Magnetic Attraction and Repulsion

Students often bring incomplete ideas about magnets from everyday experiences. Active, hands-on tasks let them test their assumptions directly and build accurate understanding through evidence. Sorting, testing, and observing give concrete experiences that clarify abstract concepts like force fields and polarity.

• 3rd Grade
• Science
• 3 activities
• 20 min–30 min

Learning Objectives

1. Classify a variety of common objects as magnetic or non-magnetic based on experimental testing.
2. Compare and contrast the interactions between different magnetic poles, identifying attraction and repulsion.
3. Demonstrate how magnetic force can act through a barrier, such as a table or a piece of paper.
4. Analyze the effect of distance on the strength of magnetic attraction and repulsion.
5. Design and conduct a simple experiment to investigate a specific magnetic phenomenon.

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 30 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Magnetic or Not?

Small groups receive a bag of 10 objects (paperclip, penny, rubber band, iron nail, aluminum foil, plastic button, etc.) and test each one with a bar magnet. They record results in a T-chart and draw conclusions about what makes something magnetic.

Prepare & details

Differentiate between magnetic attraction and repulsion.

Facilitation Tip: During Collaborative Investigation: Magnetic or Not?, circulate with a tray of test items to prompt teams who hesitate or make quick, unsupported guesses.

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

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

Gallery Walk

⏱ 25 min·Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Pole Puzzles

Teacher sets up stations with two bar magnets at each, with the north and south ends unlabeled. Students try to figure out which ends are north and south based on attraction and repulsion behavior, then post their reasoning on a sticky note at each station.

Prepare & details

Analyze which materials are magnetic and which are not.

Facilitation Tip: During Gallery Walk: Pole Puzzles, stand near each station to listen for misconceptions about pole behavior and redirect with guiding questions like, 'What happens when you flip the magnet?'

Setup: Wall space or tables arranged around room perimeter

Materials: Large paper/poster boards, Markers, Sticky notes for feedback

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Create
• Relationship Skills
• Social Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 20 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: The Distance Test

Pairs use a magnet and a paperclip to test how far the magnet can pull the clip through different numbers of paper pages. They discuss what happens to the force as distance increases and share their findings with the class.

Prepare & details

Construct a simple experiment to demonstrate magnetic force.

Facilitation Tip: During Think-Pair-Share: The Distance Test, provide rulers so pairs can measure distances precisely and record changes in pull strength numerically.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Start with what students believe, then immediately test those ideas. Avoid telling them what will happen; instead, ask them to predict and then observe. Research shows that when students confront their own misconceptions through direct testing, their understanding deepens more than through explanation alone. Keep the focus on observable evidence and clear language like 'attract' and 'repel' to build accurate vocabulary.

What to Expect

By the end of these activities, students will confidently classify materials as magnetic or non-magnetic, predict and explain attraction and repulsion between magnets, and describe how magnetic force changes with distance. They will use evidence from their investigations to support their claims.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During Collaborative Investigation: Magnetic or Not?, watch for students who assume that any shiny object is magnetic.

What to Teach Instead

Use the activity’s test items to guide them: place a copper penny next to a magnet and ask, 'What do you notice? Does the magnet pull it? Why do you think the shiny penny doesn’t move?' Repeat with aluminum foil and an iron nail to highlight the difference.

Common Misconception

During Gallery Walk: Pole Puzzles, watch for students who believe larger magnets always pull harder.

What to Teach Instead

Set out a small neodymium disc and a large ceramic horseshoe for comparison. Ask teams to test both magnets against the same paperclip at the same distance, then discuss why the small magnet may lift the clip while the large one does not.

Common Misconception

During Think-Pair-Share: The Distance Test, watch for students who think magnets can attract any object if positioned closely enough.

What to Teach Instead

Ask students to bring their strongest magnet very close to a piece of plastic or paper and observe what happens. Emphasize that attraction depends on the material, not just distance, and record their observations in their science notebooks.

Assessment Ideas

Exit Ticket

After Collaborative Investigation: Magnetic or Not?, give each student a small collection of objects (paperclip, plastic toy, coin, iron nail, aluminum foil). Ask them to sort the objects and write one sentence explaining their decision.

Quick Check

During Gallery Walk: Pole Puzzles, pause the class and hold up two magnets. Ask students to predict attraction or repulsion between specific poles, then test and explain what they observe using the words 'attraction' and 'repulsion'.

Discussion Prompt

After Think-Pair-Share: The Distance Test, pose the question, 'How can you tell if something is magnetic without touching it?' Guide students to connect the idea of a magnetic field acting through space or barriers to their observations from the distance test.

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge early finishers to design a simple magnetic game using their strongest magnet and non-magnetic materials from the first investigation.
• Scaffolding for struggling students: Provide a labeled diagram of a magnet with poles marked and a set of pre-sorted objects to test, reducing cognitive load during the initial classification task.
• Deeper exploration: Have students research how MRI machines use magnetic fields to create images, then present one fact about magnetic fields in medicine.

Key Vocabulary

Magnet	An object that produces a magnetic field, which can attract or repel certain other objects.
Magnetic Field	The area around a magnet where its magnetic force can be detected. It is often visualized with iron filings.
Attraction	The force that pulls two magnetic objects, or a magnet and a magnetic material, towards each other.
Repulsion	The force that pushes two magnetic objects away from each other.
Pole	The ends of a magnet, typically labeled North and South, where the magnetic force is strongest.