Advanced Chemical Principles and Molecular Dynamics · 6th Year

Active learning ideas

Magnets and Magnetic Materials

Active learning builds understanding of magnets and magnetic materials by letting students test predictions with their own hands. When students sort, observe, and map, they connect abstract forces to tangible outcomes, reinforcing concepts they might otherwise memorize without depth.

• NCCA Curriculum Specifications
• NCCA: Primary Science Curriculum - Energy and Forces

• 25–40 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• 30 min · Small Groups

Material Sort: Magnet Test

Gather common classroom items like paperclips, coins, wood, foil, and screws. In small groups, students predict, then test each with bar magnets, sorting into magnetic and non-magnetic trays. Groups share findings and classify by material type.

What is a magnet and what does it do?

Facilitation Tip

During Material Sort, have students predict outcomes before testing each object to build curiosity and ownership of findings.

What to look for

Provide students with a tray of assorted small objects (e.g., paperclip, coin, rubber band, nail, plastic bead). Ask them to sort the objects into two groups: magnetic and non-magnetic, recording their choices and one reason for each classification.

Activity 02

• 25 min · Pairs

Pole Investigation: Attract and Repel

Pairs receive bar magnets and a compass to label north and south poles. They test all combinations of poles, recording results in a table, then predict outcomes with additional magnets. Discuss field strength variations.

Which materials are attracted to magnets?

Facilitation Tip

For Pole Investigation, provide two bar magnets per pair so students can experience repulsion and attraction simultaneously.

What to look for

On an index card, ask students to draw two bar magnets showing how they would arrange them to create repulsion. Below the drawing, they should write one sentence explaining why this arrangement causes repulsion.

Activity 03

• 35 min · Pairs

Field Lines: Iron Filings Demo

Place magnets under white paper, sprinkle iron filings, and tap to align. Students draw field lines, compare bar, horseshoe, and ring magnets. Pairs hypothesize about field concentration at poles.

How do magnets push and pull on each other?

Facilitation Tip

When running Field Lines, remind students to tap the tray gently after adding iron filings to help patterns emerge clearly.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Why do you think only certain metals, like iron and nickel, are strongly attracted to magnets, while others, like aluminum or copper, are not?' Facilitate a class discussion connecting their observations to the concept of electron structure.

Activity 04

• 40 min · Small Groups

Compass Mapping: Classroom Fields

Distribute compasses; students locate magnetic north, then note deflections near magnets. In small groups, map a combined field pattern across the room and link to Earth's magnetism.

What is a magnet and what does it do?

What to look for

Provide students with a tray of assorted small objects (e.g., paperclip, coin, rubber band, nail, plastic bead). Ask them to sort the objects into two groups: magnetic and non-magnetic, recording their choices and one reason for each classification.

A few notes on teaching this unit

Start with hands-on explorations before introducing terminology to avoid overwhelming students with abstract words like ferromagnetic. Use consistent language such as north and south poles across all activities so students build familiarity gradually. Avoid rushing to conclusions; let students grapple with observations first, then guide them toward explanations through structured questions.

By the end of these activities, students will confidently classify materials as magnetic or non-magnetic, predict and observe interactions between poles, and represent magnetic fields visually. They will also explain why only certain materials respond to magnets, linking their observations to atomic behavior.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Material Sort: Magnet Test, watch for students grouping all metals as magnetic and labeling aluminum or copper as magnetic.

  Have students test each metal sample with a known magnet, recording results in a class chart. Ask them to identify what iron, nickel, and cobalt share that copper and aluminum lack, guiding them toward the concept of ferromagnetism.

• During Pole Investigation: Attract and Repel, watch for students describing attraction as 'pulling through air' without acknowledging fields.

  Use paperclip chains to show how a single magnet’s field extends through space. Ask students to trace the chain with their fingers to feel the invisible force and describe what they observe in their notebooks.

• During Pole Investigation: Attract and Repel, watch for students cutting magnets to create a single pole.

  Provide a weak magnet and safety scissors, then ask students to predict and test what happens after cutting. Guide them to notice that each piece still has two poles, reinforcing the idea that monopoles do not exist.