Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Ohio Standards
Connection
Fine Arts - Dance
Creative Expression and
Communication
Benchmark A
Improvise, create and
perform movement phrases
with concentration and
kinesthetic awareness.
Indicator 1
Perform locomotor and
nonlocomotor movements,
with the ability to start,
change, stop and balance.
Benchmark B
Use the elements of dance
to create a mood or express
an idea in a dance study.
Indicator 2
Perform a memorized
movement phrase.
Benchmark C
Invent multiple solutions to
movement problems
varying space, time and
energy.
Indicator 3
Perform movement that
emphasis time and energy.
Connections,
Relationships and
Applications
Benchmark A
Relate ideas and concepts
from the arts and other
content areas to expressive
movement.
Lesson Summary:
In this interdisciplinary lesson, students explore movement
and make dances to demonstrate the properties of attraction
and repulsion found in and outside of a magnetic field.
Students discuss their experiences and write about them in
personal journals.
Estimated Duration: Six 45-minute sessions.
Commentary:
Dance and science may not appear to be related at first
glance, yet these two disciplines share similar force
relationships. This lesson compares basic concepts and
skills used in dance making, such as moving the body over
space and time, to types of magnetic energy illustrating the
magnetic relationship of attraction and repulsion. This
lesson is designed for co-teaching dance concepts through
science.
Pre-Assessment:
Have students discuss what they know about magnets.
Record their responses on chart paper for all to view. Pose
the following questions:
• When you hear the word magnet, what comes to
mind?
• Where and on what objects do magnets stick?
• Name some objects to which magnets do not stick.
• How do magnets stick to things?
• Do you have any magnets at home? Where?
• Why do you use magnets? Why do other people use
magnets?
• Do magnets make your life easier? How? How does
using magnets contribute to the world?
Lead a physical warm-up by demonstrating simple fourbeat movement phrases and telling the students to repeat
the movements. This is known as call and response.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Indicator 2
Improvise dance
movements in response to
an idea or concept from a
content area outside the
arts (e.g., mathematics—
subtraction or reading—
parts of a story).
Science
Physical Sciences
Benchmark B
Recognize that light, sound
and objects move in
different ways.
Indicator 5
Explore the effects some
objects have on others even
when the two objects might
not touch (e.g., magnets).
Scientific Inquiry
Benchmark A
Ask a testable question.
Indicator 1
Ask “what-happens-when”
questions.
Indicator 2
Explore and pursue
student-generated “whathappens-when” questions.
Pre-Assessment: (Continued)
Warm-ups include stretching, bending, walking, jogging and
pausing. Ask students if they know other ways to stretch,
bend, walk and jog. Give them time to improvise and explore
the concepts of motion, stillness, repetition, sequence and
tempo within this warm-up structure.
Scoring Guidelines:
The pre-assessment guiding questions and warm-up activities
invite students to think about the world of magnets and get
them ready for exploring and sharing ideas within the medium
of dance. The questions show what students know about
magnets from personal experience and allow them to think
about why magnets are important in the world. Observe their
abilities to explore basic concepts through movement and
demonstrate concentration when dancing with you.
Post-Assessment:
Students use dance patterns, such as locomotor and
nonlocomotor movements, to demonstrate dance as a method
for exploring scientific concepts. Students create, perform and
share dance-making processes and discuss both improvised
and choreographed dances that depict magnetic attraction,
repulsion and force-field activity.
Scoring Guidelines:
Attachment A, Final Magnetic Dance Rubric: Making a
Polar Attraction and Repulsion Magnetic Force Field Dance
Instructional Procedures:
Session One: What do we already know about magnets?
1. Through discussion and guiding questions, introduce the
new lesson, Magnets in Action! Ask the questions listed in
the pre-assessment section of this lesson.
2. Record student responses on the chart paper so all students
can see them and refer to them.
3. Note the quality of student responses and their abilities to
explore ideas through movement.
4. Adjust instructional procedures according to student
responses and previous experience with integrating dance
making with other subject matter concepts.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Benchmark C
Gather and communicate
information from careful
observations and simple
investigation through a
variety of methods.
Indicator 4
Work in a small group to
complete an investigation
and then share findings
with others.
Indicator 5
Create individual
conclusions about group
findings.
Indicator 8
Use oral, written and
pictorial representation to
communicate work.
Session Two: Scientific Inquiry
5. Have students predict whether magnets will stick to
various surfaces such as wood, metal or plastic. This can
be done alone or in groups.
6. Tell students to test their predictions and discuss the
outcomes, then record their findings and complete the
checklist on Attachment B, To What Objects Do Magnets
Stick?
