Connect
™
Innovations in K–8 Science, Math, and Technology
November • December 2010
Volume 24 • Issue 2
Magnetism and
Electricity
Investigating the
Electricity and Magnetism Connection
Greg DeFrancis 1
When It All Comes Together
Anastasia Pickens 5
Lighting Up Bulbs!
Orly Hasbani 8
Delving Deeper into Science Teaching
Cody Sandifer and Pamela Lottero-Perdue 11
The Fascinations of Michael Faraday
Casey Murrow 15
Teaching Electricity in the Digital Age
Bob Coulter 16
Literature Links 18
Resource Reviews 20
Magnetic Levitation in Your Classroom
Virginia Moore and Wil Kaszas 22
History in a Jar 26
Steady Forces in our Lives
pamela lottero-perdue
The forces of magnetism and electricity are constantly present in our lives. The
Earth itself produces electricity and magnetic fields. Most of us rely heavily on the
constant supply of generated electricity, to light and modify the temperature of our
homes, to entertain us through listening and video devices, to conduct our work
and communicate via any number of venues, and to manage finances and even to
use transportation.
Such ever-present entities deserve careful study and comprehension, particularly
as our reliance on and employment of them becomes more sophisticated. In this
issue of Connect you’ll find stories of investigating the very basics of electricity
and magnetism, and ushering students to develop deepening understandings that
will help them in the future. In the Technology for Learning column, Bob Coulter
addresses the additional
challenge of bringing something as archaic as wires,
bulbs, and batteries to a
population who functions
almost daily with highly
sophisticated electronics.
Each story advocates
making room for students’
exploring, questioning, and
the testing out of ideas.
That is the very heart of
any scientific endeavor.
Connect
™
published by S y ne r g y L ea r nin G I nte r national ™
Connect offers a wide range of practical, teacher-written articles in five thematic issues through the school year. Each issue supports problem
solving, inquiry, and multidisciplinary approaches to learning.
Editor: Heather Taylor
Circulation:
Susan Hathaway
Design and Production:
Judy Wingerter
Synergy Learning Executive Director:
Casey Murrow
Connect (ISSN: 1041-682X) is published online, September, November, January, March and May. Publisher:
Synergy Learning International, Inc., P.O. Box 60, Brattleboro, VT 05302. Tel 800-769-6199. Fax: 802-254-5233.
Email: Connect@SynergyLearning.org.
©2010 by Synergy Learning International, Inc. Published as a non-profit service. All rights reserved.
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Back Issues: Available for many of the print issues up to December, 2009. See the Synergy Learning website for details on
back issues and on our extensive archive. www.SynergyLearning.org.
Photo credit for front cover: Greg DeFrancis
Synergy Learning International, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit corporation, engaged in publishing and professional development
for educators, pre-K to middle school. We are dedicated to supporting schools, teachers, and families with challenging science, math,
and technology learning for children.
Investigating the Electricity
and Magnetism Connection
by Greg DeFrancis
W
greg defrancis
hen I was ten years old, my friends and I spent a fair bit
of time in my basement playing with my HO scale electric slot car set. These were the little electric cars that you could
race around two-lane ovals and figure-eight tracks. I was a curious kid, and I wanted my cars to go fast, so I messed around
with them quite a bit, and learned some pretty cool things about
electricity in the process.
For example, these cars had two small copper contacts that
would touch the two contact wires that ran throughout the track,
completing the simple electric circuit that was necessary to
make the car’s electric motor spin.
Observation 1: Sometimes the spring-like copper contact
from the car would not push down and touch the wire on
the track.
Lesson 1: For an electric circuit to work, everything needs
to be connected, making good contact to have a complete
circuit.
Observation 2: If there is dust or dirt on the track, it covers
the wires, and does not let the electricity flow, causing the
car to jerk on and off as the car runs over the dirty spots.
Lesson 2: Electricity does not flow through everything; dust
and dirt make lousy conductors, but pretty good insulators.
Observation 3: After some time, the cars would not seem to
get the electrical connection, even on a clean track—but
the springy copper contacts on the car looked discolored. A little sand paper, and
they shine like new copper, and the car goes steady and fast.
Lesson 3: Something in the air turns the copper color, or changes the color, and does
not let the copper be a good conductor anymore.
Connecting power to the
homemade electromagnet
Observation 4: If I place the car on the track going the “wrong” way, thus flipping the
car’s copper contacts on the two wires on the track, the wheels turn backward.
Lesson 4: The direct current (DC) electricity has directionality to it, and this directionality causes a motor to spin in a certain direction.
Playing with a toy race car set, I learned about complete circuits, conductors and
insulators. I also learned that oxidation of copper causes it to be a lousy conductor, that
DC electricity has directionality, and that the direction in which an electric motor spins
depends on the configuration of the wires.
My biggest discovery came one day when I decided to clean some dust and dirt out of
the motor of one of my cars. I carefully took the plastic Ford Mustang body off the chassis. There I saw a beautiful little arrangement of thin wire wrapped around some metal
objects. I pulled this out. Then I saw two little curved ceramic magnets that the motor
spun between. I could tell they were magnets because the small screwdriver I was using
to pry things apart kept sticking to them. I took the magnets out, cleaned all the dust and
grime out of the remaining parts of the chassis and wheels, buffed the copper contacts,
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE The take home
lesson: an electric
current creates a
magnetic field.
and put everything back together. I was ready to see my newly cleaned car race around
the track and eat up the competition. My friend was visiting that day, and he put his car on
the track, in the lane next to mine. Ready, set, go! We both pushed our electric controllers
and his car took off. Instead of eating up the competition, my car went backwards!!
I retraced my steps, took things apart, and I can’t remember why, but for some reason
I decided to flip the arrangement of the two magnets. I put the chassis back on the track
and voila! The car went forwards! After rearranging the magnets on several other cars,
several different times, I convinced myself that the arrangement of magnets determines
the direction the motor spins. Better yet, I discovered that there really is some special
relationship between electricity and magnetism.
I no longer play with electric race cars, but I do spend a fair amount of my time helping children explore electricity concepts through their own inquiry experiences. There are
many great inquiry-based investigations that have been well tested and written concerning
how to help children understand basic circuits. The strongest lessons have their roots in
the original “Batteries and Bulbs” Elementary Science Study unit first published in 19661
by Education Development Center.
Assuming your students understand simple circuits, parallel circuits, switches, resistors, conductors, and insulators, what next? And how do we help them understand the
relationship between electricity and magnetism? In the electricity units we teach, once
the students have mastered circuits, we move into electromagnets, and then build our own
electric motors.
Making an Electromagnet
Before you make an electric magnet, let students see how an electric current will create a
magnetic field. For this, I use old hiking compasses that I have assigned to science experiments. I first ask students to hold a small ceramic magnet near a compass, and to try to
make the needle move. Often students move the magnet around the compass, and sure
enough the needle will follow.
Have the students keep the magnets in the same spot, but change the orientation to see
what happens; such as flipping over a small ring magnet. They should see that as they flip
the poles of the magnet, the compass needle spins. The north end of the needle will align
with the south pole of the magnet, and the south tip of the compasses needle will align
with the north pole of the magnet.
Make sure your students recognize that the compass needle is merely a small magnet
that is free to spin. This simple investigation will help your student understand that when
the magnetic field changes, the compass needle will move. Also be sure to highlight that
when you physically flip the magnet, the compass needle will spin 180 degrees. Remember those observations for later reference.
Next, have your students take a one-meter length of thin wire (magnet wire, which is
thin, insulated wire, works well for this. It is available at Radio Shack and from other
sources). Strip or sand the insulation off each end of the wire, and then wrap the wire
around the compass. Be sure to leave several inches of wire available at either end to connect to a battery. Create a simple circuit, and connect a AA battery to the two ends of the
wire extending from the compass. When the circuit is complete, you will see the compass
needle move, or deflect.
The amount of deflection is a measure of the amount of current (typically measured in
Amperes) flowing in your closed circuit. With only the length of the wire as the resistor
in your circuit, the wire will quickly become hot. Keep the circuit closed (i.e., connected
1. See Alan Colburn’s 1999 article in Connect, Volume 12, number 4, “Recharging Batteries and Bulbs” for a
review of this activity.
PAGE • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
greg defrancis
to the battery) for just a few seconds, then disconnect to prevent the wire from getting too hot and
quickly draining your battery.
From the first investigation above we know that
a magnetic field will cause the magnetic compass
needle to move. In the second activity the electric
current (moving charged particles) in the wire is
creating its own magnetic field, and is interacting with the magnetic field of the compass needle,
causing it to move. The take home lesson: an electric current creates a magnetic field.
