Science · 3rd Grade

Active learning ideas

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.

• Common Core State Standards
• 3-PS2-3

• 20–30 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 3 activities

Activity 01

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Provide students with a small collection of objects (e.g., paperclip, plastic toy, coin, iron nail, aluminum foil). Ask them to sort the objects into two groups: 'Magnetic' and 'Non-Magnetic', and write one sentence explaining how they decided.

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

Activity 02

• 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.

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?'

What to look for

Hold up two magnets. Ask students to predict what will happen when you bring specific poles together (e.g., North to North, North to South). Then, perform the action and ask students to explain the observed attraction or repulsion using the terms 'attraction' and 'repulsion'.

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

Activity 03

• 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.

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.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'How can you tell if something is magnetic without touching it?' Guide students to discuss the concept of a magnetic field and how it acts through space or barriers, referencing their experiments.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

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.

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.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

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

  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.

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

  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.

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

  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.

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Methods used in this brief

• Inquiry Circle
• Gallery Walk
• Think-Pair-Share