LESSON PLAN
DESCRIPTION: This lesson is geared toward 4th grade students. The objective of this lesson is for students to be able to sort items that are attracted to magnets. This would be a great activity for 4th grade students because it is hand on and interactive. By doing activities like these, children are much more engaged and interested, which helps them retain information and get excited for learning.
The engagement part of this lesson has the teacher playing a game called “Ten Questions” with the students using a magnet in a brown paper bag. The teacher will say, “I have an object in this brown paper bag. I won’t tell you what it is, but you can ask questions about it in order to guess what it is. The game we’re going to play is called “10 Questions”. On the sheet in front of you, write down questions you would like to ask. Remember, you cannot ask what it is, but you ask questions about what it does, looks like, weight, etc. Students will get to work in groups or individually to come up with their questions.
For exploration, students each get their own bag with a magnet in it. They can feel how heavy it is, what it feels/sounds like when they touch it, and can see if the bag sticks to their desks. They can collaborate with friends to share ideas. After students have figured out that it can still to their desk, tell them that it is a magnet. Allow the students to see what things around their desk that the magnet will stick to.
Next say to the children: “Magnets appear to stick to metals, but does that include all metals? What do you think?. At your desks, create a list of possible hypotheses concerning the type of metals a magnet will stick to.
For the explanation piece, students will receive a bag that has different items in it, and then they will have to decide if they think the items will stick to the magnet. They will make 2 piles on their desk – one for items that will stick, and one for items that won’t. Students will then write their hypotheses on a paper, and then test the items to see if they were correct, and record that information as well. After they have done this, discuss with them that all the items that did stick have to contain either steel or iron.
Next say to the children: “Magnets appear to stick to metals, but does that include all metals? What do you think?. At your desks, create a list of possible hypotheses concerning the type of metals a magnet will stick to.
For the explanation piece, students will receive a bag that has different items in it, and then they will have to decide if they think the items will stick to the magnet. They will make 2 piles on their desk – one for items that will stick, and one for items that won’t. Students will then write their hypotheses on a paper, and then test the items to see if they were correct, and record that information as well. After they have done this, discuss with them that all the items that did stick have to contain either steel or iron.
For elaboration, the teacher will tell students that they will be iron detectors. Students will get into groups and go around the classroom to find five items that their magnets stick to. Teachers will them ask students, “How do you know these items contain iron?” (The desired answer is that the magnet stuck to these items.) You can also ask students if there were any items that they thought their magnet would stick to, but didn’t.
Finally, for the evaluation, the lesson plan says to give a short exam, but I would just have the children stay in their groups and discuss what their favorite part of the lesson is, what surprised them, and what they learned.
SITE: http://teachhouston.uh.edu/TeachHouston_document/lesson_plans1/science_lesson/files/Magnets-Final_5-20-10.pdf
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