Unit 3E Magnets and springs
Expectations:
most children will: recognise that a force acts in a particular direction; describe the
direction of forces between magnets or between a spring and someone compressing
it; classify materials as magnetic or non-magnetic and describe some uses of
magnets; decide how to test an idea, explaining how to make a simple fair test; identify
patterns in results and use these to draw conclusions.
some children will have progressed further and will also: describe the difference
between a magnet and a magnetic material and explain results in terms of their
scientific knowledge and understanding.
QCA Suggested Activities
Extending and enriching
activities/questions
Give children a variety of magnets to handle
and explore. Using magnets with clearly labelled
ends, ask children to investigate and record
what happens when they are put together
Give children a variety of magnets to handle
and explore. Present children with a series of
questions to answer about the nature of
magnets. Children to answer questions in the
course of their exploration.
Present children with a collection of materials,
including materials found in and around the
classroom, and ask them to suggest which are
magnetic and how they can find out whether
they are right.
When children consider their results, they
should be asked to group the materials into
magnetic and non-magnetic and to make a
relevant generalisation
Can you devise a game using magnetic force?
eg puppet theatre/snakes and ladders/ yes/no
game where the answers that are correct are
magnetic
Can you think of a use for magnets in every day
life?
eg fridge magnets/note-holders/pen holders for
white boards, treasure-finder
Can you find out where magnets are not useful?
eg near computers,
Ask children to use secondary sources to find
out about everyday uses of magnets
Using secondary resources produce a factsheet on every day uses of magnets for the rest
of the class
Present children with several magnets and ask
them to find out whether they are all equally
strong.
Ask children to suggest how they will decide
which magnet is the strongest and help them
carry out the investigation.
OR
Present children with a magnet and a variety of
materials and ask them to find out whether
magnets work through these materials.
Help them to decide what they will do and help
them to carry out and investigation. Ask children
to tell others about what their investigation
showed.
Ask children to devise their own investigation to
find out which is the strongest magnet. Children
can be provided with planning boards to help
them make more detailed plans for their
investigation. Remind them that they should
predict what will happen before carrying out
their investigation.
Link this alternative activity to the activity where
they are to devise a game or use for magnets
through other materials.
Example Plan
Our investigation:
Which is the strongest magnet?
The factors we could change
Size of
magnet
Type of
objects to
be
attracted
The factors we could
measure/observe
Type of
magnet
(horseshoe/
bar/fridge
etc.)
Number of
metal
objects
attracted to
magnets.
Distance a
paper clip can
be attracted
to magnet in
cms and
mms.
Materials
through
which
magnets will
attract
objects.
Layers of
materials
through which
magnets will
attract
objects.
Number of
paper
clips/metal
objects
attracted to
magnet.
We will change
Group planning board
The
type of
magnet
Distance
magnet can be
moved
towards
objects before
attracting.
Thickness of
materials
through
which magnet
will attract.
Mass of
objects
attracted to
magnet.
We will
measure/observe
Distance a
paper clip can
be attracted
to magnet in
cms and
mms.
Our question is…Does the type of magnet affect the distance paper
clips can be attracted to the magnets.
We will keep these factors the same…
Size of
magnet
Number of
metal
objects
attracted to
magnets.
Our prediction is………
When we change
The
type of
magnet
Type of
objects to
be
attracted
Materials
through
which
magnets
will attract
objects.
Layers of
materials
through
which
magnets
will attract.
What will happen to
Distance
of
attraction.
Why? We think that the bar magnet will attract the paper clip from a greater distance
because the magnetism is stronger than in the other magnets.
Plan
Our investigation:
Group planning board
Which is the strongest magnet?
The factors we could change The factors we could measure
We will change
We will
measure/observe
Our question is…
We will keep these factors the same…
Our prediction is………
When we change
Why?
What will happen to
Unit 3E Magnets and Springs
On a blank sheet of paper draw a maze from one end of the
paper to the other. Once the maze has been drawn, place the
paper clip at the start of the maze. Ask a friend to hold the
piece of paper in the air. Hold a magnet under the paper and
below the paper clip. Try to move the paper clip through the
maze without touching the lines.
Why not try to draw your own maze?
Unit 3E Magnets
Learning outcomes

given a magnet of unfamiliar shape, or
with unlabelled ends, demonstrate how it
is attracted to, or repelled by, another
magnet.

generalise about what happens when
magnets are put near one another or
together, using scientific terms eg attract,
repel

classify a range of materials, including
metals eg gold, copper, aluminium, as
magnetic or non-magnetic and explain
how their work enabled them to do this
make a generalisation about magnetic
behaviour eg iron is magnetic but other
metals aren't, materials that aren't metals
aren't magnetic, only some metals are
magnetic
describe and explain how magnets can
be used eg in recycling, you can sort iron
from other things because it is magnetic
explain how their test is fair eg using the
same size paper clips or the same
magnet each time
make accurate observations or
measurements eg of the number of paper
clips picked up or of the distance between
the magnet and the paper clips
explain what their results show eg I
thought the biggest magnet would be
strongest but it only picked up six clips.
The smallest magnet picked up eight so it
was strongest, I tried different thicknesses
of card but the magnet worked through
them all but it didn't work through an iron
can lid





