Magnetic Personality
Resource ID#: 29684
Primary Type: Lesson Plan
This document was generated on CPALMS - www.cpalms.org
Through teacher demonstrations and lab type investigations done in rotations, students will explore magnets, magnetic materials, magnetic fields,
and electromagnets.
Subject(s): English Language Arts, Science
Grade Level(s): 4
Intended Audience: Educators
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet
Connection, Probes for Data Collection, Microsoft Office
Instructional Time: 1 Hour(s) 30 Minute(s)
Freely Available: Yes
Keywords: magnet, magnetism, magnetic field, electromagnet, repel, attract, compass, electricity, gravity,
Instructional Component Type(s): Lesson Plan,
magnetic materials, poles, iron, nickel, cobalt
Problem-Solving Task
Instructional Design Framework(s): Learning Cycle (e.g., 5E)
Resource Collection: CPALMS Lesson Plan Development Initiative
ATTACHMENTS
Magnetic Personalities Lab Sheet.doc
Magnetic Personalities Stations.doc
PROBE Magnets.doc
LESSON CONTENT
Lesson Plan Template: Learning Cycle (5E Model)
Learning Objectives: What will students know and be able to do as a result of this lesson?
The students will investigate and describe that magnets can attract magnetic materials and attract and repel other magnets.
Prior Knowledge: What prior knowledge should students have for this lesson?
Students should have some prior knowledge regarding the following topics:
What is a compass?
The difference between nickel (mineral) and nickel (coin).
Difference between a solid, liquid, and a gas.
Vocabulary: attract and repel
Note: Answers are provided within the Explain section of this lesson.
Guiding Questions: What are the guiding questions for this lesson?
1. What is magnetism?
2. What are some of the differences between a magnet and magnetic materials?
3. What is a magnetic field?
4. Do materials "stick" to magnets or are they drawn to them by a force?
5. How are magnetism and electricity related?
6. Are all metals magnetic?
7. Can you give any other examples of materials that are magnetic?
page 1 of 5 Note: Answers to these questions are provided within the Explain section of this lesson.
Engage: What object, event, or questions will the teacher use to trigger the students' curiosity and engage them in the concepts?
Probe: "Magnetic Personality?" The teacher will give the students the probe and tell them they have ten minutes to complete it. The students will answer the questions
in pairs (shoulder or face partners), and may debate or give each other reasons why they feel they are correct, but the teacher will not provide any information or
answers. After ten minutes, the teacher will ask the students to turn their papers over and save them for later.
Explore: What will the students do to explore the concepts and skills being developed through the lesson?
Before beginning the Explore portion of the lesson, teachers should:
remind the students of science rules for rotations
provide a brief overview of each station, to ensure that all directions are clear
allow students time to ask questions for further clarification before they begin
place groups at each station and the groups will rotate approximately every 10 minutes
set a timer to ensure everyone gets a chance to explore at each station.
Note: Answers and information are provided for the teacher at the end of each station explanation, however, they should not be given to the students until the very
end of the lesson during the Explain section of the 5E lesson.
Station 1: Can a magnet's pull work through a solid, liquid, and a gas?
Draw a maze on a piece of cardboard. Place a paper clip at the start of your maze and one magnet under the cardboard. Can you guide the paper clip through the
maze without touching it?
Record and explain what happened.
Place a paper clip on top of the ruler and a magnet under the ruler. Try moving the paper clip up and down the ruler. Can you move the paper clip up and down
without touching it, if the ruler is standing straight up?
Describe and record what happened.
Place the paper clip inside the beaker of water. Using a magnet, can you get the paper clip out of the water without getting your hands wet? Try it two different
ways; first keep the magnet on the outside of the beaker, then put the magnet in the water.
Teacher Notes: During your review discussion, the teacher should be sure to guide the students thinking to understand that magnets do not require air/gas to work,
and a magnet will work through a solid and a liquid.
Station 2: What is attracted to magnets?
Make predictions as to which objects will be attracted to the magnet and explain why. Items are listed on your lab sheet.
Test each item to check if your prediction was correct.
Record and explain your findings, as well as any thoughts you may have.
What other objects could you test?
Use the magnetic wand, walk around the room, make predictions as to whether or not the items you chose are magnetic or not. Test each item, and confirm your
predictions.
