Science lesson plan · 3rd grade (Year 4 in England) · 60 minutes
Design with magnets: solve everyday problems
Electricity and magnetism
CCSS NGSS.3-PS2-4England: KS2 Y3 Forces and magnets
Objective and success criteria
Students will: Design with magnets: solve everyday problems.
- I can answer questions on today's skill on my own, without help.
- I can explain each step and say why it works.
- I can check my answer and spot a mistake.
Before and after
Needs first: Magnets and magnetic materials
Leads to: the next skill in this area.
Materials: Circuit kits (cells, wires, bulbs), Circuit symbol cards, Mini whiteboards, A diagram or short video clip of the idea, Printed student sheet (below).
Warm-up · 6 min
- Quick retrieval from earlier learning (Magnets and magnetic materials). Students answer on mini whiteboards.
- Show answers together and note who needs support in the main task.
- The north pole of one magnet is brought near the south pole of another. Do they attract or repel? (attract / repel) → attractPrompt: Like poles repel; unlike (opposite) poles attract.
- Is a copper wire attracted to a magnet? (magnetic / not magnetic) → not magneticPrompt: Only a few metals are attracted to magnets.
- Can a magnet pull a paper clip through a sheet of paper? (Yes, magnetic forces can act through paper / Only through metal / No, magnets need to touch / Only in water) → Yes, magnetic forces can act through paperPrompt: Magnetic forces act at a distance.
Hook · 6 min
- Show a circuit with a gap and ask why the bulb doesn't light.
- Share the objective: Design with magnets: solve everyday problems. Read the success criteria together.
I do: model it · 12 min
- Work through the example out loud, saying why you do each step, not just what you do.
- Example: A recycling centre needs to separate steel cans from aluminium (aluminum) cans. What should it use?
- Step 1: Steel contains iron, so it is magnetic; aluminium is not.
- Step 2: So the answer is: a big magnet that picks out the steel cans
- Answer: a big magnet that picks out the steel cans
- Pause after each step and ask a student to say what comes next.
We do: guided practice · 12 min
- Do these together. Students try each step on whiteboards before you reveal it.
- Use the hints as prompts rather than giving the answer.
- A hiker uses a compass to find north. What is inside a compass? (a drop of water that points north / a tiny magnetised needle that lines up with Earth's magnetism / a map / a small battery and a light) → a tiny magnetised needle that lines up with Earth's magnetismPrompt: Earth itself acts like a giant magnet.
- Would a magnet help with this job: sticking a poster to a wooden door? (a magnet would help / a magnet would not help) → a magnet would not helpPrompt: Does the job involve iron or steel?
You do: independent practice · 17 min
- Students work on the student sheet. Circulate and check the first two answers of every student early.
- Students who finish: write a question of their own for a partner, with the answer.
The 8 questions are on the student sheet below, with answers in the key.
Exit ticket · 7 min
- Two questions on their own. Sort answers into got it / nearly / not yet to plan the next lesson.
- Would a magnet help with this job: separating sand from water? (a magnet would help / a magnet would not help) → a magnet would not helpPrompt: Does the job involve iron or steel?
- A recycling centre needs to separate steel cans from aluminium (aluminum) cans. What should it use? (a sieve / water to dissolve the aluminium / a fan to blow them apart / a big magnet that picks out the steel cans) → a big magnet that picks out the steel cansPrompt: Which metal is magnetic?
Watch out for
- Everyday meanings of words getting in the way of the science meaning: define key words explicitly.
- Remembering facts without the reason: ask "why?" and "what is the evidence?"
Support and stretch
Support
- Review first: Magnets and magnetic materials.
- Use concrete materials: circuit kits (cells, wires, bulbs).
- Give the first step of each question, or a partly worked example to finish.
- Pair with a confident partner for the guided practice.
Stretch
- Explain a common mistake in writing and how to fix it.
- Write a word problem that uses today's skill, then solve a partner's.
Homework and more practice
Free online practice with hints and printable worksheets for this skill: eurekami.com/science/grade-3.
Free lesson plan from eurekami.com/lesson-plan-builder