First Grade: Unit 3 ‐ Magnetism magnetic field attraction repulsion Background Information for the Teacher: All substances display some measure of magnetic properties though most are too slight to be measured except by highly sophisticated scientific equipment. Several metallic elements such as iron, nickel, and cobalt display magnetic properties strong enough to be considered magnetic. Alloys of these metals also tend to have magnetic properties strong enough to measure easily. Not all metals are magnetic, such as copper, aluminum, or brass. There are two basic characteristics of magnets: the attraction/repulsion of their poles and their ability to interact with magnetic objects through many materials. Magnetism is a force that is non‐
contact, meaning the magnet does not need to touch an object to exert a force, and is invisible, so it can only be observed by its effects on other objects. Magnets have an invisible field that forces other objects to react to its properties. This powerful force is called the magnetic field. Magnetic fields have particles called electrons that actively shift and move within the field. These electrons continuously revolve around the core of the magnet (its poles), creating energy that attracts objects. Because of this, magnets have the ability to draw objects towards themselves. This ability is called magnetism, caused by the force field that magnets create through its electrons (negatively charged) and protons (positively charged). The magnetic field that defines the magnet’s strength is strongest at its poles. These poles are at the ends of bar magnets and on the flat sides of ring magnets. If two magnets are placed facing each other with like magnetic poles together, they will repel or repulse each other. If the magnets are facing each other with opposite poles together, they will attract each other. The forces of push and pull are termed as attraction and repulsion when discussing magnetic fields. While these opposite movements seem to be two different types of magnetic force they are actually just different behaviors of the same force. Magnetic fields can pass easily through many materials, attracting objects and attracting or repulsing other magnets. The peoples of the ancient world discovered the magnetic force because certain rocks and minerals are magnetic in their natural state. Materials which retain their magnetism independently of their surroundings are called hard, or permanent, magnets. Magnetic forces always exist between permanent magnets. In addition, permanent magnets exert forces on certain other materials, such as iron, which by themselves do not act magnetic. Materials which can be attracted to magnets but which are not themselves permanent magnets are called soft, or temporary, magnets. This distinguishes them from nonmagnetic substances such as wood. Soft magnets can be magnetic and can act like magnets only when they are in the presence of a permanent magnet. Some soft magnets such as iron can be made into hard magnets. One way is to roll or hammer a hot piece of the soft magnet into a needle shape and then to place it next to a hard magnet as it cools. 
Magnets are objects that produce an area of magnetic force called a magnetic field. 
Magnetic fields by themselves are invisible to the human eye. 
Iron filings can be used to show magnetic fields created by magnets. 
Magnets only attract certain types of metals; other materials such as glass, plastic and wood aren't attracted. 
A magnet has two ends called poles, one of which is called a north pole or north‐seeking pole, while the other is called a south pole or south‐seeking pole. 
The north pole of one magnet attracts the south pole of a second magnet, while the north pole of one magnet repels the other magnet's North Pole. This creates the common saying: like poles repel, unlike poles attract. 
A magnet creates an invisible area of magnetism all around it called a magnetic field. 
The north pole of a magnet points roughly toward Earth's North Pole and vice‐versa. That's because Earth itself contains magnetic materials and behaves like a gigantic bar magnet. 
If you cut a bar magnet in half, two brand new, smaller magnets, each with its own north and south pole, will be created. 
If you run a magnet a few times over an unmagnetized piece of a magnetic material, such as a pair of scissors, you can convert it into a magnet as well. This is called magnetization. Activity 1: Show the students the following pictures. Ask them to describe the objects in each picture as completely as possible. As the students are discussing the pictures, record their dictation, making sure the students can clearly see what you are writing. Copy what they say word for word; do not rephrase anything that they say. Tell them that the pictures were taken as part of journal writing called a diary. Diaries are used to tell about the daily lives of people. People write down the events of the day and tell how they felt about what happened. These pictures are part of the diary of a student who lives on a farm. Ask students to make guesses about how the pictures might go together. What event might happen first? What next? Encourage students to tell how the pictures might relate to each other and tell a story. Begin to develop the students’ discussion into a diary‐entry format. Start with a sentence like, “Dear Diary,
My mom says it will be a very interesting day on the farm tomorrow!? She
showed me these pictures as clues but won’t tell me what is going to happen. I
think the day might go like this...”
Allow the students to continue the story, involving the people in the picture as characters. Prompt them with sequencing and possible events that include as many descriptions of sounds as appropriate. Once the story is completed, read it to the students in entirety. After modeling fluency, have them read the text orally and silently. This will help them develop fluency. Activity 2: Student Handout 1 Reread the story created in Activity 1. Tell the students they are going to do some research on one of the pictures. Ask students to consider the chart below. Knowledge Rating Scale Word I can draw it. I can tell you about it. I can give examples of it. Magnet Attract Repulse Have the students work independently on the Knowledge Rating Scale for the first part of the session. After most have finished, discuss each word to check for understanding. Show the students the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak8Bh9Zka50 Generate discussion that allows the students to review the examples of magnetism, attract, and repulse in the video. After they complete the chart, have the whole group come up with a child‐friendly definition for each word. Discuss how the words might be used in the student’s own experiences. Put the definitions on the board or word wall where students can refer to them throughout the unit. Activity 3: Student Handout 2: Cow Magnets and 3: Paragraph Tell the students they are going to continue researching the diary entry they created in Activity 1. Show them the following chart. Cow Magnets Word Before Reading After Reading Discussion
Cylindrical Grazer Iron Staples Internal Ask students to talk about each word before they read about it. Record their responses in the BEFORE READING column. Do not correct or amplify the student responses. After the BEFORE READING column is complete, ask students to follow along as you read the paragraph below. Model fluency by using voice inflection and smoothness as you read. When finished, ask students to look at the second column of the chart: AFTER READING. Encourage students to add to their charts based on the context clues in the reading. Show students how to relate words to each other to draw meaning. For example: iron and magnet are related because magnets are only attracted to iron objects. Complete the activity by discussing each word, finding it in the paragraph, and adding to the last column of the chart. Students may use illustrations, diagrams, and examples to clarify meaning. Student Handout 3
This 3" long cylindrical shaped magnet may look like a toy but it has a very important job to do. In fact, you could say
this is a magnet that’s very moo-vable, because it works inside a cow!
