never connects it alone.
Important: children never work with mains (socket) voltage. In this lesson: only looking, pictures and small battery models (up to 4.5 V); cutting, stripping, soldering or connecting real wires is done only by the teacher/electrician with the power off. Activity: match the tools in the picture to their jobs.