7. Ask students to record what they found out about
magnets, including to which surfaces magnets stick, in
their personal journals using pictures and words to
describe their discoveries.
Session Three: Exploring Body Parts in Movement
Exploration and Dance Making
8. Direct students to find a place in the general dance space
where they can move freely without touching anyone or
anything. Have them explore movement combinations
with different body parts such as stretching and shrinking,
near and far, close and far away, above and below, and
around and through. Have them try these combinations
simultaneously, successively and in isolation. Tell
students to:
• Move their hands toward and away from one another;
• Move their knees toward and away from each another;
• Move one hand and one knee toward and away from
the other hand and knee; Ask them what other body
parts they can move together and apart. Their
combinations could include hand and foot, ear and
shoulder, head and hand or hip and elbow.
9. Invite students to share their movement ideas with the rest
of the class by saying, “Demonstrate your movements for
close and far away.” “What movements did you use?”
“What comes next?” “How does it end?”
10. Have students point out the body parts that they used to
illustrate the concepts of close and far away.
11. Have students discuss favorite combinations of
movements, indicating the body parts used.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
12. As a class, generate a list of key words used in the activity for students to use in journal
writing.
13. At the end of class, tell students to write and draw in their journals.
Instructional Tip:
Key words include: body parts, hands, elbows, knees, shoulders, head, feet, still, together,
apart, pattern and focus. Extend this list as students begin to describe and draw in their
journals and offer new words.
Session Three: Scientific Inquiry and Magnet Play
14. Tell students to sit in small groups at tables or on the floor. Give each group a few
magnets labeled N for north and S for south.
15. Ask them to experiment and discuss what happens when similar and opposite poles of
magnets are placed near one another.
16. Record each group’s discoveries and ask the groups to describe the magnets’ actions.
17. Generate a list of key words that students can refer to in journal writing.
18. At end of class, instruct students to write and draw in their journals about their
experiences with magnets.
Session Four: Exploring the Temporal, Spatial and Dynamic Elements in Movement
Exploration and Dance Making
19. Direct students to find a place in the general dance space where they can move freely
without touching anyone or anything.
20. Lead a warm-up that reviews dance and science concepts such as towards (attract) and
away (repel) by moving different body parts or different directions such as forwards,
backwards, sideways, up, down and diagonally. Also, encourage students to try different
levels, such as high, middle and low, and different dynamics, such as strong, light,
bouncy, stiff, gliding and percussive.
21. Have students recall and practice movement patterns from the previous session. Remind
them to use different body part combinations, level changes, dynamics and durations.
22. Have students sequence the movement patterns this way: together and apart, together and
apart, or ABAB compositional form.
Instructional Tip:
Have students explore the duration of their movements or sequence of movements. For
example, tell them to move one elbow and one knee towards each other to touch in a very
slow way. Then, tell them to move their elbows and knees apart very quickly. Repeat this
sequence several times. Ask students to notice the pathway and distance they travel.
23. Have students create movement patterns using two actions that move body parts together
and two actions that move body parts apart. Ask students to change levels for spatial
contrast and imaginative play.
24. Invite each group to select and practice variations on the temporal and spatial dance
elements and to make cooperative decisions on the duration, level and pathway for each
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
action sequence.
25. Have student groups share their dance patterns with the rest of the class. At the end of
each dance, ask student what they observed about the movements that represent
attraction, repulsion, duration and spatial intent.
26. Ask students to speculate about what the dance pattern means or tells them.
27. Introduce the role of choreographers and the decisions they make about time, space and
effort. Explain that those decisions shape the dance and its meaning.
28. As a class, generate a list of key words that students can refer to in journal writing. 25.
Tell students to write and draw in their journals.
Session Five: Scientific Terms: Attract, Repel and Magnetic Force Field
29. Review the magnet experiment with the students.
30. Define the scientific terms “attract,” “repel” and “magnetic force field,” and discuss how
the students’ discoveries about magnets relate to the dance patterns created by each small
group.
31. Tell students to draw and label pictures in their journals of two magnets repelling and two
magnets attracting.
Session Six: Making a Polar Attraction and Repulsion Magnetic Force Field Dance
32. Explain that the relationship between north and south poles changes once they are within
a magnetic force field. Ask for any questions or comments.
33. Have students dance together using various combinations of body parts to represent
magnets in action.
34. Tell students that they are responsible for making a dance that represents attraction and
repulsion inside and outside a magnetic force field.
