Magnets and Compasses

Science Friday: Magnets and Compasses

By Michelle Watts 

Materials:

·        Science notebooks

·        Variety of magnets/non-magnets from our collection

·        Tubs for magnet free play

·        Water for compass making

·        Pie tins

·        Glue sticks

·        Question strips

·        Plastic containers with tops

·        Magnets from Lakeshore labeled North & South

·        Markers and Pencils

·        Maps for each pair group leading to the treasures

·        Treasure bags

·        Desktop easel

Objectives:  Students will learn about earth’s magnetic field

Students will observe and record their observations about

magnets

                   Students will make their own compasses

                   Students will learn how to orient their compass to north

                   Students will learn what a “pace” is

                   Students will use a map to hunt for treasure!

Vocabulary words: magnet, force, paces, attracts, repels, magnetic force, field, invisible

1. Free Exploration of magnets (5 minutes)

In 2 or 3 tubs, students will play with magnets. Floating magnet (round magnets on pencils), super strong magnets, things that are not magnetic, etc.

2. Group writing (10 minutes) with notebooks

            (Notebooks, pencils, question strips, glue sticks, white board)

            Observe and record what they noticed about magnets.

            What types of things stuck together? What didn’t?

            Write on board and names of who said what.

If time, they can choose one observation and record it in science journal. Glue sticks and question strips

            “What did I notice about the magnets?” I noticed…

3. Direct instruction (10 minutes) with think-pair-share

·        Put kids into partner groups. When its time to talk, you can tell your buddy your idea

·        Can anyone describe what “magnetic” means? Turn to your partner and talk about what you know about magnets. Take turns. (2 minutes)

Direct Instruction

Magnet is an object that gives off a magnetic field.

·        Magnetic field is a force surrounding a magnet that either attracts (pulls) or repels (pushes away) other objects.  (Use magnet to show this)

·        Can we see the magnetic field? No, it’s invisible...

·        Can anyone think of one of the biggest magnets ever known?

o       The Earth! The earth acts like a huge magnet

·        (I found out that the sun is also magnetic~stronger that the earth~but the moon has none.)

o       All magnets have two poles, a north pole and a south pole. Does this sound familiar? What else has a north pole and a south pole?

o       The earth!

o       The north pole of the earth, attracts the north end of magnets.

o       So today we have magnets that already have the N for north and an S for South printed on them. So the north end of the magnet will always point north when we build our compasses.

o       We are going to use these magnets to make compasses and then we are going to use the compasses to go on a treasure hunt!

4. Compass making (15 minutes)

If you just put the magnet on the table, you can make it point any old way. This does not help us figure out directions. We need the magnet to be floating. Can anyone think of an easy way to do this?

~Put it on water~

Charlie is going to show you how to make a compass. You will make a compass with your buddy?

Charlie explains North South East West and how once you find north, you can figure out the other directions using “Never Eat Soggy Waffles” to remember N E S W

5. Introduce treasure maps (5 minutes)

Discuss “paces”

Practice walking in each direction a number of paces before treasure hunt (just a few). “Everyone take 3 paces south. Everyone take 7 paces west…”

Students come up and draw on large earth on chart. Draw directions north, south, east, west.

6. Activity 1 (20 minutes)

Students will make their own compass and try to find north

7. Activity 2 (10 minutes)

Students will try to find treasure hidden for them at Larkey park

8. Activity 3 (10 minutes) if time

Students make own maps for each other. They need to write down what they find there…

For example:

Michelle’s Map

Start at the picnic table. Walk south 25 paces. Walk east 3 paces. What is there? The slide!

This can be form the kids can fill out for each other.

Teaching Strategies

·        Think Pair Share

·        Partner work

·        Free exploration

·        I talk 5 minutes, they share 1 minute, then share out

·        Kids write on chart with markers

Wrap Up (if time)

What did we learn about magnets today?

Write answers on board and kids can copy their own sentence into science notebook.

They can draw a diagram of where their treasure was.