This special magnet is called a cow magnet and is used as a tool to protect the lives of cows. Cows are grazers,
which means they eat a variety of grasses, grains, and other plants. Hay is grown in large fields to provide food for
cattle in the winter, when snow on the ground makes grazing difficult. The hay is cut, dried, and then formed into
bales held together with wire. These bales are then stacked in barns or sheds and fed to the animals throughout the
cold weather. But the areas where cows feed and the hay that’s grown there can have everything from grass and dirt
to nails, staples, and bits of bailing wire mixed in. As the cow swallows the grass and grain, these foreign items are
swallowed too.( A cow doesn’t have fingers to remove the items from its food so down they go.) A cow has 4
compartments in its stomach, and if the sharp iron objects work their way through the cow’s internal system they can
cause all kinds of problems. The wires and staples can pierce the cow’s internal organs, causing bleeding and
infection, and can travel through the digestive system threatening the surrounding vital organs, causing irritation and
inflammation, and even death. The cow loses its appetite, and can’t produce milk or continue to grow. To solve this
problem, veterinarians use cow magnets. The smooth cylindrical shape of the magnet makes it easy for the cow to
swallow. The magnet is too big to travel through the other stomach compartments of the cow so lodges in the first
stomach. Once there, it attracts the stray bits and pieces of metal the cow swallows with its food, and doesn’t allow
them to go further into the body. The magnet holds the metal pieces in place until they can be removed.
Activity 4: Reread the diary entry created in Activity 1. Explain to the students that they will create the next day’s diary entry
based on the research they have done. Begin by having the students brainstorm everything they have learned about
magnets and the attraction and repulsion of objects. Encourage them to match their learning to each picture shown
in Activity 1. How can they use the words to describe what is happening in each picture? Create as detailed
description as possible for each scene in the pictures. When that is complete, have students sequence the events
and develop a diary entry in narrative form explaining the events of the day. Use it as a follow up to the first
imaginary entry.
Activity 5: Student Handout 4: Vocabulary Diagram Have students use their own words/ideas to complete the Diagram. Then have the students compare their diagrams to others in their small groups, adding to their diagrams as they gather new information. Draw some objects that are attracted to magnets here. Draw a picture of magnetism here. Magnetism
Use the word REPULSION in a sentence here. Write a sentence about magnets here.
Student Handout 1 Word Magnet Attract Repulse Knowledge Rating Scale I can draw it. I can tell you about it. I can give examples of it. Student Handout 2 Cow Magnets Word Before Reading Cylindrical After Reading Discussion Grazer Iron Staples Internal Student Handout 3
This 3" long cylindrical shaped magnet may look like a toy but it has a very important job to do. In fact, you could say
this is a magnet that’s very moo-vable, because it works inside a cow!
This special magnet is called a cow magnet and is used as a tool to protect the lives of cows. Cows are grazers,
which means they eat a variety of grasses, grains, and other plants. Hay is grown in large fields to provide food for
cattle in the winter, when snow on the ground makes grazing difficult. The hay is cut, dried, and then formed into
bales held together with wire. These bales are then stacked in barns or sheds and fed to the animals throughout the
cold weather. But the areas where cows feed and the hay that’s grown there can have everything from grass and dirt
to nails, staples, and bits of bailing wire mixed in. As the cow swallows the grass and grain, these foreign items are
swallowed too.( A cow doesn’t have fingers to remove the items from its food so down they go.) A cow has 4
compartments in its stomach, and if the sharp iron objects work their way through the cow’s internal system they can
cause all kinds of problems. The wires and staples can pierce the cow’s internal organs, causing bleeding and
infection, and can travel through the digestive system threatening the surrounding vital organs, causing irritation and
inflammation, and even death. The cow loses its appetite, and can’t produce milk or continue to grow. To solve this
problem, veterinarians use cow magnets. The smooth cylindrical shape of the magnet makes it easy for the cow to
swallow. The magnet is too big to travel through the other stomach compartments of the cow so lodges in the first
stomach. Once there, it attracts the stray bits and pieces of metal the cow swallows with its food, and doesn’t allow
them to go further into the body. The magnet holds the metal pieces in place until they can be removed.
Student Handout 4 Draw a picture of magnetism here.
Draw some objects that are attracted to magnets here. Magnetism
Write a sentence about magnets here.
Use the word REPULSTION in a sentence here.