Science Lesson Plan: Magnetism Review

Alayna Survello

Science Lesson Plan: Magnetism Review

Grade: 5th

Purpose:The purpose of this lesson is to have students actively working with magnets to see which items are magnetic and which items are not. This is a review activity from what they learned in 4th grade about magnetism.

VA SOL Science

Force, Energy, and Motion 4.3 The student will investigate and understand the characteristics of electricity. Key concepts include a) conductors and insulators; b)basic circuits; c)static electricity; d)the ability of electrical energy to be transformed into light and motion, and to produce heat; e)simple electromagnets and magnetism; and f)historical contributions in understanding electricity

National Science Education Standard

Physical Science: Light, Heat, Electricity, and Magnetism

Magnets attract and repel.

Objectives: The student will be able to show an understanding of magnetism and use investigation skills to test magnetism of provided objects and fill out a worksheet 95% of the time.

Procedure:

Introduction:The teacher will tell students that they will be using magnets and the provided objects to test whether they are magnetic or not. The teacher will ask students what they already know about magnets and/or magnetism.The teacher will pass out the worksheet and students will do their first prediction for each object. The teacher will show the class a video about magnetism ( . AUDITORY, VISUALAfter the video, the students will be instructed to fill out their second prediction on the worksheet. (ENGAGE)

Development:The teacher will pass out the materials to each group. Students will be instructed to work in groups and test the objects they’ve been provided to see if they are magnetic or not. (EXPLORE)The teacher will facilitate the groups by walking around the room to make sure groups are staying focused and to see if anyone needs help. Once students have tested all the objects, they will mark their worksheets to say if their prediction was right or wrong. They will also answer the questions that follow. Students will be given about 10 minutes to do this part, depending on how each group is progressing along.KINESTHETIC, VISUAL

Summary:To sum up the lesson, the teacher will facilitate a discussion on what students discovered during their exploration and what exactly it means if something is magnetic. “What is magnetism? The force of attraction between magnets and magnetic objects.” “What are some examples of magnetic objects you found?” “What are some nonmagnetic objects?” AUDITORY (EXPLAIN)Then, students will be instructed to look around the room and find items they are unsure about whether or not they are magnetic. Students will, in groups, choose 2-3 objects to test around the classroom and record their findings on the back of their worksheets.They will be given 5 minutes to do this part. KINESTHETIC (ELABORATE)

For students who need additional help: The teacher will give students who need more help a clear definition of magnetism and maybe pair them up with someone who knows the material and the experiment well.

For students who know the information well: The teacher will give the student more items to test out and more in depth questions to think about as well.

Materials:

YouTube Video (

Magnets (enough for each group)
ENOUGH FOR EACH GROUP OF THE FOLLOWING:

CrayonBatteryPaper

ForkPaper clipStaple

ScissorsEraserQuarter

DimeNickelPenny

Canned goodChair legsAluminum foil

Safety: There are no real safety concerns to worry about during this lesson, other than making sure students are using the objects as they should.

Evaluation Part A:(EVALUATE)To assess students, the teacher will collect the worksheets. The teacher will grade students based completing the table and their answers on the bottom. The students will not be graded based on whether their predictions were right or wrong. The teacher will also pay attention to student responses during the discussion—if they participate.

Evaluation Part B:

Did the students meet your objectives? How do you know?

I know that most of the students met my objective I had for them because they were all filling out their worksheets as I walked around. The two that I took pictures of for student work had done the same and had also worked on the questions that followed the table. Some students didn’t have time to answer of all the follow up questions because since others were moving so quickly, I tried to move on so the ones who were done didn’t just sit around doing nothing. Also, the answers that the students were saying during both discussions showed that they were very engaged during the activity and also their answers were along the lines of being correct.

Did your lesson accommodate the needs of all your students?

I believe the lesson did accommodate the needs of all the students because there were hands on things for them to do, as well as a video and a discussion. These few things were able to guide visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners in their learning more than a lesson that did not contain all of these elements. I also feel as if I moved at a pace that wasn’t too fastor too slow. I always made sure that if two or more students asked me the same question, I would gain the attention of the whole class and give more detailed instructions. Another thing that made this lesson accommodate all learners if that they were working in groups, so if for some reason someone in the group was struggling, someone who might have been advanced could help them along.

What were the strengths?

My lesson had strengths as well as weaknesses. One of the strengths is that I was very well prepared with all of the materials the students needed. I walked around the room while the students were working in their groups to make sure they were staying on track. Students also stopped me while I was walking around if they had any questions and I would answer them and then clarify whole group in case others had the same question. I think stopping whole group and clarifying things helped students along the way who may have been confused about something. I know sometimes when I am introducing things or even just simply talking, I tend to talk really fast and may skip over some information.

Weaknesses?

One of my weaknesses during this lesson was that I didn’t give students enough time to finish the follow up questions at the bottom of the page. I know some students work faster than others and some work slower than others, but in doing the lesson, it wasn’t something I thought about at the time. When I had been walking around, I had noticed some students were on different parts than others, meaning some were still filling out the table while others were doing the questions. I think I got nervous and even myself felt rushed, so I was trying to sum up the lesson. I also got ahead of myself and when doing the last whole group discussion, I forgot to ask very important questions. I only asked about things they discovered that were magnetic or not on the table and not about others things they learned about magnetism. At some points, I also noticed some of the students were talking over their classmates or I while we were talking. I knew managing the class was going to be the hardest thing to do because I don’t have that kind of experience in a classroom. But all in all, I felt like it didn’t cause the lesson to go astray.

How would you change the lesson if you were to teach it again?

There are a few things I would change about this lesson, or my teaching in general, if I were teaching it again, which is all apart of being a reflective teacher. First, I would have spent more time finding the best video that went along with what the lesson was about. The video gave a lot of good information, but could have been better. Also, focusing on finding a video that was more age appropriate because I felt a little like it was for younger students, not 5th graders, although they seemed to enjoy it. I also would have taken more time going over the directions for the worksheet and what I expected of them. Several students had questions because of me not thoroughly going over the instructions. I also would get more background information about magnets and magnetism. I didn’t feel like I could answer any of the questions students asked unless it had to do directly with the activity, and that’s my biggest fear when teaching. I want to be answer all the questions the have, but I don’t feel like I am able to ever do that, which I also know is okay because no one will ever have all the answers. I honestly felt very good about my lesson. I had been nervous about it in the days leading up to it, but once I got started, I got more comfortable and it went very smoothly. I felt right at home. I had always said I like the younger grades better (k-3rd), but after this lesson with 5th grade, I think I enjoy them as well. As I mentioned before, managing the class was something I was worried about, and even Mrs. Yates said that when your first starting to teach, learning on how to manage the class is the biggest and most important part, which I completely agree with. In regards to that, before I even started the activity, I introduced the students to the “Marco” “Polo” scenario when I need their attention. It worked well at times, but at other times, students were still talking while I was trying to. After my lesson was complete, Mrs. Yates had the students had the students come to the carpet for a class meeting. She told them she was upset about how they acted during my lesson and wanted to know how they thought I felt during it. I thought this was great, but I was a little nervous to hear what the students were going to say as well as Mrs. Yates. It made me feel better though knowing that the students realized how they acted during the lesson and also hearing Mrs. Yates said good things about my lesson and teaching. I honestly had a great time with this and felt so good about it. It made me realize that any grade would be amazing to work with. I can’t wait to have my own classroom!

Rubric for Worksheet

Is the chart completely filled out?

______/60

-1 point off for each row and/or column not filled in

Are the 3 short answer questions filled out completely? ______/9

-2 points off for each question not filled out