Science · Grade 6

Active learning ideas

Electromagnets and Their Uses

Active learning works for this topic because students must physically manipulate variables to see cause-and-effect relationships in real time. Handling real materials like wire, nails, and batteries builds tactile memory and clarifies abstract concepts like magnetic fields and current flow. When students test their own designs, they connect theory to evidence in a way that reading or videos cannot replicate.

• Ontario Curriculum Expectations
• MS-PS2-3

• 25–50 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 35 min · Pairs

Electromagnet Build-Off: Coil Variation

Provide batteries, wire, nails, and paperclips. Pairs wrap 20, 40, or 60 coils around identical nails, connect to a battery, and count lifted paperclips. They graph results and predict outcomes for 80 coils. Discuss fair testing.

Explain how an electric current can create a magnetic field.

Facilitation Tip

During Electromagnet Build-Off, circulate with a multimeter to check current flow before students test strength, ensuring safe and measurable results.

What to look for

Provide students with three simple electromagnet setups: one with 10 coil turns, one with 20, and one with 30, all using the same battery and wire. Ask students to predict which will lift the most paperclips and then test their predictions, recording the number of paperclips lifted by each setup.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Variable Testing

Set up stations for coil count, voltage (1-2 batteries), core material (nail vs. bolt), and wire loops. Small groups test one variable per station, record data on shared charts, then rotate. Conclude with class analysis of strongest design.

Design an electromagnet with varying strength by adjusting its components.

Facilitation Tip

At the Variable Testing stations, assign each group one variable to test while others record data, creating a shared class set of results for comparison.

What to look for

On an index card, have students draw a simple diagram of an electromagnet they built. Ask them to label the battery, wire, and core, and write one sentence explaining how they could make their electromagnet stronger.

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Inquiry Circle
• 50 min · Small Groups

Electromagnetic Crane Prototype

Groups assemble a simple crane arm with electromagnet, string, and pulley using cardboard bases. Test lifting metal objects at different distances, adjust coils for improvement, and present optimized designs. Emphasize safety with low voltage.

Analyze the practical applications of electromagnets in technology and industry.

Facilitation Tip

For the Electromagnetic Crane Prototype, provide masking tape and rulers to help students measure lift height and document their design process with sketches.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you are designing a device that needs to attract and release small metal objects quickly. Based on what you learned about electromagnets, what two adjustments could you make to control the strength and timing of the magnetic attraction?'

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Activity 04

• Inquiry Circle
• 25 min · Individual

Permanent vs. Electromagnet Comparison

Individuals test a bar magnet and student-built electromagnet side-by-side for paperclip lift and field mapping with compasses. Note on/off control of electromagnet. Share observations in a whole-class debrief.

Explain how an electric current can create a magnetic field.

Facilitation Tip

During Permanent vs. Electromagnet Comparison, have students use identical objects for testing to ensure fairness and focus the discussion on observable differences.

What to look for

Provide students with three simple electromagnet setups: one with 10 coil turns, one with 20, and one with 30, all using the same battery and wire. Ask students to predict which will lift the most paperclips and then test their predictions, recording the number of paperclips lifted by each setup.

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with a quick demonstration of a simple electromagnet to spark curiosity, then let students explore variables in small groups. Avoid giving direct answers about optimal setups; instead, guide them to collect data and identify patterns themselves. Research shows that when students predict outcomes before testing, they engage more deeply with the evidence and retain knowledge longer.

Students will demonstrate understanding by adjusting variables to increase or decrease magnetic strength, documenting results with clear evidence. They will explain how coil turns, core type, and voltage influence their electromagnet’s performance and justify their design choices. Successful learning is visible when students use data to revise their prototypes and discuss trade-offs in their groups.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Electromagnet Build-Off, watch for students who assume more turns always mean a stronger magnet without considering wire resistance or battery limits.

  Have students record the number of paperclips lifted per coil turn and discuss why adding turns beyond a certain point no longer increases strength, using their data as evidence.

• During Station Rotation: Variable Testing, watch for students who believe adding more batteries will always strengthen the magnet without accounting for overheating.

  Provide thermometers and ask students to feel the wire after each battery addition, then compare lift strength to temperature changes to identify an optimal voltage range.

• During Permanent vs. Electromagnet Comparison, watch for students who think the magnetic field is only at the coil ends and ignore the field’s shape.

  Have students use a compass to trace field lines around their electromagnets, then sketch the patterns to visualize the full magnetic field before comparing to permanent magnets.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Stations Rotation