The next step in our investigation into electromagnetism is to create a working magnet. Using the
The author’s favorite simple homemade motor design using a battery,
one-meter length of thin wire, unwrap it from the
paper clips, wires, permanent magnets, and magnet wire.
compass and instead wrap it around an iron rod.
A large common nail is good for this. Again, be
sure to leave several inches of wire at either end unwrapped to connect to your battery to
create a complete circuit. After wrapping the wire, and connecting to the battery, your
electromagnet should be able to pick up several paper clips and other materials attracted
to magnets. Now we can see that not only does an electric current create a magnetic field,
but if the wire is wrapped around an iron core, such as a steel nail, that magnetic field
magnetizes the nail—turning it into a magnet. Turn the electricity off. The magnetic field
is gone, and the nail is no longer magnetized.
This investigation presents plenty of opportunities for student
inquiry and experimental design using an electromagnet. You and
your students can design experiments investigating questions such
as, does the number of wraps affect the magnet’s strength? Does the
thickness of the wire matter? What about two batteries in series, or
two batteries in parallel instead of one battery?
Introduction to the Electric Motor
Your students should now have a real working understanding of how
electric currents can make a magnetic field, and how two magnetic
fields can interact, potentially causing one magnet, such as a compass
needle, to move in response to the changing magnetic field of the
other magnet. It is time to introduce the electric motor.
Motors
In our work with students in grades three to six, we introduce basic
electric circuits with electric motors, instead of small flash light
bulbs. The students still need to solve a problem, though in this case
the problem is “using one wire, one battery, and one electric motor,
see if you can get the motor to spin.” From here we invent all sorts
of circuits with various combinations of motors, batteries, homemade switches, and wires. If you have not used electric motors in any
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
A third-grade student concentrates as he counts the
number of times he wraps his magnet wire around a
nail while making an electromagnet.
Connect • PAGE greg defrancis
Making a Working Magnet
greg defrancis
simple circuits, your first step should be to do just that. This
will allow students to revisit lessons learned from working
with batteries and bulbs, and also see that the direction the
motor spins can be changed by flipping the positive and
negative ends of the battery.
Once students understand how to make a motor spin in
a simple electric circuit, we distribute a selection of old
electric motors for students to look at. We have taken off
the top near the motor shaft so the students can look inside.
They will see thin magnet wire wrapped around several
different iron cores, they will find two permanent ceramic
magnets inside the casing that the wire assembly spins
inside, and they may also notice where the electrical contacts touch the spinning assembly.
Students create different electromagnets to answer their testable
If possible, in addition to a variety of small toy motors
question: “Does the number of times a wire is wrapped around
for students to take apart, and look inside, it is helpful to
the same size nail affect the strength of an electromagnet?”
have one or two large motors from a broken fan or other
appliance. The arrangement of how the magnet wire is
wrapped in these large electric motors is beautiful and varied. These are helpful to share
with a small group of students at a table, or as a demonstration for the whole class due to
the motor’s larger size.
The invention of
Remember the electromagnet design? Thin wire wrapped around a nail or other piece
of
iron.
Look at your electric motor parts and you will find three or more structures of
the electric motor
thin wire wrapped about metal parts, made of steel and containing iron. Each of these
takes a few
small parts works as an electromagnet when electricity flows into the motor. But as
simple ideas . . . to
the electricity flows, and turns these electromagnets on, their magnetic polarity will be
create a marvelous
repelled by the permanent magnets, causing them to move—just like flipping the magnets
near the compass needle made the compass needle move. Depending on the motor design,
piece of technology.
there are different ways to keep the electromagnets always in a repelling position relative
to the permanent magnets, causing the motor to be a constant state of motion, or spinning.
The invention of the electric motor takes a few simple ideas—polarity of magnets,
using electric current to make electromagnets, and changing the polarity of the electromagnets by cleverly switching the motor contacts to the battery, to create a marvelous
piece of technology. It transforms electric energy into kinetic energy.
Making Your Own Electromagnet
There are several simple ways to make your own motors. Each of these requires you to
have the same basic materials: batteries, fairly strong ceramic magnets, magnet wires,
some basic wire (alligator clips help), and something to hold the wound magnet wire such
as paper clips. Check out some of these websites for instructions. !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=it_Z7NdKgmY
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/mentoring/project_ideas/Elec_p009.shtml
http://www.wikihow.com/Build-a-Simple-Electric-Motor
http://www.instructables.com/id/Simplest-Electric-Motor/
Greg DeFrancis directs the education programs at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich, Vermont. Much of his work is focused on exploring how to support students learning scientific concepts
through their own inquiry. Greg also manages a variety of teacher professional development and curriculum development projects at the Museum and in schools throughout Vermont and New Hampshire.
PAGE • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
When It All Comes Together
Making New Connections with Circuits
by Anastasia Pickens
G
heather taylor
ood thing the door was closed. Our cheers would have shocked
a passerby as we applauded our efforts—the roar of success as
sixteen light bulbs switched on. A month prior, a few fourth- and fifthgrade students might have been familiar with a simple circuit. Now,
twenty-six kids could explain magnetism, electricity and how they were
related, plus they had created electromagnets and two types of electrical circuits.
How Did We Get to That Point?
I started by asking my kids What’s a magnet? What does it do? What
does it stick to? Why? What do you think magnetism is?
I dumped a bunch of magnets on their tables and said, “Go mad.”
They zoomed the magnets through the air and tried to stick them to the
walls, desks, the floor, and each other.
When I asked, “What did the magnets stick to?” The kids said:
“Paper clips. The doorknob. The stapler. The pencil sharpener.”
I asked, “What do these things have in common?”
“They’re all metal.”
“But,” I said, “They didn’t stick to my metal water bottle. Why?”
Quinby announced that the metal has to be iron for a magnet to stick
to it.
Exploring polarity with ring magnets
This was partly right. To help the kids understand, I gave them bags
of objects, including rubber bands, straw, yarn, copper, nails (aluminum
and steel), and two rocks (magnetite and sandstone).
Then I said, “Use the magnets to determine which materials the magnets stick to.” In
the end, there were two piles: items that magnets stick to, and items they don’t. I asked the
students, “Do magnets always stick to metal?”
There were some metal items in pile 1—the non-stick pile. I confirmed Quinby’s observation, highlighting that a material needs to contain iron, but doesn’t need to be iron, in
order for magnets to stick to it.
At one point, Senait said, “Wait a minute! Are you saying those things stuck to my
fridge are magnets?” I praised Senait for making this connection, and asked her if the
door had iron in it. “Well I guess it does,” was her reply.
I encouraged the class to look around at home to see if they could find any magnets.
“What are they sticking to? Why? Ask your parents to explore with you, and come back
to share what you found out.”
Wondering About Science
You never know where such a simple request like that will lead. Over the following
weeks, four students made impromptu show-and-tells whenever they had something to
share. One child had seen an illustration in a textbook of how to tape a string tied to a
paper clip onto the inside bottom of a clear jar, and hide a magnet on the lid. When the
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE lid is screwed on, the magnetic force attracts the paper clip and makes it look like the tied
paper clip is standing straight up in the air. In reality it’s held in position, caught between
the magnetic field and the tension of the string.
Another student challenged a statement I had made: magnetism is stronger than gravity. Doubting this, he demonstrated the following to the class: First he put one magnet in
a plastic cup he held in his hand. He placed another magnet on the underside of the cup,
to see if it would fall. He then added more magnets, one at a time, to the magnet on the
underside of the cup, until finally the string of magnets succumbed to gravitational force.
At this point he proclaimed, “See? Gravity is stronger!”
While this student’s ideas may not be completely logical or accurate, the pursuit of
the these ideas through hands-on investigations is what science is all about. The playing
with and wondering about science is my hook for students. To help them understand what
seems like the “magic” of magnetism, I create posters that show the magnetic field and
the relationship between the north and south poles. I draw it in pencil before class, then
retrace the lines with markers as I explain the concept.
Once the students understand the properties of magnetism, it is time to introduce electricity—with the aim of teaching the concept that where there is electricity, there is magnetism.
Going with the Flow
To introduce the idea of electricity, I wanted the kids to have a direct experience of it.
Again, I started with a hands-on challenge by giving each pair a D-Cell battery, a wire,
and a flashlight bulb and told them to make the bulb light up. Surprisingly, the kids
needed little guidance from me for this; by watching and helping one another, all were
able to light the bulb by the end of the class. When they finished, I asked: “What was
making the bulb light up?” Of course, they said things like “We attached the wires and
the battery,” but no one understood that electricity is essentially the conversion of one
form of energy to another through the flow of electrons. This was the next idea I wanted
to teach them.
