Electricity and Magnetism
Rationale
Our MST unit covers the topic of Electricity and Magnetism and
follows the New York City Science Scope and Sequence. Our
team chose the NYC Science Scope and Sequence because it is
student-centered and has a problem-solving approach to
science. The Inquiry and Process Skills outlined by NYC
Science Scope and Sequence will prepare our students to face
the demands of the growing global economy.
Students learn most effectively when they have ownership of a
lesson and a central role in the discovery process. With this unit
students have the opportunity to learn through a lens of
discovery. The use of Web 2.0 tools, graphic organizers, and the
utilization of Bloom’s Taxonomy and Gardner’s Multiple
Intelligence theories, engage students to learn about electricity
and magnetism in exciting ways. Each lesson in the unit is built
upon experimentation and high level thinking skills.
MST Unit Overview
Lesson 6
Electrical
safety
Lesson 1
Various
circuits
Lesson 5
Electromagnets
Lesson 4
Properties
of magnets
Lesson 2
Conductors
and
insulators
Lesson 3
Transfer of
electricity in
various
objects
Lesson 1
Introduction to Electricity:
Electrical Circuits & Energy
Sources
Lesson Summary
Motivational Activity
Activity
Ask the students to discuss the following
open-ended questions with a partner.
Students should use these prompts to
fill in their Electricity KWL charts.
Read portions from Switch On, Switch Off
by: Melvin Berger. This book explains
what electricity is and how it gets to
your home. (Skip portion that explains
how to make electricity yourself,
starting on page 10)
1. "What is electricity?"
2. "What uses electricity?"
3." How does electricity work?"
4. "How does electricity help you?"
Ask partners to share their thoughts with
the class. Emphasize that the
student's should share their thoughts
without worrying about being right or
wrong.
Use student responses to construct a
class KWL chart.
Bring students to the computer lab with
internet connection and give them the
scavenger hunt worksheet. Instruct
them to complete the worksheet using
the links provided. They will review
circuit concepts and learn about
energy sources.
Closure: Go over the scavenger hunt
responses with the class.
Click HERE for a virtual field trip of the Hoover
Dam. Electricity and magnetism at work!
Educational Theory
Bloom's Taxonomy: Comprehension, Application,
Analysis
Gardner's Multiple Intelligences: Visual/Spatial,
Bodily/Kinesthetic
Children's Literature: Switch On, Switch Off by:
Melvin Berger
Assessment Rubric
Sample Student Work
Lesson 5
Electromagnetism
Electromagnetism Video Blog
Lesson Summary
Motivational Activity
“We have been studying magnetism and
electricity. I would like to show you a
short video and I want to see if you can
describe for me what it is we are
seeing.”
Present the following video or similar
demonstration of an electromagnet:
Electromagnet in action! the video, an
electromagnet picks up metal junk
items and releases them on a
scrapheap.
Guide the students through a discussion
of the video. They should easily
recognize magnetism at work, but may
need prompting to realize that the
magnet turns on and off in the video –
not a property they have yet observed
in magnets. Allow the students to
speculate and come up with questions.
Activity
Ask student groups to make hypotheses
concerning what variables might change the
strength of the electromagnet.
Allow each group to test a single hypothesis.
Possibilities include: shorter or longer wire,
shorter or longer nail, more or fewer coils
around the nail, adding another battery to the
circuit. Students may need prompting if having
difficulty coming up with hypotheses.
Students must record all experimental data,
including weights measured with their spring
scales, in their science notebooks – including
descriptions of any modifications made to the
electromagnet.
As students finish their experiments, they should
input their data into a spreadsheet and create a
mathematical representation. Each group
should produce a paragraph to accompany
their data which explains their findings.
Behavioral Objectives
1. To construct and experiment with an electromagnet.
2. To observe, quantify, and record the power of the
electromagnet experiments.
3. To analyze and share our experimental findings in a
meaningful way.
Educational Theory
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge, Application, Analysis
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence: Verbal/Linguistic,
Logical/Mathematical, Bodily/Kinesthetic
Children’s Literature: What Is Electromagnetism?
by Lionel Sandner; Thomas Alva Edison and the
Pioneers of Electromagnetism by Elizabeth R.C.
Cregan
Assessment
Sample Student Work
Variable: Number of Coils
7
6
5
grams
# of coils
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
grams of paperclips
held
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
5.5
6
6.5
6.5
6.5
4
3
2
1
0
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65
coils of wire
S tatis tic s
G rams
Mean
5.1
Median
5.25
Mode
6.5
Minimum
3
Max imum
6.5
R ang e
3.5
Students will learn to use a spring scale to gather these measurements.
Students will also be uploading data to a class wiki to
share with a partner class.
Lesson 6
Electrical Safety in the
Home
Lesson Summary
Motivational Activity
Activity
The teacher will read-aloud A Nasty Shock
by Hedley Griffin. This colorful book is
found online and will be projected on the
classroom Smart Board for all students to
see and follow along.
Students will write down newly acquired
knowledge on how to stay safe around
electrical appliances based on what they
have just learned from the text, video, and
online game. The teacher will then put up
a T-chart on the Smart Board.
After the read-aloud, the teacher will ask
students how and why electricity can be
dangerous. The class will begin a short
discussion on electrical appliances that
are used at home and what we have to do
to be careful around them.
Students will receive a T-chart graphic
organizer and begin categorizing the ways
in which electrical appliances are helpful
and/or harmful.
The teacher must jot down students
answers on the board.
Lastly, students will take the information
they learned and notes taken on their Tcharts to create an informational poster on
Electrical Safety.
Behavioral Objectives
1. To extract and take notes from the filamentality
webpage.
2. To create safety posters on electrical safety tips.
3. To use a graphic organizer to categorize how
electricity can be harmful.
Educational Theory
Bloom’s Taxonomy: Knowledge, Comprehension,
Analysis
Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence: Visual/Spatial,
Interpersonal, Verbal/Linguistic
Children’s Literature: A Nasty Shock by Hedley
Griffin
Assessment Rubric
Filamentality Rationale
Our Electricity and Magnetism Filamentality website is structured
for an engaging and interactive learning experience. The
purpose of this interactive website is to support and further build
students’ concepts of electricity and magnetism, as well as allow
them to discover more information about the topic on their own.
Students will also use supplementary links to further develop
their research and data collecting skills in math and science
through the use of technology.
The page accommodates visual, auditory, tactile, and kinesthetic
learners with links to colorful and engaging videos, online
games, and music. The webpage was specifically built to tie in
science, math and technology to build on higher level thinking
while adhering to the New York City Science Scope and
Sequence.
Our Filamentality Website:
http://www.kn.att.com/wired/fil/pages/listelectricte.html
Thanks for exploring
electricity and
magnetism with us!