MAGNIFICENT MAGNETS
Standards of Learning
K.3 The students will investigate and understand that
magnets have an effect on some materials, make some
things move without touching them, and have useful
applications.
Key concepts include attraction/non attraction,
push/pull, attract/repel, and metal/nonmetal; and useful
applications (refrigerator magnet, can opener,
magnetized screwdriver).
2.2 The student will investigate and understand that
natural and artificial magnets have certain
characteristics and attract specific types of metals.
Key concepts include magnetism iron, magnetic/nonmagnetic, opposites, poles,
attract/repel, and important applications including the magnetic compass.
Background Information
1. A magnet is an object that can push or pick up materials made of iron,
steel, or nickel. A magnet is made of these same materials.
2. Objects that are attracted by magnets have similar properties.
3. Every magnet has two places where its strength is concentrated.
4. A magnet that is free to turn will come to rest with its poles aligned in a
north-south direction.
5. Unlike poles of a magnet attract each other. Like poles of a magnet repel
each other.
6. A magnet can be made from a steel object by striking it with a magnet.
7. Once magnetized, a piece of steel can remain magnetized indefinitely.
8. A magnetic compass consists mainly of a freely turning magnet.
9. All magnets, and thus all compasses, have a north-south seeking pole.
10. A magnetic compass works because the earth itself is a magnet: the
compass magnet interacts with the earth-magnet.
Setting the Stage
Prior to this lesson, the students have explored objects that are attracted to magnets
around the classroom. We have made lists with their prior knowledge about magnets,
items in the class that were attracted to magnets, and objects in the classroom that were
not attracted to the magnets. We have discussed key terms such as: attract, repel, and
poles.
Activity: Exploring A Magnet's Strength
Concept:
Magnets can be a variety of sizes, shapes, and strengths.
Objective:
The student will investigate and understand that magnets can be a variety of sizes, shapes,
and strengths.
Materials:
* bar magnets
* circular magnets
* horseshoe magnets
* regular refrigerator magnet
* paper clips
* sheets of loose leaf paper
* pieces of cloth
* pieces of wax paper
* pieces of aluminum foil
* chart developed by teacher
* pencil to record data
Instructions:
1. Dicuss the background information at the beginning of the lesson with the
students. Talk about what the students will be exploring during this lesson. Divide
the students into small groups. (Approximately 3 to 4 students per group.)Pass out
a small box of paper clips and one of each kind of magnet to each group. Before
beginning the activity have the students listen carefully to instructions.
2. On the worksheet provided, have each student predict how many paper clips each
magnet will pick up.
3. After making their predictions, have each group put their paper clips in a pile.
One magnet at a time, hold the magnet over the pile of paper clips to see how
many will be attracted.
4. Once the magnet has picked up the paper clips, move the magnet away from the
pile and pull each paper clip off the magnet as you them. Record the number of
paper clips it lifted in the chart under the appropriate magnet.
5. Once each group has repeated this with each magnet, discuss/compare the results
each group had as a class. Which magnet picked up the least amount of paper
clips? Which magnet picked up the most paper clips? Which magnet is the
strongest? Which magnet was the weakest? Was the biggest magnet the strongest?
6. Pass out the remaining supplies.
7. Allow the students to explore to discover through what materials their magnets
will still pick up paper clips. Try every material with each magnet. Record the
number of paper clips the magnet picked up wrapped in the different materials.
8. Discuss the students' findings. Did the magnet still work through the various
materials? Did the number of paper clips the magnet picked up change? If so, by
how many for each material?
Extensions
Have each group graph the data they collected. Present the graph and their findings to the
class.
Have students bring in refrigerator magnets from home. Test the magnets by picking up
paper clips to see who has the strongest magnet.
Put a paper clip in an empty glass jar. Use a magnet to move the paper clip around in the
jar. Fill the jar with water. What will happen now?
Explore moving paper clips around on the tops of the desks using different magnets. Will
all of the magnets work through the desk?
Look for books on magnets in the library. Have each student find at least one fact about
magnets and present that fact to the class.
Evaluation
Pre-Test
1. A magnet will pick up a _______________.
A. paper clip
B. piece of wood
C. piece of chalk
D. shoe
2. Magnets should not be put near _____________.
A. desks
B. books
C. computers
D. pencils
3. The two ends of a bar magnet are called the ______.
A. rods
B. poles
C. backs
D. ends
4. Like poles __________.
A. attract
B. repel
C. do nothing
D. stick together
5. You can find a magnet in _____________.
A. a rocking chair
B. a pencil
C. a picture
D. an electric can opener
Post-Test
1. The magnet that picked up the most paper clips (the strongest)was ______________.
A. the bar magnet
B. the horseshoe magnet
C. the circle magnet
D. the piece of wood
2. A magnet is the strongest _____________.
A. in the middle
B. all over
C. at the poles
D. on the front
3. If you wrap a magnet in cloth, the magnet will __________.
A. repel the paper clips
B. become warm
C. attract paper clips
D. become cold
4. The weaker magnet picks up ______________.
A. the most paper clips
B. the least paper clips
C. 100 paper clips
D. pencils
5. If you put the North and South poles together the magnets will __________.
A. repel
B. freeze
C. start to smoke
D. attract
References
Magnets
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/298AmazingMags.htm
This site is an entire unit on magnets. It contains 11 lesson plans that are great for
elementary teachers. All of these lessons use simple materials that are easily found in any
classroom.
Magnets
http://www.coreknowledge.org/CKproto2/resrcs/lessons/298Magnetism.htm
This is a three-week unit designed to give students experiences with magnets and
magnetism. Students will examine the interaction of matter with the energy stored in
magnetic fields. The students begin by investigating the effects of magnets on familiar
magnetic and nonmagnetic materials.
The exploration continues to consider the effects of the earth's magnetic field on freely
suspended
materials. Students will learn about the Earth's magnetic field and how this relates to a
compass.
Core Unit: Magnets
http://www.sasked.gov.sk.ca/docs/elemsci/gr2ubesc.html
In this unit students perform a variety of activities to learn about magnets. They
determine the kinds
of objects which are attracted to a magnet. Other related experiences allow students to
discover that there are two poles on a magnet, and that those poles have either attractive
or repulsive effects on the
pole of a second magnet.
Magnets
http://www.uen.org/utahlink/lp_res/TRB031.html
This site from the Utah State Office of Education provides background information on
magnets and lesson plans for seven student activities. Throughout the unit students will
determine the effects of magnets on objects in the environment.
Bill Nye - Magnetism
http://nyelabs.kcts.org/teach/episodeguides/eg21.html
This site is an online guide to the Bill Nye The Science Guy episode on magnetism.
Included are descriptions of magnetism, some fast facts, and book ideas for teachers.
VanCleave's, Janice, Magnets: Mind-boggling Experiments You can Turn Into Science
Fair Projects, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, 1993.
This book contains a lot of hands on experiences elementary students can do to learn and
experiment with magnets. All of the directions are very easy to follow and there are also
extensions with each experiment.