Explain and share your predictions and results on the lab sheet.
Answers: Only the silverware, scissors, steel nail, nut/bolt/screw, and the paper clip are magnetic. The teacher will guide the students to understand that all metal is
not magnetic. Only metals that contain iron, nickel, or cobalt will have magnetic characteristics. (steel is made from iron ore)
Station 3: Iron filings and a Magnetic Field
Warning: Be sure not to pour the iron filings directly on the magnet.
Place the magnets on the table.
Place the white piece of unlined paper prepared for you on top of the magnets.
Shake the iron filings on top of the paper.
Observe, draw, and record what you see.
Lift up the paper carefully so as not to drop the iron filings. Shift the magnets around.
Place the paper over the magnets again, shake the paper with the filings gently over the magnets.
Observe what happens.
Draw and record what you see.
Describe what you think you are seeing.
Teacher Notes: Students should have drawn the magnetic field seen by the iron filings, which is the area around the magnet that attracts or repels a magnetic object
or other magnet.
Station 4: Electromagnet
Wrap the wire tightly around the entire length of the 2 inch nail, leaving at least 6 inches of wire at each end.
Try to pick up the paper clip using the nail. Record what happens.
Now attach the battery to each end of the wire (using duct tape) so that electricity is running through the wire. Do not use your fingers to hold the wires in place.
(One end of the wire with one end of the battery…opposite end of the wire with opposite end of the battery)
Try again to pick up the paper clip. Can you pick up more than one paper clip? Record what happens.
Now try attaching another battery to see if the number of paper clips you can pick up increases. Record what happens.
Repeat the steps using the 10 inch nail. Be sure to record everything you observe.
Teacher Notes: Electromagnetism is when electricity is used to produce magnetism, but electricity is not needed for all magnets to work.
Station 5: Floating Magnets and Bumper Cars
Using the materials provided (rod and doughnut magnets), try to make the magnets float on the rod.
Describe what you did to make it work.
Why do you think it worked?
Attach bar magnets to the fronts or backs of small toy cars with masking tape.
Make sure that the magnets are attached, so that some will repel and some will attract.
page 2 of 5 Play with the cars, roll them towards each other, describe what happens.
Can you move one car without touching it?
Describe how you did it? Why did or didn't it work?
Teacher Notes: The teacher should guide students to understand that opposite poles attract, while same poles repel (push away) from each other.
Station 6: Make the needle dance
A compass needle is made of magnetic material. The Earth's north pole has a magnetic field, and the magnet in the compass is attracted to that field. So no matter
where a compass is held, the needle in the compass will point to the north.
Find north with your compass. Can you make the needle point a different direction? Yes? How? No? Why not?
Point the North end of a magnet and point it at the South end of your compass. Describe and record what happened.
Now take the South end of your magnet and at the North end of your compass. Describe and record what happened.
Why do you think the magnets can move the compass needle?
Teacher Notes: A compass needle will always point to the Earth's north magnetic pole, but will also be attracted the magnetic field that is strongest, which is why it
was attracted to your magnet.
Explain: What will the students and teacher do so students have opportunities to clarify their ideas, reach a conclusion or
generalization, and communicate what they know to others?
The teacher will review each lab station and hold an open discussion among the students to gauge their level of understanding. These are some of the important
concepts the teacher should ensure get discussed as he/she reviews each lab station through active student discussions of the results found. (also see notes under each
station)
Magnetism is a physical property.
Magnetism is a force that pulls across a distance.
Not all metals are attracted to magnets.
Objects with iron are magnetic.
A magnetic field is the area around the magnet that attracts and repels an object or other magnet.
The areas where the force of magnetism is the strongest are called the poles.
Opposite poles attract, like poles repel, or push away from each other.
Electromagnetism is when electricity is used to produce magnetism.
Magnets do not need air to work and can still pull on magnetic materials in a solid or a liquid.
A compass is made of magnetic material, so it will follow the magnetic field that is strongest.
The Earth's core has iron, so it has its own magnetic field.
Elaborate: What will the students do to apply their conceptual understanding and skills to solve a problem, make a decision,
perform a task, or make sense of new knowledge?