Again, I illustrated this concept by making a poster in front of the kids. Here’s the
poster I drew to illustrate that electricity is the movement of electrons which requires a
circular path, or circuit: a flow of electrons that starts with a
source of energy such as a battery, a pathway such as wires,
and an energy converter such as a bulb or a motor. When the
electrons pass through the converter, they meet resistance,
which creates heat and light energy in a bulb, or motion
energy in a motor. Then they return to the source and continue
the cycle until the energy source is drained.
To model the idea that the flow of electrons could convert
to another type of energy, we created circuits, as we had with
the light bulb, but this time we attached a motor to the end.
The students then demonstrated their understanding that
energy can be converted to different forms by drawing diagrams of the circuits they had built.
The big idea in this whole sequence is the fact that energy
cannot be created or destroyed; it just changes form.* Our
activities with electricity so far had begun to illustrate this
* The quote, “Energy cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be changed from one form to another,” is
often attributed to Albert Einstein, but it really rephrases the first law of thermodynamics, investigated extensively by Julius Robert von Mayer and other nineteenth-century physicists. (Hakim, The Story of Science:
Newton at the Center, 395-397) —Editor
PAGE • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
idea—for example, changing from chemical energy in a
battery to light and heat energy in a bulb to kinetic energy
in a motor. In order to help the kids understand how energy
changes form, I made yet another poster, this one showing the energy of the sun traveling in the form of light to a
tree, which transforms the energy through photosynthesis
to chemical energy in an apple, which in turn is eaten by a
hiker who then uses that energy to move.
To make this concept concrete, groups created circuits
using limes as an energy source, again lighting up a bulb.
We discussed how this was yet a different form of chemical energy—a lime instead of a battery—but that it was the
same process of conversion to heat and light in a bulb.
Making the Connections with Circuitry
Now that the students had an understanding of the concepts of magnetism and electricity, it was time to see
how the two were related. To do this, the students formed
groups to rotate through stations. In one group, I said to
the students, “You are going to make a magnet that turns
on and off. Your supplies are a battery, a wire and a rivet.
You’ll know you’ve accomplished your mission because you can use the rivet as a magnet
to move 100 washers from one cup to another.”
Without my help, the students figured out that they needed to make a circuit that ended
not in a bulb or motor, but in a rivet—an object which when wrapped with wire, creates a
magnetic field. They successfully moved the washers.
I also wanted the students to extend their knowledge of the flow of electricity, in this
case, by creating parallel and series circuits. So I gave the following instructions to two
groups:
“Group 2: You are going to light eight light bulbs in a series circuit. How will you
know it’s a series circuit?” Having practiced on a smaller scale, one student responded:
“When you unscrew one bulb, the rest will go out.”
“Group 3: You are going to light eight light bulbs in a parallel circuit. How will you
know it’s a parallel circuit?” Another student replied: “When you unscrew one bulb, the
rest stay lit.”
These challenges turned out to be very difficult because a number of pieces have to
come together at the same time in the right way. They knew the design, but keeping all
the wires connected was daunting.
We were on our third and final rotation when Groups 2 and 3 finally succeeded in
lighting eight bulbs, breaking into wild applause at their accomplishment.
In fact, what these students had learned and applied over this two-month period
enabled them not only to accomplish the hands-on challenges but to prove they understood core concepts of magnetism and electricity—a satisfying result for teacher and students alike. !
Groups 2 and 3
finally succeeded
in lighting eight
bulbs, breaking
into wild
applause at their
accomplishment.
Anastasia Pickens has taught fourth-and-fifth-grade combination in San Francisco for six years. She
kicks off the school year with magnetism and electricity because it allows students to learn content,
while learning to work cooperatively.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE Lighting Up Bulbs!
by Orly Hasbani
G
regory couldn’t wait for choice time. “Yes,” I said over and over again, “you can
use the batteries and light bulbs at choice time.” When the time finally arrived, the
students scattered to different areas in the classroom. Gregory grabbed a light bulb, some
wires, batteries, and battery holders and set to work. He wanted to find out what would
happen if he used four batteries to light the bulb instead of just one or two. I was busy
working with some other students on math homework so I jumped along with everyone
else in the room when we heard, “OH MY GOD!” Soon most of the kids had gathered
around Gregory to see what he had done. It got really loud (a bit too loud) as at least ten
third graders exclaimed over how bright the bulb was.
What’s It All About?
Getting to use
wires and bulbs
might be the
most memorable
experience of the
year.
For a third grader, getting to use wires and bulbs might be the most memorable experience of the year. It’s interesting and definitely hands-on. Many topics can be included in a
study of electricity and magnetism, and there are lots of immediate opportunities for students to pursue their own interests. Electricity and magnetism might seem like completely
different topics but they are actually related. Many everyday objects use both electricity
and magnets to function. For example, the motor on a battery-powered toy car contains
magnets and runs on the electricity from the battery.
So what are electricity and magnetism, how are they related, and how can I expect a
third grader to understand it all? I teach about electricity and magnetism separately at first
to give important background information and build up my students’ understanding. Then
I combine them to discuss the similarities and differences. We end by using electric current to make a magnet.
I teach in Vermont and when I’m trying to figure out what to teach in my electricity
and magnetism unit, I go first to the Vermont Grade Level Expectations. There are also
some great kits published by Insights and FOSS that offer lesson plans in how to teach
these concepts. When I teach, I often use a kit for the materials since it’s time consuming
and expensive to gather everything I’ll need, but I create my own lesson plans. I want to
have the flexibility to allow my students to go in directions that seem interesting to them
while still teaching the ideas.
Building a Simple Circuit
When learning about electricity, it’s important to start simply and then add concepts. I
begin by giving my students batteries, small light bulbs, and wire. I challenge them by
asking them to use the materials to light the bulb. In pairs, students make a plan for how
they think the bulb will light up and then they try out their plan. It doesn’t usually work.
Neither does the second or third try, or often even the sixth try. My students usually ask,
“Do you know how to do it, Orly?”
“Yes, I do. I’ll tell you eventually if you don’t figure it out on your own. If you’re getting frustrated, remember, a scientist keeps on trying even when it doesn’t work the first
time.” Groaning, they get back to work and eventually someone figures it out. A circuit is
like a circle. The electricity from the battery must flow to the light bulb and then back to
PAGE • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
the battery in a circle. It is kind of like the circulatory system, which we also study in third grade. Something is circulating in a simple circuit like the blood circulates in our
bodies. Repeating “a circuit is like a circle,” my students
will copy the circuit diagram into their notebooks and then
build the circuit.
They are so excited when they finally light the light bulb.
It’s like they never really thought about what was happening when they flicked a switch to turn on the lights.
From our simple circuit, I teach kids to use battery and
light bulb holders and then we continue with more experiments using more than one battery, or making switches, or
connecting motors to the circuit. Sometimes I give the class
the challenge to discover things on their own, like at the
beginning. Other times I give them the diagram of the circuit
I want them to build and tell them to make observations once it
is built. Throughout it all, students are practicing various parts of the
scientific process and we’re making connections to the real world. We turn the lights off
and on in the room, we turn the radio off and on, and we discuss microwaves, electrical
stoves, computers, and toys.
A simple circuit
Conductor Detectors and Magnet Detectors
Here’s an activity that can last days if you let it; it’s just that intriguing for students. When
we are learning about what materials conduct electricity and which ones don’t, we build
Conductor Detectors. Students put together a simple circuit with one battery and one light
bulb, and keep the circuit open with two loose wires.
Then they take the Conductor Detector and place the
loose ends of the circuit on a paper clip, for example. If
the paper clip conducts electricity, it will close the circuit and the light bulb will light up. It seems simple and
some students will think that they already know what
will conduct electricity.
Even for these students, testing out different types of
metals can be intriguing. Working in pairs, students use
their detectors throughout the classroom to test different
materials. They record their results on a chart. Analyzing their notes, they are able to make conclusions about
conductors and insulators.
This same activity translates easily to the study of
magnetism. What sticks to a magnet, or rather, to what
type of materials are magnets attracted? Taking a Magnetism Detector in hand (just a plain magnet), students
roam the classroom looking for things that they can
stick their magnet to. I try to provide a variety of materials to test as well such as Popsicle sticks, marbles,
aluminum foil, copper wire, paper clips. It’s nice to have
some magnetite or iron ore also.
