Lesson Plan - Magnet

Subject : Science
Topic : Magnet
Level : Primary 5
Duration : 1 hour




Description:
This lesson provides an introduction to magnets and their properties. Students will learn how to locate poles on various kinds of magnets. Students will also observe how like poles repel and unlike poles attract each other. In addition, students will become familiar with natural magnets and the different materials a magnet can attract.


Goals:
To introduce students to the properties of magnets.


Objectives : Students will be able to-

1. find out the names of different type of magnets
2. find out what is magnetic material
3. explore what will happen when magnets are put together
4. investigate how strong magnets are
5. find out the uses of magnets
   

Resources and Materials:

• ActivStudio IWB Flipchart (please email author at nonnie.king@gmail.com for a copy of the flipchart)
  
• Different types of magnets
• Paper clips
• Different sort of materials
  

Vocabulary:

1. magnet - A stone or a piece of metal that attracts some other metal.
2. attract - To pull towards.
3. repel - To push away from each other.
4. magnetic poles - The north and south poles or ends of a magnet.

Procedure:

Anticipatory Set:
Inform students that today they are starting a new unit in science. Hold up a magnet. Ask, "Does anyone knows what this is?" Show students a bar magnet. Ask them what the "N" and "S" stand for. Explain that all magnets have a north and south pole, just like our earth. "Can anyone name something that shows us the directions north and south? Has anyone ever heard of a compass?"

Show students other type of magnets, ask students to describe how the magnets look like and ask students to guess the name of the magnets based on their looks.

Eg. Teacher hold a ring magnet and ask student to describe how does it look like. Its round and has a hole in it and it looks like a ring. Students will suggest that its a ring magnet and teacher later validate the answers.


Continuation:
Show the students more examples of magnets. Give each pair of students two magnets and ask students to find the poles. "What happens when you put the north pole of a magnet next to the south pole of a magnet? What happens when two north poles are placed next to each other? Two south poles?" Ask students to share their findings.


With the two magnets on their hands, students will be given 5 minutes to walk around the room and find out what materials are magnetic and which are not, and later write down on a piece of paper.


Activity:
Give each pair of students some paper clips and have them lay the paper clips in a line. "Touch a magnet to one paper clip. Now the paper clip is temporarily magnetic. Lower the magnet until the paper clip is touching another paper clip. Lift the magnet up again. Pull the chain off the table using the magnet. Let's see who can get the longest chain."

With the statistics they get from experimenting the activity, they're told to draw a graph and determine which is the strongest magnet and the reason why.

Closure:
Hold up a magnet and ask students to name the poles and the strongest parts of the magnet. Ask a student or a pair of students to demonstrate and explain what two north poles do and what two south poles do when placed next to each other.

Lesson Extensions (Technology Integration Ideas):
After discussing what the natural form of a magnet is called, where magnets are most abundant, and what natural magnets look like, have the students look up this information on the World Wide Web. When discussing where the natural forms of magnets are found most commonly in the world, you can have students look up these places on the Internet or an electronic encyclopedia. Magnets are commonly found where volcanoes are located, so this could lead into a discussion or lesson about volcanoes. Students can take "electronic fieldtrips" to different regions in the world where volcanoes are located and view on-screen animations/demonstrations of how volcanoes erupt.

Assessment:

Observe students' actions during the demonstration activities. Have students write a journal entry listing three facts that were learned about magnets today and also the uses of magnets.