The students will revisit the probe by discussing with team members and making connections. (Answers: False, True, False, False, False, False, True, False, False,
False, False, Iron, scissors, steel, some screws, some nuts/bolts, nickel, paper clip, television, nail, some silverware)
Any metal that contains iron, nickel, or cobalt will be magnetic, thus some screws, nuts, bolts, and silverware will be magnetic.
The students will write a story from the perspective of a magnet. "The Ten-Day Diary of a Magnet" will talk about the properties of a magnet. The magnet can talk
about attracting items and items that they are not attracted to. Perhaps their best friend could be Mr. Iron, with an explanation as to why. He/She can talk about
having a magnetic field that reaches out to others and brings them closer, and how as a magnet, he/she has the power to make other things magnetic. Or
The student can create an advertisement titled, "The Ten Things You Need to Know About Magnets."
Summative Assessment
1. The students will draw the magnetic field of two scenarios and describe what is happening.
First scenario: The two North Poles of two different magnets facing each other.
Second scenario: The North and South Poles of 2 different magnets facing each other.
2. The students will then describe the difference between a magnet and magnetic materials.
Formative Assessment
The teacher will provide the probe "Magnetic Personality?" (attached), where students will read descriptions about magnets and magnetism and decide if the statements
are true or false. The students will then have to decide if the items presented are attracted to magnets or not. In the end, the students will have to explain their thinking
about how they think magnets work.
Feedback to Students
The teacher will monitor and facilitate the investigations done by the students as they explore the stations on magnets, magnetism, and magnetic fields.
ACCOMMODATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS
Accommodations: ELL and ESE: Pictures will be placed on the cards at each station to provide a visual of directions.
Extensions:
Make your own magnet. http://www.wikihow.com/make-a-magnet
Research magnetite.
Build a compass. http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/for_fun/MakeyourownCompass.pdf
Find the difference between our geographic and magnetic poles.
Suggested Technology: Document Camera, Internet Connection, Probes for Data Collection, Microsoft Office
Special Materials Needed:
Materials for student use:
Cardboard piece
page 3 of 5 Variety of magnets (wands, bars, horseshoes, doughnut, etc.)
paper clips
water
beaker
ruler
iron filings
aluminum foil
scissors
penny
rubber band
dime
quarter
crayon
pencil
paper
soda can (empty)
eraser
glass
screw
nut/bolt
plastic
wood
silverware
jewelry
mirror
keys
steel nail
duct tape
white paper
D size batteries
Insulated wire
Matchbox size cars
Compasses
Materials for teacher use:
see student materials
Further Recommendations: Misconceptions:
Students tend to think all metals are magnetic.
They also think magnetic materials and magnets are the same thing.
Many don't believe a magnet can work under water.
Some believe chemicals are used to make magnets.
Others believe magnets need electricity to work.
SOURCE AND ACCESS INFORMATION
Contributed by: Olga Wood
Name of Author/Source: Olga Wood
District/Organization of Contributor(s): Seminole
Is this Resource freely Available? Yes
Access Privileges: Public
License: CPALMS License - no distribution - non commercial
Related Standards
Name
LAFS.4.W.3.8:
SC.4.N.1.6:
Description
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant information from print and digital sources; take notes
and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
Keep records that describe observations made, carefully distinguishing actual observations from ideas and inferences
about the observations.
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.5: Use appropriate tools strategically and, MAFS.K12.MP.6: Attend to
precision.
Attempt reasonable answers to scientific questions and cite evidence in support.
Remarks/Examples:
* Florida Standards Connections: LAFS.4.W.3.8. Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
page 4 of 5 SC.4.N.1.4:
information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize information, and provide a list of sources.
LAFS.4.W.3.9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.
** Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.1: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them; and,
MAFS.K12.MP.2: Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
Compare the methods and results of investigations done by other classmates.
SC.4.N.1.5:
Remarks/Examples:
Florida Standards Connections: MAFS.K12.MP.6: Attend to precision.
SC.4.P.8.4:
Investigate and describe that magnets can attract magnetic materials and attract and repel other magnets.
Attached Resources
Lesson Plan
Name
Exploring Magnets:
Description
In this lesson, students observe and record their observations of magnets attracting and repelling each other and other
objects..
page 5 of 5