There’s something about how these two activities mirror each other that highlights the similarities
between electricity and magnetism. I’m particularly
interested in the different types of metals and their
interactions with electric currents and magnetic fields.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE Junkyard Science: Making a Magnet Using Electricity
Have you ever seen a crane pick up a junk car and then drop it into a huge pile of scrap
metal? How does the crane do it without actually being tied or hooked onto the car? It
seems like magic, but it’s really just science at work—technology. I remember learning
about this as a student in high school and it seemed just as unbelievable then as it does
now, and yet it really does work. Here’s how to prove it.
A compass is used to detect a magnetic field. Usually it points towards the Earth’s
magnetic north pole, but if you put a magnet next to it, it will point towards that magnet’s
north pole. You can get the compass needle to dance by wiggling the magnet nearby.
So, knowing that a compass detects a magnetic field, see what happens when you take
an insulated wire (make sure it is not stripped anywhere or it will short circuit), wrap it
around a compass, and attach it to a battery. You’ll see the compass needle move! You’ve
just created a magnetic field.
Now, take out the compass and wrap the wire around an iron nail. Then attach it to a
battery. (Be aware that this uses up the energy in the battery quickly and that the ends
of the wire will get hot to the touch. When I do this with third graders, we only keep it
hooked up for a few seconds at a time.) Touch the end of the nail to a paper clip. Amazingly, you have just turned the nail into a temporary magnet, an electromagnet just like
the crane that moves the car at a junkyard. In fact, it’s much better than a regular magnet
because you can turn it on and off just by unhooking it from your battery.
Once I’ve demonstrated the above, I set the kids loose to figure out how to change the
strength of their electromagnets, as detected by the number of paper clips they will pick
up. Maybe they’ll want to try different size nails or change the amount of times the wire
is wrapped around the nail. You never know what ideas they’ll come up with but one
thing is for certain: When it’s time to clean up, they won’t be ready to stop. !
Orly Hasbani teaches third grade in Brattleboro, Vermont.
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PAGE 10 • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Delving Deeper into
Science Teaching
An Early Childhood Magnetism Lesson as a Context
for Understanding Principles of Inquiry
by Cody Sandifer and Pamela Lottero-Perdue
D
pamela lottero-perdue
espite its decades-long presence in K–16 classrooms, inquiry-based
science teaching remains an elusive concept. For example, although
many teachers would agree that an inquiry lesson can be broadly defined
as a lesson in which students engage in the scientific process, our experience has shown that practicing and pre-service teachers can still have difficulty applying this definition as they attempt to identify: (a) the extent
to which a particular lesson is inquiry-based (fully, partly, or not at all),
and (b) whether a lesson that has been categorized as being inquiry-based
is actually a good inquiry lesson. Perhaps it should not be surprising that
inquiry-based teaching is like other complex activities, such as parenting,
mentoring, and creative writing, whose ideal definitions can be challenging to apply in practice.
In this article, we share four principles of inquiry-based teaching to
help K-16 science teachers categorize science lessons in terms of inquiry.1
We then describe a kindergarten-level lesson on magnetism to illustrate
the finer details of each principle, as well as to showcase a classroomtested science activity that teachers might find fun and useful.
The Principles of Inquiry-Based Teaching
Predicting whether objects will stick to magnets
Principle #1: Inquiry-Based Teaching Begins with a Question.
An inquiry lesson seeks to answer one or more questions about concepts or relationships in
science. Inquiry questions provide an overall purpose for the entire lesson, and may be generated by the teacher or the students. These questions should be explicitly stated using language
that is easily understandable.
Principle #2: Inquiry-Based Teaching Is Student Centered.
The teacher provides structure and guidance, but it is the students—as individuals, small
groups, or as an entire class—who are ultimately expected to answer the inquiry question(s)
on their own. In addition, whenever possible, the teacher allows students to engage in handson scientific activities themselves, rather than doing these activities for the students as demonstrations.
Principle #3: Inquiry-Based Teaching Involves Deep Thinking
about the Answers to Inquiry Questions.
Lessons should prompt students to think deeply about scientific concepts and relationships.
This can be accomplished through small-group and whole-class discussions, hands-on experiments (which are often cooperative), reading texts to generate questions, and other means.
1. Our principles of inquiry were developed independently from the National Research Council’s essential features of inquiry as presented in Inquiry and the National Science Education Standards (2000), although they
are similar in spirit and focus.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 11
Principle #4: Inquiry-Based Teaching Emphasizes
Evidence-Based Reasoning.
Students are encouraged to provide evidence and reasoning for their predictions, observations, and
answers to inquiry questions. This evidence should draw upon everyday experience, experimental
data, common sense, and prior knowledge. Students are frequently asked to answer questions like,
“Why do you think that?” and “Can you explain your reasoning?”
A Kindergarten Lesson on Magnetism: Which Materials Stick to Magnets?
Key Science Concept: Some metal objects stick to magnets.
General structure: Formal discussions occur in a whole-class format; hands-on activity is intended
for small groups of 3–4 students.
Materials
●
●
●
For each group:
One resealable plastic bag (or container) holding an assortment of metal objects that
stick to a magnet, metal objects that do not stick to a magnet, and nonmetal objects.
Suggested objects: penny, house key, wooden block, aluminum foil, paper clips (some
vinyl-coated, some not), gallon jug lid, marble, brass fastener, steel wool sample, swatch
of fabric, pencil, pen, and steel washer.
A prediction/testing handout with large YES, NO, and MAYBE boxes.
For each student:
 An unbreakable magnet
 A lesson assessment handout
Preparation
●Prepare the bags containing the metal/nonmetal objects. Important: Magnets should not
be included in the bags, as they are distributed later in the lesson.
●Create 3’ by 2’ chart (on paper or the board) with column headings YES, NO, and
MAYBE.
Lesson outline
1.Show the class examples of different objects sticking to each other magnetically. (Example:
toy trains connected by magnets.)
2. Class Discussion:
a. What are these “sticking objects” called?
b. Where do you find magnets around your house?
c. Do you have any questions about magnets? (Write questions on the board.)
3. Say: The class came up with an interesting list of questions! Another question we could ask
is “What kinds of objects stick to magnets?” We’ll focus on that question today. (Write the
question on the board, if not already displayed.)
4. Hand out a materials bag and prediction/testing handout to each group (do not distribute
magnets at this point) and ask the students to carefully feel and examine the objects and
discuss whether a magnet might stick to each object. Tell groups to make their predictions by placing each object onto the handout in the appropriate box: objects that the group
thinks will stick to a magnet should be placed into the YES box, objects that the group
thinks will not stick to a magnet should be placed into the NO box, and objects that the
group isn’t sure about (or objects that the group can’t agree upon) should be placed into the
MAYBE box.
PAGE 12 • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
cody sanifer
5. Class Discussion: (For each object.)
a. Ask: Do you think this object would stick to a magnet? Why do you think that?
b. Tape the object to the chart paper or board in the appropriate YES/NO/MAYBE
column.
6. Post-Prediction Class Discussion:
a. How are the objects in the YES column similar to each other? How are the objects
in the NO column similar to each other?
b. Do we have an initial rule for the types of objects we think will stick to magnets?
(Accept all possible rules at this time.)
7. Exploration: Give each student a magnet, and instruct the students to test whether each
object sticks to a magnet. Walk around the room to monitor the investigation, pose
questions, and provide guidance and support. Tell the groups that, when each student
has had the opportunity to test every object, group members can place the objects into
the appropriate YES (sticks to a magnet) and NO (does not stick) boxes on the handout.
An object might be placed into the MAYBE box after testing if one part of the object
sticks to a magnet, but another part of the object does not.
8. Post-Exploration Class Discussion:
a. Which objects stuck to your magnets?
b. Move the taped objects on the chart from their original
YES/NO/MAYBE columns into the correct columns, as
needed.
c. If there are conflicting results, repeat the test in front of
the class.
d.Ask: What is the rule for the kinds of things that stick
to magnets? How do you know this rule is true? (Elicit the
students’ rules and supporting evidence.)
e. Ask: Is there anything else in this room that you think
might stick to a magnet? Is there anything in this room that
you think might not stick to a magnet?
9. Extension: Allow students to explore the room and test different objects to see whether they stick to magnets. Walk
around the room to make additional suggestions about
objects that the students might test (doorknob, chalkboard,
etc.)
10. Post-Extension Class Discussion:
a. What did you find? Was there anything interesting or surprising?
b. Does our rule still work?
