May the Force Be With You: A Unit on Magnets

In this classroom activity, the students will investigate the magnetic pull of a bar magnet at varying distances with the use of paper clips. Students will hypothesize, conduct the experiment, collect the data, and draw conclusions that...

Students explore magnets through the five lessons of this unit. The everyday uses of magnets and an awareness of magnetic attraction form the basis of the skills presented in these lessons.

Students are introduced to the concepts of magnetism and electronics. As a class, they walk through the steps of the scientific method and define new vocabulary. In groups, they are given a bag of objects and they are to separate them...

Students are introduced to the concept of magnetism and investigate the properties of magnets. For this magnetism lesson, students identify a magnet then examine why certain things are attracted to magnets and some things are repelled by...

Students explore how the earth is a magnet and that magnets have two "poles".  For this magnetic lesson students complete an activity by designing their own compass. 

This is a hands-on, inquiry-based lesson that includes three magnetic stations in which students or small groups rotate in order to test and discover different magnetic properties and then use their knowledge to build a Maglev Train...

What is a magnet? In this activity, students will investigate magnets and what they attract. They will observe, explore, ask questions, predict outcomes, then discuss and record their findings.

During this lesson plan students will examine magnets and determine that they have two poles (north and south). They will observe which poles attract and which poles repel.

Students explore the different types of magnets and their common uses.  In this magnets lesson students create their own magnets. 

Students watch an episode of the PBS show "Jay Jay the Jet Plane," and explore magnets and gravity. They conduct various experiments involving magnets and sand, bean bags, and a fishing pole with magnets.