Levitation tricks have been documented from the early 1900s, so how do they do it? Scholars learn about the force of magnetism in an attractive resource. They watch videos and design experiments to understand the strength and limitations. They then go on to discover how to levitate a pencil.

Concepts

magnets, magnetic fields, magnetic force, magnetic poles

Show More Show Less

Additional Tags

science

Show More Show Less

Instructional Ideas

• Extend the lesson by asking how magicians might make something larger levitate such as a person or car

Classroom Considerations

• Basic knowledge of forces is helpful but not required
• Use best practices when handling strong magnets and iron filings to avoid injury

Pros

• Uses inquiry best practices
• Provides a high level of student engagement throughout
• Follows a 5E format

Cons

• None

Common Core

SL.6.2 SL.7.2 SL.8.2 RST.6-8.3 RST.6-8.4