REED COLLEGE SCIENCE OUTREACH PROPERTIES OF MATTER

20
Materials
o Bar magnets
o Magnet sets (D-cell battery, 1
length of wire, 2 pieces of
electrical tape, 1 6” iron nail, 5
paper clips).
o Compasses
Lesson Plan
Introduction to Magnetism (5-10 Minutes):
1. Tell students that today they will learn about one special kind of property of certain
types of matter: magnetism. Ask students what they already know about magnets. After
a few students have answered, tell the students that magnets are a type of matter that
has a special property called magnetism. Ask students to think about magnets that they
have used in the past. What kinds of materials were magnets attracted to?
Magnet Interactions (10-15 minutes):
2. For this activity, students will work independently in groups of 2 to answer the
questions in their science notebooks. They will be asked to make observations about
what the magnet looks like and how magnets interact. Students should learn that like
magnetic poles repel and opposite poles attract.
Building an Electromagnet (20-25 minutes)
3. Now, show students the compasses that they will use for today’s experiment. Ask
students what a compass is used for. Ask students if they know which way the needle
points. Use the compass to have the entire class point to the north side of their
classroom. Tell the students that the earth is kind of like a giant magnet. Right now
they are pointing to the North Pole. Tell students that we can also use a compass to find
the poles of a magnet, since every magnet has a North and South pole just like the earth.
4. Explain that today they will be making a type of magnet called an electromagnet.
Tell them that this type of magnet is special because it can turn metal into a magnet
using electricity. Unlike the bar magnets that you were just using, these magnets can be
turned on and off.
5. Tell students that they will be working together in groups of 2-4 to build this
magnet. Tell them that you will be giving them step-by-step directions so they need to
be very good listeners today.
6. As you pass out the magnet kits, instruct students to leave the materials in the bag
until you tell them what to do. As you give the students instructions, you should also
construct an electromagnet on the overhead, while your teammates help the students.
7. First, tell students to take out the nail. Tell students that this is the metal object that
they will magnetize. Next, take out the wire. Show students how to wrap the wire
tightly around the nail; leaving “tails” that will be connected to the batteries.