11. To end the lesson, have the students (a) draw (and label) two objects that stick to magnets, and (b) draw (and label) two objects that do not stick to magnets.
Relating the Magnetism Lesson Back to the Principles of
Inquiry-Based Teaching
We will now reexamine the principles of inquiry-based teaching in the context of the above
magnetism lesson so that these principles can be viewed “in action.”
Principle #1: Inquiry Question.
In the introductory (engagement) section of the lesson, the lesson’s purpose is communicated
to the students in the form of an explicitly stated inquiry question: What kinds of objects stick
to magnets? This easily understandable question sets the stage for the lesson’s activities and
learning goals, and—importantly—is a query to which the students probably do not already
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 13
know the answer. This overarching question is distinct from other kinds of questions (e.g.,
“What do you know about magnets?” or “Why do you think that happened?”) that teachers
routinely pose to students to provide short-term guidance.
The principles
of inquiry have
another use:
as a tool for
self-reflection.
Principle #2: Student Centered.
The students are at the center of the learning process in the magnetism lesson because they
perform the experiment themselves and are ultimately responsible for using their experimental observations (data), background knowledge, and prior experience to answer the inquiry
question. The students’ hard work is done with critical help and support of the teacher, however. The teacher carefully selects the tested materials, asks thoughtful questions, guides data
collection, and manages the whole-class discussions of students’ experimental results and
ideas.
Principle #3: Deep Thinking.
In the lesson, students are not focused on the memorization of correct answers and vocabulary words. Rather, they are exerting significant mental effort as they: reflect on the existence
of magnets in their homes, share their initial ideas and predictions, present and discuss their
scientific observations, thoughtfully generate and discuss possible answers to the inquiry
question, and ultimately decide which answer is accurate. Additionally, the hands-on activity
in the magnetism lesson is purposefully connected to the development of the concept that some
metals stick to magnets.
Principle #4: Evidence-Based Reasoning.
Evidence is the basis upon which students can decide whether to accept, modify, or discard a
budding idea, long-believed concept, or a newly proposed answer to an inquiry question. In
terms of teacher support for reasoning, prompting students for evidence at all stages of the
lesson is important, as it is difficult for students to revisit and revise their ideas if they were
not asked to provide evidence earlier in the lesson for their original thoughts.
In this spirit, students in the magnetism lesson are asked to share their reasoning repeatedly as they: share their initial predictions of which objects might stick to a magnet, consider
how the predicted sticking and non-sticking objects are similar or different, and discuss possible rules for the kinds of objects that stick to magnets.
The Most Important Goal
Dr. Cody Sandifer and
Dr. Pamela LotteroPerdue are science
education faculty in the
Department of Physics,
Astronomy, and Geosciences at Towson University in Maryland. As
part of their job duties,
they teach science content, teaching methods,
and science internship
courses for early childhood and elementary
education majors.
PAGE 14 • Connect
Our primary goal in sharing the four Principles of Inquiry-Based Teaching is to offer a set of
clear guidelines for teachers to draw upon as they read a science lesson for the first time and
try to assess the degree to which the lesson is inquiry-oriented. Furthermore, the principles
might suggest specific modifications that can be introduced into the lesson so that it becomes
more closely aligned to the notion of “inquiry.”
A secondary goal for sharing the inquiry principles relates to lesson implementation.
While a lesson might appear on paper to be 100% inquiry-focused, the power of the inquiry
approach is lost if the lesson is implemented in a traditional fashion. The principles of inquiry
therefore have another use that is perhaps equally as important as the first: as a tool for selfreflection to gauge whether our own teaching choices are supportive of inquiry.
Either application of the principles of inquiry, whether for lesson analysis or self-reflection, supports the one aim that we all agree is paramount: providing the best possible science
experiences for our students. And whether those science experiences are ground in biology,
chemistry, or a simple lesson in magnetism, having our students generate their own answers
to inquiry questions, think deeply about scientific phenomena, and provide evidence for their
ideas can only enhance these learning experiences. !
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
The Fascinations of
Michael Faraday
by Casey Murrow
W
hen a student reaches for a small electric
motor to put into a system she is building, or
when a younger student marvels at the behavior of a
couple of magnets on a table, they may be thinking of
some of the same questions that the scientist Michael
Faraday began to explore in the 1830s and 1840s.
Electro-magnetism
Of course, Faraday did not have an electric motor
to work with. He discovered that an energized coil
of wire could be made to turn (spin) in the presence
of a magnetic field. His work formed the basis of
an understanding of electro-magnetism. He was the
first to conceive of the idea of magnetic fields, that
an invisible magnetic force extended outward from
any magnetic source, decreasing in relation to the
distance from the magnet, but present anywhere
within that field. He saw these lines of force in iron
filings on glass or paper when held over a magnet—
Faraday was the
first to conceive
of the idea of
magnetic fields.
just as our students might see today.
Faraday, whose own schooling was very limited, was a determined experimenter. He
believed that no theory could hold up if it could not be demonstrated. Through a series of
events, he was given a position at the Royal Institution in London that allowed him to conduct a vast array of experiments and to lecture on his findings. To quantify some of his discoveries, he needed mathematical skills that he had never had a chance to learn, notably in
new and complex aspects of geometry.
He did not have a collaborator at the Royal Institution who could help with this, but
mathematician and physicist James Clerk Maxwell at Cambridge University realized the
implications of Faraday’s work and was able to find ways to express Faraday’s discoveries
mathematically, making several of his own discoveries at the same time. The independent
work of these two scientists underlies our understanding of the whole electro-magnetic
spectrum and many of their observations and proofs are still in use today.
Bringing discoveries into the classroom
When your students build an electric motor, they will see some of the same phenomena that
fascinated Faraday. When they build or test spinning color wheels (often mounted on tops),
they will be working with materials that led to Maxwell’s first theories on combining colors,
described in a paper he published while still in high school.
Don’t miss a chance to include some of the history of science in the midst of projects,
challenges, and inquiry that your students engage in today! !
More on Faraday can be found in The Electric Life of Michael Faraday, by Alan Hirshfeld (Walker
and Company, 2006), and many other titles. Maxwell’s story is well told in The Man Who Changed
Everything, The Life of James Clerk Maxwell by Basil Mahon (Wiley, 2003).
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Casey Murrow is the
executive director of
Synergy Learning
International.
Connect • PAGE 15
Technology for Learning
Teaching
Electricity in
the Digital
Age
Projects with batteries and bulbs have been a mainstay of hands-on science curricula
for decades, with continuing value today. In addition to learning about a “hidden force,”
students can gain a great deal of experience with logical thinking, network analysis, and
related skills. Teaching students in the digital age, though, requires more. The same student who is coming to your science class may have started at a home where last night she
ordered a movie online from her wireless laptop. A few mouse clicks later that movie is
streaming through the air to a Tivo box or Apple TV and playing on the TV on the other
side of the house. When the movie is done, a few clicks on her iPod Touch lets her play
her music (also purchased online) to any of the speakers in the house. Her out of school
experience with electronics makes a handful of batteries and bulbs seem archaic.
Up-to-date Electronics
by
B o b C o ul t er
The best response here is not to give up in despair, but to go beyond batteries and bulbs.
Teach the basics of electricity, but be sure to include the twenty-first-century elements as
well. For example, have students look around your school for examples of sensors and
transmitters. Without getting into the nuances of integrated circuitry, students should
be able to articulate the functional use of common devices in their life such as remote
controls, light sensors, and the like. For example, “The sensor by my front door detects
motion, and flips a switch to turn on the porch light.” You can help them extend their
thinking by asking them to explain why motion only triggers the light coming on after
dark. During the day, nothing happens. Why? You might even have the students group
their discoveries into categories like transmitters and detectors and then establish a list in
the room where the kids can post new discoveries around the school, at home, or in the
community. Throughout, the focus should be on moving past “black box” thinking where
things just happen, toward an understanding of what functions are going on inside the
device.
Going further, you can give your students first-hand experience with these more
advanced uses of electronics through LEGO robotics or similar kits. With these tools,
your students can construct modern devices for themselves. As they do this, they will
have hands-on experience with what can otherwise be rather abstract phenomena—again,
taking kids past black box thinking. While the kits themselves are not inexpensive, they
can be shared among your colleagues as a common resource to reduce overall expense.
If they don’t fit in your classroom budget, perhaps local mini-grants can support your
efforts. Engaging students in twenty-first-century skills and emerging careers can form
the basis for a competitive proposal.