Able outcomes

explore magnets and use their findings
to answer many questions about magnets
 use correct scientific vocabulary to
describe their findings
eg Can you take two magnets and try to push like poles
together?
How far away do you start to feel the repulsion?
How does the force vary with the distance between them?
When the magnets are moved off-axis to each other
(moving them to the side and not head on) what does it
feel like?
Could you think of a way to describe it (eg like trying to
push two tennis balls together?)
When you flip one around, what changes? What about
moving one around the other in a circle?

use their knowledge of magnetic
materials to devise a game about
magnetic and non-magnetic materials
 name materials that are magnetic and
those that are not eg tins made of aluminium
are not magnetic, other tins made of iron are
magnetic





describe and explain a wider variety of
uses for magnets eg lifting, sorting, cars
etc.
devise a fair test to investigate the
strength of different magnets
make accurate predictions that can be
compared to their results
make decisions about what
measurements are to be taken. Make
accurate measurements
use their results to explain their
conclusions
Magnets Exploration
Present children with a range of magnets including those the
children have been asked to bring from home or have discovered
in school.
 As children explore magnets ask them to think about questions
they might be able to answer. Children could try to answer each
question before they explore the magnets.
 Children will be asked to provide the answers later in the
lesson. (Examples of possible questions are listed below.)

 Can you push like poles together?
 How far away do you start to feel the repulsion?
 How does the force vary with the distance between them?
 When the magnets are moved off-axis to each other (moving
them to the side and not head on) what does it feel like?
 Can you think how you could describe what it is like to push like
poles together?
 Could you describe it like trying to push two tennis balls together?
 When you flip one around, what changes?
 What about moving one around the other in a circle? Describe
what happens.
Some of the basics of magnetism, children might discover by exploring, is
 the north pole of the magnet points to the geomagnetic north.
 north poles repel north poles
 south poles repel south poles
 north poles attract south poles
 south poles attract north poles
 the force of attraction or repulsion varies inversely with the distance
squared
 the strength of a magnet varies at different locations on the magnet
 magnets are strongest at their poles
 magnets strongly attract steel, iron, nickel, cobalt, gadolinium
 magnets slightly attract liquid oxygen and other materials
Unit 3E Magnets and springs
 magnets slightly repel water, carbon and boron and so on
Unit 3E Springs
QCA Suggested Activities
Extending and enriching
activities/questions
Ask children to make a list of
examples of where springs are used
at school or at home.
Where are springs used in the outside
world?
Ask children to pull springs and elastic
bands and to push springs and to
describe the direction of the force on
their hands.
Explore variety of springs and group or
order them according to different amount of
force.
Show children how to make a catapult
or ‘push meter’ using elastic bands to
propel a toy car or weighted container
along a flat surface and ask them to
predict what will happen if the bands
are stretched by different amounts.
Help children to decide how to test
their predictions. Ask children to
record measurements in a prepared
table and to look for patterns in the
measurements. Ask children to
explain why stretching the band more
made the toy car or the container
move further.
Give children a manufactured push meter
and ask them to make a model of one
using materials in school eg cardboard
cylinder, elastic bands, stick on which to
write some form or readings
Use their ‘home-made’ push meter to
measure the force needed to push various
objects.
Compare this with the real push-meter.
Extend the investigation by using bands
with different thickness. Ensure the children
record accurately and use their evidence to
make generalisations eg the thicker the
band the further/less far the car went.
Ask children to make a concept map
involving ideas such as magnet, repel,
attract, force, spring, elastic, pull
towards, push up on, direction,
stretch, compress, size of force, push
harder.
Ask children questions about their
maps with them emphasising the idea
of force.
Unit 3E Springs
Learning outcomes
Able outcomes

name a variety of examples eg
stapler, mattresses, chairs,
retractable pens where springs are
used


describe the effect of the elastic
band or spring eg when I stretch the
band down, I feel a pull up on my
hand or when I squash the spring
down, it pushes up on me


name more unusual examples for
springs
 make creative suggestions about
other places where springs could
be useful
explain the forces at work when
an elastic band is stretched or a
spring is compressed
make a prediction eg I think if I
 carry out an investigation on the
stretch the band more, it will go
stretch of elastic bands, including
further
prediction, comparisons and
 make comparisons eg when I used a
accurate data
big force it went further and identify
 use their findings to explain what
patterns eg the more I stretched it,
happened
the further it went
 explain that the more the band is
stretched, the bigger the force eg
when I pulled the band a long way
out, the car went further because
there was a big push on it