Duration of Lesson
Two to three 40- minute lessons
(You should decide if there are enough magnets for each child to experiment with and then pacing would go much faster. The Learning Center should contain various items that the children can experiment with when using the magnets. Various little objects can be brought from their homes. Parents need to be notified of the project ahead of time.)
Description
Children have always been fascinated by magnets and will spend hours observing the various abilities that magnets seem to have. This is a great opportunity to introduce the Scientific Method that scientists use to study something new. It is important for you to sell the idea that scientists will make guesses and then test them. It is just as important to write all these guesses and tests in a step-by-step method, in a little science journal, just like scientists do. Children will work with various magnets and observe their properties. The children will experiment with magnets to understand the magnets' properties by placing them on various objects that are easily accessible in the classroom. They will also realize that magnets will not interact with certain materials even if they are metallic.
Learning Objectives
At the end of these lessons:
- Children will know that magnets are pieces of iron that have special properties that attract other objects which can also contain iron in them.
- Children will know that the magnetic force will go through some items.
- Children will observe that a magnet has 2 different poles when they are working with 2 magnets.
Step-by-Step Procedure
Session 1
As with all lessons, you will encourage the children to participate by sharing with whatever their experiences are and in this case, with magnets. You will write their responses on the SMART Board or chart paper. Use the KWL chart on the KWL-Magnets.Notebook to write the children's responses and then save it for future reference.
Allow the students to roam around the room to collect various objects and bring them to an area where they can classify their findings. Then hand the children a sheet labeled Classification of objects.docx. Limit the classification to three groups and this will help them to sort the materials easily. One group can be soft items; 2nd can be metallic and 3rd can be wooden objects. Remind them that they will be testing various materials to see if their magnets will attract them. Make sure that the children have pennies and nickels.
After their 3 piles are completed, ask the children to predict which items will be attracted by the magnet. Now, have the children place items in two different piles. One pile can be things that the children are guessing will not be attracted by a magnet. The other pile will be of items that the magnet might attract. What have they noticed about the original piles? Are there more items from the metallic classification? Remind them that they have to come back to the KWL chart or the KWL Smart Board with information they have gathered within 15 minutes. Gather the children and return to the KWL chart paper or the KWL SMART Board and ask them what made them classify the way they did. Record their responses. Take the children back to the various objects and have them perform the magnetic test. Be sure to model and use words such as attract, did not attract.
Return them to their desks and distribute the journals to each child with the directions that they must draw one particular thing they tried with the magnets. They can write one sentence or words to label their pictures. Encourage them to use words such as for example: "My magnet did not attract the drinking straw." Magnets must be drawn in red. Post their work out in the hallway on a table.
Session 2
Have the children choose a magnet from a collection. Inform the children that they are going to find out how strong their magnets are. You will have pre-made little strips of paper as a visual guide to gauge the distance between a magnet and a paper clip. The paper guide can be 1/2” by 1”, ½” by 2”, ½” by 3, ½” by 4" . Team the children in groups of 4 so that each child has a different magnet and the group has a set of guides. Model the procedure. Place a magnet down on a surface. Place a guide next to the magnet. Place a paper clip on the opposite edge of the guide. The paper clip will either jump towards the magnet or stay. Inform the children that the magnet is strong with a distance of 1" because it was able to attract the paper clip for that distance. Remind children that their guiding question is "Are all magnets created equal?" When all the children have had their turn, take them back to the KWL chart or to the KWL SMART Board and discuss the differences between magnet sizes and their strengths. Place these items in the Learning Center. A new challenging question should be posted up on the tri-board: "Can you create a stronger magnet to attract a paper clip from a distance of 5 inches?" Make sure to place a couple of 5" guides there too.
Session 3
Inform the children that they will observe various experiments that are best performed by an adult. The first experiment will make the poles of a magnet visible. The best way to proceed with this experiment is to have the following materials: a thin plexiglas 8"X11" or the plastic sheet that is usually found in photo frames. You should have iron filings usually found in a magnetic kit. Place the plexiglas or acrylic on 2 pencils and a bar magnet between the 2 pencils. Place a sheet of paper on the plexiglass. Slowly sprinkle the iron filings over the paper. The children should observe the poles from the manner in which the filings follow the lines of the magnetic force of the poles. Bring up the Magnetic Forces.Notebook and show the children the similarity of the actual experiment and the SB. Pose this question to the children:" Why did scientists decide to call the poles on magnets as North and South poles?"