While there are many project ideas available to support LEGO kits, the ones shared
here come from the LEGO Mindstorms NXT One-Kit Wonders from No Starch Press.
Each one has a lot of potential to be fun, but they also engage kids with fundamental
aspects of modern electronics.
RoboLock
Most kids have seen their parents use an ATM and enter an access code. Similarly, codes
link their remote controls to a particular TV or DVD player, and most cars have either
button or keypad access to the locks. By building a RoboLock, your students can create
PAGE 16 • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
their own version of access control, where they have to insert a card of a particular color
to “unlock” the robot before they can use it. Light sensors read the card, and even record
the number of unsuccessful intrusion attempts. As students grow into a world where
cyber-security will be increasingly important, projects like this can be an important and
fun learning experience.
SPC (Self-Parking Car)
Most tween-age students look forward to the day when they can drive, and even the
youngest kids pretend to drive with toy cars. By building the Self Parking Car students
can model what they see in TV ads for cars that can park themselves. The model car can
be driven as a remote control vehicle, with ultrasonic sensors helping to determine a suitable parking space. Given the proliferation of sensors in our lives, from motion detectors
to air monitors guarding against air-borne toxins, the SPCs—like the RoboLock—provide
a fun and engaging experience where your students can explore sophisticated ideas.
M&M Sorter
Ever since the Jetsons, robots have been envisioned as part of our futures. Today your
students may have a robotic vacuum cleaner at home that can clean a room completely
through a combination of sensors and programs that guide its motion. Manufacturing
operations are increasingly robotic as well, creating profound shifts in your students’
future career prospects. Building a robot that can automatically sort candies by color provides a formative experience with robots that can also spark wider discussions of careers.
With more manufacturing jobs moving toward mass production by robot-controlled
assembly lines, advanced science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) skills are
increasingly important for your students to be able to secure a well-paying job.
The examples cited here are just a few possibilities. A white paper on computational
thinking that I co-authored last year recommended thinking of projects as evolving from
ones where students first use the tools in scripted environments, then modify the designs
to gain greater facility, and then create original designs. A flexible building tool, such as a
LEGO robotics kit, can support this growth continuum quite well. Skills learned in “follow the steps” building projects can be modified to adjust the initial design, and then repurposed into original creations. As they do this, your students will gain experience with
modern electronics skills, taking those initial steps with batteries and bulbs into digitalage learning.
Ever since the
Jetsons, robots have
been envisioned as
part of our futures.
Bob Coulter is the director of Mapping the Environment, a program at
the Missouri Botanical
Garden’s Litzsinger Road
Ecology Center that supports teachers’ efforts to
enhance their science curriculum through use of the
Internet and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS)
software. Previously, Bob
taught elementary grades
for twelve years.
bob.coulter@mobot.org
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 17
Literature Links
My Light, by Molly Bang (Blue Sky
Press, 2004), is a very successful picture
book that introduces several different energy
sources, all of which originate from the sun.
Using very simple, yet clear and accurate
terms, the author describes how solar, hydropower, windmills, and coal-fired
power plants transform light
into electricity. The illustrations
are spare and beautiful. The
author includes additional information in the back of the book,
to help clarify and expand on
the ideas in the book. Written
using the voice of the sun, this
book synthesizes imagination
and facts to convey scientific
ideas in a way that invites wonder and questioning. It is a great
first book of energy and electricity for six- to ten-year-olds.
Young Thomas Edison, by Michael
Dooling (Holiday House, 2005), is an illustrated and interesting biography for eight-to
twelve-year-olds. From a young age, Edison
was interested in science and experimentation. He became hard of hearing as a result
of having scarlet fever, and this caused
some trouble in school. He was described
as “addled” and because she knew school
was not the right place to encourage his
PAGE 18 • Connect
learning, his mother removed him and
began teaching him at home. At age fifteen
he published The Weekly Herald and sold
newspapers to support his experiments. The
book outlines several other experiences, both
beneficial and challenging. It ends with Edison at a large shop, employing 250 people to
help him work on forty-five different inventions. Following the story, there is a brief
synopsis of some of his better-known inventions.
Electricity and Magnetism, by Steve
Parker (Gareth Stevens Publishing, 2007), is
a non-fiction, early chapter book for students
ages eight to fourteen. With colorful photographs and simple text the book explores the
nature of electricity, magnetism, the relationship between the two, pioneers in electricity, generators and power grids, and how
electronic appliances work. Occurrences of
electric current in nature (lightning, static
electricity, eels and rays, our brains) are also
introduced. A glossary and further information follow the text. This book is part of the
Gareth Stevens Vital Science Physical Science series, which also includes topics such
as chemical reactions, forces and motion,
history of science, matter, energy, and science and society.
The Magic School Bus and the Electric
Field Trip, by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen
(Scholastic Press, 1997), is now somewhat
dated, although it still provides an exciting
look at a classroom doing integrated studies
and working with inquiry. The drawback
with the Magic School Bus series is that a lot
of ground is covered at an introductory level
for six- to twelve-year-olds through fantastic,
dramatic action, and not a lot of space is
devoted to explaining any one thing in real
depth. But the benefit of these books is that
students are shown asking questions, making
discoveries, and being genuinely interested
in scientific investigations (even the kind
that can happen in your classroom, not just
the kind made in imaginary journeys). In
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
this story, students travel through a power
plant into electric appliances in a home.
How Ben Franklin Stole the Lightning,
by Rosalyn Schantzer (HarperCollins Publishers, 2003), is an entertaining early biography of Benjamin Franklin. The inventor of
daylight saving time, bifocals, and lightning
rods, Franklin is a fascinating character and
admirable scientist. The text and illustrations offer a good introduction which can be
supplemented with more detailed images and
resources. A little smiling Ben Franklin is
seen in all the illustrations of this book for
example, which makes it seem kind of cute
and light. But the depth and brilliance of
Benjamin Franklin’s investigations are worthy of much more focused study. His ingenuity and curiosity are evident in the book, and
they can serve as inspiration for your students. A brief summation of other inventions
is included in the back of the book.
The Shocking World of Electricity with
Max Axiom, Super Scientist, by Liam
O’Donnell (Capstone Press, 2007), is a
Graphic Library title for eight- to fourteenyear-olds. Max Axiom introduces readers to
static electricity and shrinks to demonstrate
atomic particles. He tours a coal-fired plant,
travels along the power grid, explores conductors and insulators, resistors, and circuits.
A sidebar lists alternative, renewable sources
of energy. Max follows the energy from the
plant into a home and discusses the different
forms of energy the electricity can take once
in the home. The graphic content can draw
in readers who may otherwise lose interest.
A glossary and list of resource suggestions
follow the story.
Snip, Burn, Solder, Shred: Seriously
Geeky Things to Build with Your Kids, by
David Eric Nelson (No Starch Press, 2011),
is a new title filled with a wide range of
activities and projects. Several can be managed by younger students with the help of
adults, but this book primarily features work
for curious and adventurous project builders
ages twelve and up. Electronics play a major
role in a many of the projects, including
buzzers, pick-up amps for musical instruments, a “jitterbug” toy that skitters when
exposed to light and stands still in darkness,
and a cigar-box synthesizer. Written with
a sense of humor, the directions are clear.
Sound instructions caution against potential
dangers working with tools such as soldering irons and materials that can be toxic or
harmful if not handled correctly. Most of
these games, tools, toys, and gadgets can be
built without great expense, and some are
made entirely from items that are probably
available in your home or classroom. Undeniably cool projects can engage the most
reluctant learner in directly applied math
and science skills. Take advantage of these
amazing ideas!
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 19
Resource Reviews
Awesome Experiments in Electricity and
Magnetism, by Michael Dispezio, is a large
collection of activities for students ages nine
through twelve. Simple, readily available
materials and clear directions yield successful projects and explorations in things like
static electricity, magnets and magnetism,
and current electricity. Scientific background
and examples of practical applications in
everyday life of each of the concepts are
provided. Project ideas include buzzers,
anti-gravity disks, lighting fluorescent tubes
via static electricity, and transmitting Morse
code from a home-built station. This is a fun
introduction to applying electricity and magnetism concepts to projects.
Awesome Experiments in Electricity and
Magnetism. Sterling Publishing, 2006. 160
pages. $6.95. 800-367-9692.
Janice VanCleave’s Magnets and Janice VanCleave’s Electricity, by Janice
VanCleave, are two wonderful resources
that can be used by teachers or students.
