Title: Magnets: What forces come from them?

Alabama Content Standard(s): CS 13
Local/National Standards(s): CS 6; SAT10; AHSGE
Primary Learning Objective(s):
• Observe the magnetic fields of different magnets.
• Recognize magnetism as a force that acts between magnets and magnetic objects.
• Practice using vocabulary term from unit.
• Understand how electromagnets are made and how they work.
Approximate Duration of the Lesson: 25-30 minutes
Materials and Equipment: horseshoe magnet, disk magnet, bar magnet, iron filings, tray, thin paper, graphic organizer, pencil, student textbook
Technology Resources Needed: Elmo
Background/Preparation: review vocabulary terms for unit
Introduction: Did you know that you use a magnet every time you ring a doorbell? From refrigerator magnets to doorbells to bullet trains, magnets are an important part of today’s fast-paced, technology-filled world.
Review: When we infer we use data and observations to draw conclusions.
Presentation/Demonstration:
1. Teacher will demonstrate placing the bar magnet in a tray covered with a sheet of wax paper under the Elmo so students can observe.
2. Teacher will sprinkle iron filings onto the paper and observe what happens.
3. Teacher will record data. (Most filings will cluster at the ends (poles) of the magnet: some will stay along the bar.)
4. Teacher will replace the bar magnet with the horseshoe magnet and repeat the procedures. (Most filings will cluster at the ends (poles); some will stay at the curve.)
5. Note differences between the two patterns. Discuss differences. (The cluster of filings creates a shape similar to the magnet it is covering.)
6. Repeat steps with disk magnet. Draw and record observations. (The filings will cover the entire disk.)
Guided Practice and Independent Practice:
• Students will record observations as I model the steps for them.
• Students will compare how the iron filing patterns were different for each magnet and how they were similar on a graphic organizer.
• Students will infer from the patterns how each type of magnet attracts filings.
Assessment Strategies:
There will be on-going assessment throughout the lesson activities. The results of the assessment will be placed on the unit assessment checklist.
Remediation: Graphic organizers will be kept in station folders. Independent activities will be in reading block stations to reinforce primary objectives.
Rationale: Students should observe the shape of the fields surrounding magnets. They should also recognize that the strongest parts of a magnet are at its poles.