5th Grade Magnets and Electricity
Content Standard II: Physical
Essential Learnings:
What do students need to know and be able to do?
Big Ideas:
1. Experimental Design (observations, question, hypothesis and
design)
2. Scientific testing (conduct investigations, collect and organize
data)
3. Analysis and Conclusions (analysis trends, and conclusions)
Students will…..
Observe the interaction of permanent magnets with a variety of common
materials
Discover that magnets display forces of attraction and repulsion
4. Forces and Motion
Identify materials that are conductors and insulators
5. Sources and Properties of Energy
Create and understand the difference between simple, open, closed, parallel
and series circuits.
Essential Vocabulary:
Magnetism
Circuit
Electricity Source
Electricity receiver
Parallel Circuit
Force
Repel
Attract
Series Circuit
Electromagnet
How will we effectively teach to ensure students learn?
 Inquiry

High Yielding Instructional Strategies embedded in each investigation below
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Investigation 1: The
Force
Investigation 2: Making
Connections
Investigation 3: Advanced Investigation 4: Current
Connections
Attractions
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Essential Questions:
Essential Question:
How do magnets interact with
other objects and each other?
How can you get electricity from a
source to a receiver?
What is a series circuit?
How do you construct an
electromagnet?
Does magnetic force go through all
materials?
How does electricity flow through
a circuit?
How can we measure the force of
attraction between two magnets?
Describe how a motor circuit is
similar to a light bulb circuit, and
how is it different?
Part 1: Investigating Magnets and
Materials
Part 1: Lighting a Bulb
Part 1: Building Series Circuits
Part 1: Building an Electromagnet
Part 2: Making a Motor Run
Part 2: Building Parallel Circuits
Part 3: Finding Conductors and
Insulators
Part 3: Solving the String-of-Lights
Problem
Part 2: Changing Number of
Winds
Part 2: Investigating More Magnetic
Properties
Part 3: Breaking the Force
Part 4: Detecting the Force of
Magnetism
**Better Inquiry-see Conduct More
Force Investigations (Science
Extension in FOSS manual)
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Part 4: Investigating Mystery
Circuits
How many different ways can you
wire a parallel circuit?
How does the number of winds of
wire around a core affect the
strength of the magnetism?
How can the strength of an
electromagnet be changed?
**Better Inquiry-see Build a
Flashlight and Make a Burglar Alarm
(Science Extension in FOSS manual)
Part 3: Investigation More
Electromagnets
**Better Inquiry-see Detect
Magnetism (Science Extension in
FOSS manual)
Investigation 5: Click-It
Essential Questions:
How can you apply all you learned from this unit to a new investigation?
Part 1: Reinventing the Telegraph (optional)
Part 2: Sending Messages Long-Distance (optional)
Part 3: Choosing Your Own Investigation (required)
How do we know if students are learning?
Assessment:
Use Assessment section in the FOSS teacher’s manual.
What will we do if students don’t learn or if they are already performing at or above grade level?
Science Extension opportunities provided in teachers manual
Reteaching Strategies
Suggested Time Frame:
Scope and Sequence:
20 Investigations 45 minutes each
5/8/2009
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