35. Have students improvise by:
• Taking shapes that represent how far away from one another they can be;
• Moving slowly together until they enter an imaginary magnetic force field;
• Showing how polar attraction happens when opposite poles face one another.
36. Hand out Attachment C, Student Checklist for Magnet Dances. Take turns reading the
statements aloud so everyone knows the expectations.
37. Tell the students to work in their same small groups to make a magnetic force field dance
using body parts, duration and space combinations that represent magnetic attraction and
repulsion. Ask students to use the following structure and change tempo, direction,
pathways and levels throughout the dance:
• First, show the concept of repel or a dance movement pattern that moves like poles
far away from one another;
• Second, show a dance movement pattern that slowly moves the opposite poles
together until they are in your imaginary magnetic force field;
• Third, move to show how they repel when same poles are facing each other.
38. Have students practice this dance sequence several times. Have them concentrate on the
dance movement patterns that illustrate an ABAB composition structure– repel, attract,
repel and attract.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
39. Have students rehearse their dance patterns and share them with the rest of the class. At
the end of each dance, students sit together facing one another to exchange thoughts on
what they saw and learned.
Differentiated Instructional Support:
Instruction is differentiated according to learner needs, to help all learners either meet the
intent of the specified indicators or, if the indicator is already met, to advance beyond the
specified indicators.
• Some students may find it easier to express what they are learning visually rather than
verbally.
• Some students may need more time and help to explore each part of the lesson including
body part identification, movement patterns and vocabulary.
Extension:
• Have students create and perform original dances that include key concepts learned about
magnets.
• Have students share in pictorial or verbal form the movements and creative choices in the
original dance as they relate to the study of magnets.
• Let students explore how magnets attract and repel through different materials such as
sand and stone, water and ice, a solid table or air.
Home Connections:
• Have students and family members explore how magnets make life easier at home.
• Tell students to make lists of things magnets stick to in their homes.
• Have students share movement patterns with family members.
Materials and Resources:
The inclusion of a specific resource in any lesson formulated by the Ohio Department of
Education should not be interpreted as an endorsement of that resource, or any of its
contents, by the Ohio Department of Education. The Ohio Department of Education does not
endorse any particular resource. The Web addresses listed are for a given site’s main page;
therefore, it may be necessary to search within that site to find the specific information
required for a given lesson. Please note that information published on the Internet changes
over time; therefore, the links provided may not longer contain the information related to a
given lesson. Teachers are advised to preview all sites before using them with students.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Note: Some Web sites contain material that is protected by copyright. Teachers should
ensure that any use of material from the Web does not infringe upon the content owner’s
copyright.
For the teacher:
sets of magnets with labeled poles (N and S); a large clear,
clean, space in which students can move freely
For the student:
journal and writing utensils; loose, comfortable clothing
Vocabulary:
• ABAB
• attract
• attraction
• away
• cooperative
• dance making
• dynamics
• effort
• focus
• force
• isolation
• magnetic force field
• motion
• pathway
• pattern
• repel
• repulsion
• simultaneous
• stillness
• succession
• toward
Technology Connections:
Students may choose to use the Internet to search Web sites for information on magnets.
Research Connections:
Arter, Judith, and Jay McTighe,. Scoring Rubrics in the Classroom: Using Performance
Criteria for Assessing and Improving Student Performance. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Press, 2001.
Bucek, Loren E. “Constructing a Child-Centered Dance Curriculum.” Dance Dynamics
Series--Dance Education K-12: Theory into Practice. Journal for Health, Physical
Education, Recreation and Dance. (1992) November – December, 39-42, 48.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Burke, Jim. Tools for Thought: Graphic Organizers for Your Classroom. Portsmouth, NH:
Heinemann, 2002.
Cawletti, Gordon. Handbook of Research on Improving Student Achievement. Arlington, VA:
Educational Research Service, 1999.
Dyson, A. H. Social Worlds of Children Learning to Write in Urban Primary Schools. New
York: Teachers College Press, 1993.
Edelson, Daniel C., Douglas N. Gordin, and Roy D. Pea. “Addressing the Challenges of
Inquiry-based Learning, Technology and Curriculum Design.” Journal of the Learning, 8
(2-4) (1999): 391-450.
Gardner, Howard. Frames of Mind: The Theory of Multiple Intelligences. New York: Basic
Books, Inc., 1988.
Lave, John, and Etienne Wenger. Situated Learning: Legitimate Peripheral Participation.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1990.
Novak, Joseph. D. “The Theory Underlying Concept Maps and How To Construct Them.”