Part of the Spectacular Science Projects
series, these books are recommended for
ages eight through twelve and each contain
instructions for twenty activities that can be
used for science fairs. Magnetic fields, com-
PAGE 20 • Connect
passes, and electromagnets are some of the
topics covered, as well as circuits, lemon
batteries, and voltage meters. All experiments are safe and use everyday materials.
This prolific science author is particularly
adept at explaining things in concrete,
demonstrable ways and applying those to
more abstract ideas, presenting science in a
fun, educational context.
Janice VanCleave’s Magnets and Janice VanCleave’s Electricity. John Wiley &
Sons, 1994. 96 pages. $10.95. 877-672-2974.
Electricity and Magnetism Science Fair
Projects, by Robert Gardner, contains very
interesting experiments for grades six and
up. It begins simply and progresses to more
sophisticated projects. Start by making an
electroscope out of aluminum foil, a plastic
cup, and a paper clip. Work your way up to
creating a generator. Some projects require
help from an adult and equipment or materials found in a hobby shop or online. This
book is specifically geared toward helping
students compete in science fairs, but it
can be used by anyone interested in project
work. Electricity and Magnetism Science Fair
Projects. Enslow Publishers, Inc., 2004. 128
pages. $19.95. 800-398-2504.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
gadgets will help students make connections
to the toys and tools in their life outside of
school. It will help them to eye products
more critically and perhaps figure out how
they work.
Electric Mischief: Battery-powered
Gadgets Kids Can Build. Kids Can Press,
2002. 48 pages. $5.95. 800-265-0884.
Electric Mischief: Battery-powered
Gadgets Kids Can Build, by Alan Bartholomew, features ten activities for students
ages eight and up. Brightly colored illustrations clarify simple directions for making
projects like an airplane bottle, noisemaker,
two-speed backscratcher, and a robotic arm.
After learning the preliminaries, like how to
create solid connections and switches, readers are led through step-by-step instructions
using tools and equipment that range from
clothespins and string to electric drills and
hot-glue guns. Building and operating these
Magnetism, by Peter Riley, is a great introduction for younger students, second grade
and up. Using simple activities, the author
relates basic concepts to uses of magnets and
basic concepts of magnetism. One
idea explored in the book is the
transmission of sound through
electronic components (either
speakers or recording tape). The
relationship between magnetism
and electricity is made fairly clear.
Crisp photos and illustrations are
inviting; they are reminiscent of
the Eyewitness books. A glossary
follows the text.
Magnetism. Franklin Watts,
1998. 32 pages. No longer in
print. Check libraries or online
used book sellers.
Websites:
Federal Resources for Educational Excellence is a great site that has lesson plans on magnetism and electricity from NASA and the Center for Science Education at UC Berkeley. http://free.ed.gov/.
Battery University. This site holds all kinds of information about the timeline of innovations in stored energy.
The page marked “Part 1” contains a concise timeline of the development of many kinds of batteries. http://
batteryuniversity.com/partone-2.htm
FOSS Web’s Electricity and Magnetism. Fun experiments kids can do with everyday tools and materials.
http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/MagnetismandElectricity/
Smile is a national partnership among science and technology centers, museums, community-based organizations, and out-of-school educators. They are dedicated to making science, technology, engineering, and math
(STEM) exciting and engaging for all learners. Their online tool allows educators to search, collect, and share
high-quality, hands-on science and math activities. Collections include inquiry-based learning resources from the
Lawrence Hall of Science, Exploratorium, Science Museum of Minnesota, Children’s Museum of Houston, New
York Hall of Science, and ASTC. www.howtosmile.org.
Electricity and Magnetism Kits:
Check out the learning modules available from publishers like FOSS, STC, GEMS, and Insights. Kits offer a
ready collection of materials, lessons, and data sheets that can save you lots of time and creative energy.
Catalogs:
Also check into catalogs and online stores such as Arbor Scientific, Edmond Scientific, and Radio Shack.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 21
Magnetic Levitation in
Your Classroom
by Virginia Moore and Wil Kaszas
The following article was originally published in Connect in 1999 (Vol. 12, no. 4). Since
that time there have been several attempts at creating a functional, light-rail system using
magnetic levitation, but few examples are in existence today. Still, this is a fascinating set
of activities to launch a lively study with your older elementary students.
—Editor
A
magnetic levitation train uses electromagnetism to levitate or float above a track
known as a guideway. The train is also propelled along the track by a moving electromagnetic field. Because it is traveling almost friction-free, the train can travel at high
rates of speed, use less energy, and create less noise and pollution than traditional rail
transportation.
For the fourth- or fifth-grade teacher looking for a way to spice up the teaching of magnetism and electricity, maglev is a unique “vehicle” for tying the two subjects together and
is an exciting culminating activity with potential for affecting many aspects of our lives.
For the middle school science, math, or technology teacher, a maglev unit allows students to apply their knowledge of these three subjects while simulating and experimenting
with a real-world mode of transportation. In New York State, schoolwide and regional
maglev competitions are becoming more popular each year on the middle school level,
but we initiated them on the upper elementary level quite successfully.
Goals and materials
synergy learning
For the following activities, a four-foot or eight-foot long maglev track (which contains a
magnetic strip) will be needed. A variety are available through science and technology
catalogs. A track should be selected based upon your unit objectives and the
activities you wish your students to experience. One company manufactures a
track with transparent walls so the children can see their vehicles levitate and
move down the track. This same track can be adapted for experiments on slope
and speed or allow problem solving with electrical circuitry.
Our goals for this unit are to help students:
• G
ain a basic understanding of magnetism—like poles repel, and
unlike poles attract;
• Explore the relationship between electricity and magnetism;
• Understand the force of friction and how it can be overcome;
• Describe the systems which operate a maglev train;
• Apply aerodynamic design in the construction of a vehicle;
• Test and evaluate the performance of a vehicle;
• Appreciate that technology can have both positive and negative
impacts;
• Think critically and solve problems by working individually or in
small groups.
Grooves hold magnets in these Styrofoam
blocks as they levitate above the track.
The blocks appear here without any
student design work.
PAGE 22 • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Diving into Design
The design process clarifies the activity’s intent and provides an orderly, sequential process for taking an idea from the concept stage to the construction stage. It also provides a
basis for assessment when the design is compared to the completed model.
Children in grades 4–8 have successfully used a computer aided design (CAD) program called Car Builder (see resources). This program lets the user design, modify, and
then test his/her vehicle design in a computer-simulated wind tunnel and roadway. A
color printout can be made of the vehicle as well as an evaluation of its performance.
The understandings gained through this experience can then be applied when the student
designs a model maglev using paper and pencil.
Another design technique is the “Enlarge by Squares”
method. Provide the fourth or fifth grader with a piece
of 1/8" graph paper. Instruct the student to draw a
series of freehand, “thumbnail” sketches in rectangles
one-half inch high by two-and-one-half inches wide.
The objective is to transfer an idea from the child’s
mind to a piece of paper. Caution younger students to
keep the design flat along the bottom edge and be sure
the design touches the other three sides of the rectangle
at some point.
Then using 1/2" graph paper students can enlarge
their favorite “thumbnail” sketch. A helpful starting point would be along the bottom
edge because it will always be a straight line. The students should be instructed to enlarge
their thumbnail sketch square by square very carefully. They will be delighted to observe
that, when completed, their original drawing has been quadrupled in size, (1/2" divided
by 1/8" = 4), an excellent introduction to or review of the division of fractions and problems of scale.
Older students can be given more freedom in the design process, including allowing
them to draw their own grids (1/8" and 1/2" graph paper) as part of a technical drawing
lesson. Both younger and older students will now be ready to trace their enlarged drawing
on another sheet of plain paper and cut it out to make a pattern.
From Paper to Vehicle
We have found that high density styrofoam (8"  2.5"  2") is a light-weight, and easyto-cut material for making maglev vehicles. One company offers styrofoam blocks with a
pre-cut groove to accommodate 1"  3/4"  1/8" ceramic magnets. This method is superior to gluing magnets to the styrofoam, as it allows students to correct mistakes without
damaging their vehicles.
Students can now place their pattern on the side edge of the styrofoam block, pin it in
place if necessary, and trace around it with a pen or marker. After the pattern is removed,
the vehicle may then be cut out. (Safety glasses should always be worn when a material is
processed.)
Several choices of cutting tools are available. A coping saw is a hand-held saw that cuts
curves and is the least expensive (less than $5). An electric scroll saw holds a coping saw
blade and allows more control (at least $80). A nichrome wire cutter cuts with an electrified hot wire (hand-held models, about $30; table models begin at $60). Younger children
will have to be carefully supervised by an adult when using any of these cutting tools, all
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
student work. synergy learning
Challenges with Graph Paper
Hand-drawn design for a
maglev vehicle
The diagram above shows
an EMS (ElectroMagnetic
Suspension) System. The
magnets on the track attract
the magnets on the train
(developed in Germany).
