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Viatouch
Teacher Articles
Teacher Created Materials
The Incredible Power of Magnets
by Elizabeth Klein
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Science |
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| Grade Level: |
4 - 5 |
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| Objectives: |
To test different objects to find out which ones are magnetic and non-magnetic.
To investigate the strength of magnets through various materials.
To create a simple magnet and compare its strength against a bar magnet.
To observe the lines of force made by magnets. |
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| Time Needed: |
30 minutes at each station or 3 hours if groups are alternating activities. |
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| Materials: |
bar magnets, rubber balls, spoons, coins, pencils, nails, paper, paper clips, buttons, pins, aluminium foil, steel cans, small blocks of wood, bowls and water, plastic, cloth, cardboard, rubber, iron filings, horseshoe magnets |
Instructions:
Set up four experiment stations for the students. Demonstrate to the students what
they are expected to achieve at each station. Have the students form groups of four
to six. Ask the groups to visit each station and complete the activities using magnets. Encourage them to write a procedure for the experiments that they complete at each station and to include labelled drawings.
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Station One:
Use two bar magnets to investigate which magnetic poles attract and repel each other.
Experiment with these materials to see which are magnetic and which are non-magnetic: rubber ball, plastic spoon, coin, pencil, nail, paper, paper clip, button, pins, aluminium foil, steel can, and a block of wood.
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Station Two:
Place a nail in a bowl of water. Test to see if the magnet can pull it out.
Test to see if a magnet can work through other materials: plastic, cloth, paper, cardboard, and rubber.
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Station Three:
Examine the strength of a bar magnet by finding out how many of these objects it can hold end to end: pins, nails, and paper clips.
Create a magnet by stroking the length of a large nail with the end of a bar magnet about fifty times, starting at the same end with each stroke. Test the magnetism of the nail by picking up the paper clips. Pick them up end to end.
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Station Four:
Place two magnets with their north poles facing each other. Cover the magnets
with a sheet of paper. Sprinkle the paper with iron filings and gently tap the paper. Observe the pattern of the lines of force made by the magnets. Next, have the north and south poles face each other and observe what happens.
Test the iron filings using two horseshoe magnets. Alternate the poles and observe what happens.
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Extra Activities:
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Observe the pull of the Earth's magnetic poles by tying a bar magnet to a piece of string and holding the other end of the string. Wait until the string stops moving. The magnet should be pointing toward the magnetic north.
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Research all the places magnets are used in the home and the community. Draw and label some uses of the magnet. Encourage the students to present their results to the class.
Elizabeth Klein was a primary school teacher for nineteen years and is now a freelance writer. She lives in Sydney, Australia, with her husband.
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