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Instructions
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  1. Insert one end of the black wire into any pin on the Arduino board labeled GND.

  2. Insert the other end of the same black wire into any hole in the black row of the breadboard.

  3. Use the black marker to mark this action on your schematic as shown in the video. Remind students the schematic does not exactly match since they have not added the LED to the breadboard.

 

STEM Connections

GND stands for the word ground, which is an important word in electronics. The GND pin is attached to the negative terminal of the power source, like the negative terminal in the UFO ball. The electrical circuit is still not complete until the wires leading from the positive and negative terminals are connected to the breadboard.

Plugging the black wire into the breadboard electrically connects all the other pins in the black row of that breadboard to the black wire. The Arduino board’s GND pin can now be accessed from the four remaining pins in the black row of the breadboard.

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Implementation
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At the Thinkabit Lab, we model how to connect the black wire to the Arduino board and the breadboard, as follows:

  1. Use the black marker to mark the schematic from the negative side of power to the negative side of the LED, so that students can visualize which row in the breadboard those components go into. This allows students to know where it belongs in the breadboard. Remind students that they still need to add the LED; they are just illustrating on their schematic what the connection will be.

  2. Write out “Black Wire: GND – Black Row” so the students have multiple ways of sensing what to do next, i.e. visually (schematic), verbally, and in writing.

  3. Remind students that any of the 5 holes in the black row of the breadboard will work.
     

If you are using the Thinkabit Lab Notebook:

Have students fill in the blank on page 13 after “Black Wire” with “GND to black row” and color their schematic.

Black Wire:    GND to black row   

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Troubleshooting
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There’s a wire stuck in GND

  1. All GND’s are the same, use another one

  2. Or, replace the Arduino

Wire doesn’t fit in the breadboard or Arduino

  1. We recommend 22-gauge wire

  2. Use a different hole of the same row in the breadboard

Wire doesn't have enough exposed metal to connect to the Arduino or breadboard

  1. An instructor or adult can use the wire cutters to strip the plastic coating off the end of the wire

Instruction Category
Video