Science

Magnetism
Linkage & Integration
• English: Oral Language

• Maths: Counting & Categorising

• Geography: Magnets in the

environment

• Science: Materials
Strands & Strand Units
Living Things
• Myself Materials
• Variety & characteristics of living • Properties & characteristics
things
• Human Life Processes of materials
• Plants & Animals
• Variety & characteristics of living
• Materials & Change
things • Heating & Cooling
• Processes of life
• Mixing & Other Changes
Energy & Forces
• Light
• Sound Environmental Awareness &
• Heat
Care
• Magnetism & Electricity
• Caring for my locality
• Forces
Working Scientifically
Working Scientifically: Designing & Making:
• Questioning • Exploring
• Observing • Planning
• Predicting • Making
• Investigating &
experimenting • Evaluating
• Estimating &
Measuring
• Analysing:
• Sorting & Classifying
• Recognising Patterns
• Interpreting
• Recording &
Communicating
Aims:

• That the children will gain a

greater understanding of
materials & magnetism
Assessment:

• Questioning
• Checklist:
• Ability to carry out a fair
experiment
Introduction
Questions:
• Have you ever seen a magnet used?
• Where?
• What was it used for?
 W.A.L.T. W.I.L.F T.I.B.
(We Are Learning Today) (What I am Looking For) (This Is Because)

To develop our Everyone to ask Scientists can

questioning skills themselves or others only find
at least 3 good answers if
questions they’ve asked
questions
What sorts of Everyone to be able
items are to list 3 things that
attracted to are attracted to
magnets magnets Knowing this
about magnets
helps us decide
What magnets can You to find 3 things whether they
work through that magnets can are suitable to
work through use for some
If the thickness of You to carry out a ideas & what
a material affects fair experiment and sorts of things
how well a magnet be able to answer they could be
works through it yes or no to the used for
question at the end
of it
Activity:
If you have a magnet at
home, you could try
some different objects
to see if they are
attracted to the magnet.
Experiment: Do magnets
attract all metals?
• Coins • Discs in tambourine
• Legs of tables/chairs • The whiteboard
• Door handles • Keyring
• Slow-close hinge at • Keys
top of doors • Clipboard clip
• Radiator • Sink
• Spoon, fork etc. • Cupboard handles
• Paper-clips • Thumb-tacks
• Triangle • Chains for the blinds
• Tin whistle • Other magnets
Picture: Testing metals
in the classroom
Do magnets attract all metals?
We tested lots of different metals
to see if they were all attracted to
magnets. Some were and some
weren’t.
Experiment: Do magnets
attract other magnets?
• Experiment & see
• Make sure that you test
both sides of each
magnet
Picture: The ‘stuck’
magnet & the floating
magnet
Do magnets attract other
magnets?
Magnets both attract and repel
other magnets. Opposites attract.
Like repels like. North is attracted
to south, but repels north and vice
versa.
Experiment: What can
magnets work through?
• Air (test by holding over but not touching)
• Tissue
• Paper
• Water
• Metal (€2 coin)
• Cardboard
• Glass (glass / window)
• Plasticine
• Plastic (lunch box / water bottle)
• Wood (table / chair)
Picture: finding out what
magnets work through
What can magnets work through?
Magnets can work through lots of
different things including paper,
wood, glass, water and metal.
Experiment: Does the
thickness of an object
affect if the magnet can
work through it?
• Plasticine
• Ruler
• Paper Clip
• Magnet
Picture: finding out if
thickness matters
Does the thickness of an object
affect if a magnet can work
through it?
Yes, it does. We experimented
using different thicknesses of
plasticine.
Investigate: How strong
are your magnets?
Which is the strongest?
Which is the weakest?
• How would you do this using
paper-clips? (using number)
• Is there another way of
doing this? (using thickness)
Picture: finding out how
strong the magnets are
Which is the strongest magnet?
We worked out which magnet was
strongest by seeing how many
paper-clips it could pick up. We
also tested it to see what
thickness of plasticine it could
work through.
Self-Assessment

• Chart from beginning

Resources:

• Magnets
• Paper clips
• Various everyday materials
(please feel free to adapt the
lesson to suit what you have at
home)
Methodologies &
Differentiation:
Methodologies: Differentiation by:
• Talk & Discussion • Learning
• Active Learning
Objectives
• Guided & Discovery
Learning • Pace
• Collaborative Learning • Teaching Style
• Skills through Content
• Using the Environment • Support
• Free Exploration of • Resource
Materials
• Investigative Approach • Outcome
• Teacher-directed • Other
Approach
• Use of ICT