Compare this with an
EDS (ElectroDynamic
Suspension) System, in
which magnets on the track
repel the magnets on the
train (developed in Japan).
Connect • PAGE 23
synergy learning
of which are currently available in technology catalogs.
We have found that the nichrome wire cutter gives the
smoothest results.
After the vehicle has been cut out, students may sand
their vehicle smooth if desired, being careful to always
sand in the same direction. Then they may paint and
decorate it. Caution students who are painting at home
to read labels to be sure the paint will not dissolve styrofoam. Also remind students not to decrease the width of
the vehicle by cutting or sanding or increase the width of
the vehicle by painting or decorating as this will keep the
vehicle from levitating properly.
Jennifer tests the
performance of her maglev
vehicle fitted with a sail for
propulsion.
Polarity, a Practical Application
Students will now determine the polarity of four ceramic magnets and insert them in the
grooves of their vehicle (two on each side) so that the vehicle levitates above the guideway. The correct polarity can be found by simply holding the magnet above the magnetic
strip in the maglev track so that the magnet is in a repelling position. On our maglev track
magnetic strips are glued down with the north-seeking poles facing upward on both sides
of the track. Therefore, the students will have to insert their magnets in the grooves of
their vehicle so that the north-seeking poles face downward. Students can be told that this
is only one of the ways a maglev train levitates, by the repulsion of like magnetic poles.
Of course, there are other more constructivist methods of determining polarity which
require the use of a compass and other materials, or a magnet whose polarity has been
clearly established and labeled. Your objectives and time constraints will be deciding factors. At last the moment has arrived when students are ready to test their vehicle’s suspension ability. Will it levitate? Children should be encouraged to modify their vehicles and,
indeed, this is a most valuable part of the activity. Magnets may have to be adjusted to
assure proper vehicle alignment between the walls of the guideway. Additionally, propulsion may be observed by elevating one end of the track. This will allow the child’s vehicle
to gravity glide along the length of the inclined guideway.
A Systems Approach to Maglev
It is essential that students experience how an electromagnet is made, either by teacher
demonstration, or by allowing the students to create their own. By wrapping wire around
an iron core such as a nail, and attaching both ends of the wire to the opposite terminals
of a battery students can see how many tiny paper clips can be lifted.
Students should be taught that there are two major systems that allow a maglev train
to operate. They are the suspension system and the propulsion system. Each is described
below.
The suspension system is what allows the maglev train to levitate or float above the
guideway. There are two types. One is called the Electro-Dynamic Suspension System
(EDS) and works on the principle of repulsion of like electromagnetic poles. Tell the children they have already experienced this system when they designed and tested their maglev vehicles. (Reminder: They were using magnets, not electromagnets in their simulation.
Only electromagnets are powerful enough to operate the real maglev train.)
The second type is called the ElectroMagnetic Suspension System (EMS) and works
on the principle of the attraction of unlike electromagnetic poles. In this system, as passengers climb aboard the train their weight causes the train to sink. Then the electromagnetism is increased to the guideway causing it to attract the magnets on the train itself.
The electromagnetism is increased just enough to allow levitation; the magnets on the
train and those in the guideway never touch.
PAGE 24 • Connect
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
synergy learning
The other major system needed to operate a maglev is its propulsion system. Maglev
trains use linear electric motors built into the
guideway which generate a “traveling” electromagnetic field that attracts the vehicle, allowing
the train to move. This is achieved by electromagnets being turned on and off by a computer
as the train is propelled along. We simulate this
complex system by placing a strong magnetic
wand under the horizontal track. By advancing
the wand slowly by hand, one can cause a vehicle levitating in the track above to be attracted
to the magnetic field in the wand. Students are
amazed to see the vehicle gliding down the
guideway! Other propulsion systems include a
plastic propellor and rubber band, or a sail on
the vehicle with a small fan at end of the track.
Assessment
Evaluation of the students’ work should focus on these areas: design, construction, and
testing. In these maglev activities assessment is truly authentic. Does the vehicle accurately reflect the child’s design? Does the vehicle levitate and gravity glide along the
length of the inclined track? Did the student test, modify and correct any problems in his/
her design? Other activities such as library or Internet research, transportation dioramas,
poetry, and writing persuasive letters to government officials can be evaluated in a more
traditional manner. This approach is such a rich way to meet just about every curriculum
requirement! !
Resources
Flad, M.M. (Jan/Feb, 1992). “The man who planted the maglev seed.” Upriver/Downriver, 18-19.
Moore, V.S. and Kaszas, W.J. (Feb, 1995). “All Aboard! For a Lesson on Magnetic Levitated Trains.” Science and Children, 32 (5).
Moving toward the 21st century: A Proposal for high speed ground transportation in the State of New York.
An exceptional 24 page, illustrated booklet on maglev published by the N.Y.S. Department of Transportation, Albany, N.Y.
“Car Builder.” Weekly Reader Software from Optimum Resource. 843-689-8000. For Macs and PCs.
www.Stickybear.com.
The Science Source, PO Box 727, Waldoboro, ME 04572. 800-299-5469. www.thesciencesource.com.
Source for Maglev track and accessories as well as an activity manual for teachers. The track and much
additional equipment depicted in this article is from Science Source.
Kelvin. 800-535-8469. www.kelvin.com.
At the time this article was originally published, Virginia Moor was a fourth-grade
teacher at Pakanasink Elementary School (Pine Bush School District) in Circleville,
New York. She had developed maglev activities and design portfolios for the MSTe
(Mathematics, Science, and Technology on the elementary level) Project in New York
State.
Maglev
fast, smooth, quiet
whizzing, speeding, floating
magic carpet ride
Wil Kaszas was a technology education teacher at the Monticello Middle School in
Monticello, New York. He had developed a maglev track and accessories and designed
maglev activities for the MST goals 2000 project in New York State.
Marty Monaghan created a
modified diamante poem
to describe what a ride on a
maglev train would be like.
© synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • November/December 2010
Connect • PAGE 25
History in a Jar
Allesandro Volta is often cited as the inventor of the first battery.
Called the voltaic pile, it was a stacked cylinder of alternating
circles of copper and zinc. Brine-soaked cardboard was
sandwiched between the metal disks. It is commonly described
as the first device to deliver a steady and reliable current of
electricity, developed around 1800.
Since then we have seen the development of many other
batteries, from dry cells to lead acid batteries, to nickel cadmium,
and lithium ion batteries. We may think of them as being fairly
recent inventions. But there is evidence of what some consider
to be the true first battery, from about 250 BCE in what is now
known as Iraq. The Baghdad Battery or Parthian Battery relied
Alessandro Volta, credited with the invention
of the first battery
on an acidic liquid (such as lemon juice or fermented grape juice)
surrounding an iron rod. The rod was housed inside a cylindrical
sheet of copper. The chemical reaction of the mildly acidic liquid and the metals produced a slight charge,
approximately 1.1 volts (recognize that name of that unit of measure?). The copper chamber was housed
in a ceramic jar, and asphalt plugged the top around the iron rod.
Some scientists speculate that this battery was used in the
electroplating process, and could be used to fuse a layer of gold or
silver over other metals. Skeptical archaeologists argue that if this
were in fact the use of these jars, there would be some reference
to it in the writings of the Parthians. Regardless of the reason
for making the jars, it is doubtful, based on other aspects of the
Parthian culture, that they had an understanding of electric current
and generating and storing it, as we do now.
One of the marvelous aspects of looking at the history of science
is that we might never know the answers to some of our questions.
The ancient Greeks noticed that when they rubbed a piece of amber,
other light weight things might cling to it. Their word for amber
was elektron and is the root of our word electricity. But did they
understand or make use of the electrostatic phenomenon they observed? We can only regard the relics and
writings of these ancient cultures and make guesses about people’s understandings based on them.
We often assume that our technological inventions originate out of the ratcheting industrial movement
in Europe and the U.S., and that it is people of European descent who make these invaluable discoveries.
When we investigate further, however, we are likely to find the roots of our own technological know-how
reach much longer ago and farther across the globe, to much older civilizations.
SYNERGY LEARNING
INTERNATIONAL, INC.
PO Box 60, Brattleboro, VT 05302
Connect
™
Volume 24 • Issue 2
November • December 2010
Innovations in K–8 Science, Math, and Technology