Lesson 4: Magnets 4
Duration of Days: 4
Lesson Objective
1. Students will map the 3D shape of a magnetic field to show it has a specific pattern.
2. Discover that magnetic forces are strongest near the magnet and get weaker as you move away.
3. Compare regular magnets to wire coils to show they create almost identical magnetic fields.
4. Identify the direction of the force, proving it flows from the North pole toward the South pole.
What can we figure out about the invisible space around a magnet?
magnet
wire
speaker
energy
force
sound
cause
effect
attraction
repulsion
force
kinetic energy
electromagnet
independent variable
dependent variable
magnetic field
north and south poles of a magnet
compass
MS-PS2-5.
MS-PS3-2.
MS-PS2-3.
Description:
Students will use tools like iron filings (tiny bits of metal) and compasses to "see" the invisible space around a magnet. They will map out the shape of this space, called a magnetic field, and see how it changes around both regular magnets and the wire coils they built.
Purpose:
To understand that a magnet's power isn't just on the magnet—it fills the space around it. This explains how the speaker parts interact without touching; they are "talking" to each other through these magnetic fields.
DOK level 2
Visual Learners: Students will use iron filings to create a physical "picture" of the field lines that they can photograph or draw.
Hands-On Learners: Students will move a compass around a magnet to feel and see the needle react to the direction of the field.
Vocabulary Support: We will use visual "Direction Tags" (arrows) to help students label the flow of the field from North to South.
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The Field Map: I will check student drawings to see if they correctly show the field lines curving from pole to pole.
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The "Distance Test": Students will explain what happens to the force as their test objects move further away from the magnet.
- Formative assessment