Now that the children have some knowledge from the various experiments, you will inform them to think about whether a magnetic force will go through glass and water, cloth, cardboard, paper, plastic sheet and desktop. Gather a mug and fill it with water. Drop in the mug a paper clip. 'How do we get it out without getting our fingers wet?' Open responses should be acceptable. Place a plastic cup filled with water in the Learning Center.
Inform the children that you are going to show them how to create a mechanism that will peak their interest and stun others. Bring up Slide 3 on Magnetic Force Smart Board. Tell the students that you will be putting various materials together to build the devise just like the one on the Smart Board Slide. Be sure that both donut magnets have the same poles facing up in the canister. Next, with a sharp tool punch a hole on the lids. Get 2 long lengths of twine and thread one end into each lid. Make a knot under each lid. Place the lids on the canisters, lift the twines up, and tie the top ends together. Hold the knotted end up and the canisters will repel each other for a long time. Offer the children a chance to name this gizmo. This can be placed in the Learning Center. A new challenging question can be placed on the tri-board: "How long will the canisters repel each other?" Be sure to place recycled sheets of paper and pencils so the children can write their answers. The best way to display this device is to place it on a dowel or on a clothes' hanger so that it hangs free. Set a timer for every fifteen minutes and jot the time down. You may choose 5 children with the closest estimates and reward each of them with magnets.
As a culminating activity, bring up the Magnificent Magnets.Notebook. Go through each slide keeping pace with your children's level of understanding and use it as a trip of discovery or as a quick question and answer session and or discussion for the entire class.
Materials
horseshoe magnets
laminated word cards
donut magnets
bar magnets
various objects with or without iron
twine
chart paper
SMART Board
film canisters
iron filings
plexiglas or acrylic
pieces of fabric
teacher made journal for each child: 5 sheets folded and stapled into a notebook format
Assessment
There are various ways to assess the children's knowledge on the concept of magnets.
1. Set up stations with various magnets that were used during your lessons will have the children be very confident of their knowledge.
2. Write your questions on each page of the test booklet before you run off a classroom set.
3. Incorporate a little of both ideas: 4 stations and any 4 questions from below, adjust the level of difficulty for your learners.
- List questions from the KWL chart that the children might have listed as well as some of your own.
- Does the magnetic force go through water? How can you prove that it can travel through water?
- Write 5 fun facts about magnets and use vocabulary words about magnets.
- What are the names of the poles on a magnet? Why are they called north and south poles?
Posing many questions to the children when they have the magnets in their hands will make it fun and you can assess their understanding or spot a misconception on their part.
Learning Center - Magnets
Place laminated magnet word cards on a tri-board for the center.
Inform the students that the learning center is like a little factory and a busy place for experiments. Therefore, you will place the Magnet, Inc. label on the tri-board and remind the children that magnets are attracted to iron, nickel and cobalt.
Place pieces of copper piping, aluminum, water hose, etc.
Place magnets in little containers so that they are easy to keep track. Horseshoe magnets can be kept in tubs. Children have to be trained to treat the magnets with care and that magnets are fragile and can't be thrown around. Place items that you and the children have created so that everyone will have a chance to manipulate the materials.
Horseshoe magnets are great to have in the learning centers because they have the poles labeled on both ends. The children will by this time know that 2 horseshoe magnets will repel each other if the poles are facing their similar poles. The children will twist the horseshoe around to get it attracted to the other horseshoe.Magnets Word StripsMagnet, Inc. docx
Credit
The following sites on the web have helped with information, visuals and clip arts:
Extensions
Materials:
- old playing cards
- colored xerox paper
There are days when most students who have finished their independent class work can use time which is well spent on simple educational games. Here, the games about magnets do not require elaborate set up or instructions. They have vocabulary and images that are related to the study of magnets. You will need to run off 2 or 3 sets of each game on 2 or 3 different color paper depending how many groups of children you can accommodate for these activities . Run off the memory and dominoes copies (Memory Game Cards PDF, Dominoes Magnet Game). Cut them out and glue them on old playing cards. Store each set in a zip lock bag.
There are mini-educational times that can be captured during and at the end of the day with the Memory Game Notebook on magnets. You can switch the cards around a couple of times so that the children are kept challenged and interested.