Institute for Human & Machine Cognition. University of West Florida, 19 December
2003. http://cmap.coginst.uwf.edu/info/
Stiggins, Richard, J. Student-Involved Classroom Assessment. Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Merrill Prentice Hall, 2001.
General Tips:
• Use a large general dance space so students have plenty of room to move.
• Establish a cooperative working environment where all students feel comfortable sharing
movement patterns without being ridiculed or teased by other students. It is the teacher’s
responsibility to ensure that the students support each other and respect each others’
opinions.
• Prepare trays of magnets and objects ahead of time. Label the north and south poles.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Attachments:
Attachment A, Final Magnetic Dance Rubric: Making a Polar Attraction and Repulsion
Magnetic Force Field Dance
Attachment B, To What Objects Do Magnets Stick?
Attachment C, Student Checklist for Magnet Dances
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Attachment A
Final Magnetic Dance Rubric
Making a Polar Attraction and Repulsion Magnetic Force Field Dance
Versions of this rubric may be used throughout the lesson to assess what students already know and what they
have yet to learn; adjust accordingly.
Criteria
Performing
Improvises dance
movement to
explore the
magnetic concepts
of attract and repel.
4- Exemplary
Consistently
demonstrates the
ability to create
appropriate,
interesting
movements to
explore the
concepts of attract
and repel.
3- Proficient
Demonstrates the
ability to create
general
movements to
explore the
concepts of attract
and repel.
2- Basic
Demonstrates the
ability to explore
movements with
some association
to the concepts.
1- Limited
Movements are
predictable and
have little or no
relationship to the
concepts.
Performing
Uses dance
elements in
improvisation
and structured
dance patterns.
Consistently
demonstrates the
ability to use dance
elements to create
defined shapes and
dance patterns.
Improvisations are
striking and
creative.
Consistently
chooses interesting
movements that
relate to and
effectively define
the magnetic
concepts.
Demonstrates the
ability to use dance
elements to create
shapes and dance
patterns
Improvisations use
1 or 2 dance
elements. Shapes
and dance patterns
may not be clearly
defined.
Improvisation
attempts show
little or no
relationship to
dance elements.
Chooses
movements that
relate to and define
both magnetic
concepts.
Choice of
movements relate
to at least one of
the concepts.
Movement choices
have little or no
relationship to the
magnetic concepts.
Science concepts
and dance
vocabulary are
accurately and
appropriately used
in oral, written or
visual responses.
Descriptions are
vivid and detailed.
Frequently
volunteers
thoughtful ideas
and reacts to the
dances of others
with insightful
comments.
Science concepts
and dance
vocabulary are
accurately and
appropriately used
in responses.
Uses either science
concepts or dance
vocabulary in an
acceptable way in
oral, written or
visual responses.
Responses are
minimal and rarely
use science
concepts or dance
vocabulary with
clarity.
Volunteers good
ideas and helpful
comments in
discussions and
when reacting to
the dances of
others.
Attempts to
participate in
discussions and
react to the dances
of others.
Shows little or no
motivation or
interest in class
discussions.
Performing
Demonstrates
magnetic concepts
through the choice
of movement.
Responding
Statements and
drawings
demonstrate
understanding of
science concepts
and dance
vocabulary.
Responding
Contributes to
ideas and feedback
when discussing
the dances of
others.
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Attachment B
To What Objects Do Magnets Stick ?
Name __________________________________
Date:________________
Directions: Alone or in small groups, answer the following questions:
1. List three objects that you will test with magnets.
a.
b.
c.
2. Predict if each magnet will stick or not stick to the object.
Write yes if you predict a magnet will stick to the object.
Write no if you predict a magnet will not stick to the object.
3. Test your predictions and record your findings.
Object:
(For example)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Prediction:
Will the magnet
stick to this
object?
(yes or no)
Findings:
Did the magnet
stick to this
object?
(yes or no)
Your desk or table
A file cabinet
A plastic object
another magnet
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Opposites Attract: Magnets in Action!
Grade One - Interdisciplinary Lesson
Attachment C
Student Checklist for Magnet Dances
Making a Polar Attraction and Repulsion Magnetic Force Field Dance
Note: This checklist includes key words that students learn as they progress through the
lesson. This checklist is intended to encourage student self-assessment.
Name: _________________________________ Date: ______________________
____ My dance has a still beginning shape.
____ My dance shows body parts attracting.
____ My dance shows body parts repelling each other.
____ My dance shows the magnetic force field. How? Explain.
____ My dance has a pattern of repel, attract, repel, attract.
____ (Or I created my own pattern _______, ______, _______, _______ ).
____My dance has a still ending shape.
____ I am on task.
I learned:
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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