Science · 5th Grade

Active learning ideas

Magnets and Their Forces

Active learning helps students grasp abstract magnetic forces because they experience the pull and push directly. By testing, predicting, and designing with magnets, students build durable understanding instead of relying on verbal explanations alone.

• Common Core State Standards
• 3-PS2-3
• 3-PS2-4

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

Activity 01

• Inquiry Circle
• 40 min · Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Testing Magnetic Strength at Distance

Student groups use a horseshoe magnet and a bar magnet to test how many paper clips each lifts at distances of 1 cm, 2 cm, and 5 cm. They record results in a shared data table, graph the relationship between distance and strength, then compare findings across groups.

Explain how magnets attract and repel certain materials.

Facilitation Tip

During the Collaborative Investigation, circulate and ask groups to predict how many paperclips they think the magnet will hold at 1 cm, 3 cm, and 5 cm before testing to build anticipation and reasoning.

What to look for

Provide students with two bar magnets. Ask them to draw and label how they would arrange the magnets to create attraction, and then how they would arrange them to create repulsion. Include a sentence explaining why each arrangement works.

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

Activity 02

• Think-Pair-Share
• 25 min · Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: What Will a Magnet Attract?

Students predict which objects in a bag (penny, iron nail, aluminum foil, steel paper clip, plastic button, wooden stick) will be attracted to a magnet. They discuss predictions with a partner, test each object, then reconcile their predictions with results in a whole-class discussion focused on what these materials have in common.

Compare the strength of different magnets and their fields.

Facilitation Tip

With the Think-Pair-Share, assign each pair one metal object to test and have them present their findings to the class to ensure every student contributes.

What to look for

Present students with a collection of objects (e.g., paperclip, coin, plastic toy, iron nail, wooden block). Ask them to predict which objects will be attracted to a magnet, then test their predictions and record the results, classifying each object as magnetic or non-magnetic.

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

Activity 03

• Stations Rotation
• 50 min · Small Groups

Design Challenge: Magnetic Sorter

Groups design a simple device using magnets, cardboard, string, and cups that can separate a mix of iron nails and aluminum paper clips without touching either material by hand. Groups present their designs, explain how magnetic force is applied, and evaluate which approach was most efficient.

Design a simple device that uses magnetic force to achieve a task.

Facilitation Tip

For the Design Challenge, provide limited materials (e.g., one magnet, small containers) to foster creative solutions within constraints.

What to look for

Pose the question: 'Imagine you have a magnet and a metal door. How could you tell if the door is made of a material that a magnet will attract without touching the door itself?' Guide students to discuss the concept of magnetic fields acting at a distance.

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

Activity 04

• Gallery Walk
• 30 min · Small Groups

Gallery Walk: Iron Filing Field Maps

Each group places a bar magnet under paper and sprinkles iron filings to create a field map showing the magnetic field pattern. Maps are posted around the room. Students tour with sticky notes to identify poles, note where the field is strongest, and compare field shapes across different magnets.

Explain how magnets attract and repel certain materials.

Facilitation Tip

When students create Iron Filing Field Maps during the Gallery Walk, remind them to tap the paper gently to reveal clear patterns without overloading the magnet.

What to look for

Provide students with two bar magnets. Ask them to draw and label how they would arrange the magnets to create attraction, and then how they would arrange them to create repulsion. Include a sentence explaining why each arrangement works.

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

A few notes on teaching this unit

Teach magnets by letting students observe first, then explain. Avoid lengthy lectures about poles and fields before students have felt the forces themselves. Research shows concrete experiences create stronger mental models. Use misconceptions as teaching moments—ask students to test their ideas and revise them based on evidence.

Students will confidently explain that magnets attract certain metals at a distance, and that force strength changes with distance and material. They will also distinguish magnetic from non-magnetic materials through evidence collected in hands-on tasks.

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Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During the Think-Pair-Share activity, watch for students who assume any shiny metal is magnetic.

  Provide aluminum, copper, and brass along with iron nails during the Think-Pair-Share testing phase. Have students record results on a class chart labeled 'Magnetic' or 'Not Magnetic' to make the distinction clear.

• During the Collaborative Investigation: Testing Magnetic Strength at Distance, watch for students who believe paper blocks magnetic force.

  Have students test attraction through 1, 2, and 5 sheets of paper, recording whether the paperclip is still pulled. Use this data to show that magnetic fields pass through many materials.

• During the Design Challenge: Magnetic Sorter, watch for students who think a stronger magnet can lift any object.

  Ask students to graph the number of paperclips lifted at different distances and discuss how the mass of the object affects what the magnet can lift, using their collected data.

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Methods used in this brief

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