Science at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 3)

Unit 3E: Magnets and springs
Section 3: Finding magnetic materials

Objectives

Children should learn:

to make and test predictions about whether materials are magnetic or not
to make careful observations
that magnets attract some metals but not others and that other materials are not attracted to magnets
to use results to draw conclusions, indicating whether they were right in their prediction about which materials were magnetic

Activities		Outcomes
		Children:
Present children with a collection of materials, including materials found in and around the classroom, and ask them to suggest which are magnetic and how they can find out whether they are right. When children consider their results, they should be asked to group the materials into magnetic and non-magnetic and to make a relevant generalisation.		classify a range of materials, including metals eg gold, copper, aluminium, as magnetic or non-magnetic and explain how their work enabled them to do this make a generalisation about magnetic behaviour eg iron is magnetic but other metals aren't, materials that aren't metals aren't magnetic, only some metals are magnetic

Points to note

Children often think that all metals are attracted to magnets whereas it is only iron and some iron alloys eg steel, cobalt and nickel that are attracted. Some stainless steels are not magnetic. Some 1p and 2p 'copper' coins are attracted to magnets as they have a thin copper coating over a steel disc.

Aluminium cans are not magnetic whereas 'tins' are largely made of iron and are magnetic.

Children often find the distinction between a magnet and a magnetic material difficult to understand. It is helpful to illustrate the distinction between a magnet and a magnetic material by showing children what happens when two magnets are put together, ie attraction and repulsion, and contrasting this with what happens when a magnet and a magnetic material are put together, ie just attraction.

Sections in this unit

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This unit is divided into sections. Each section contains a sequence of activities with related objectives and outcomes. You can view this unit by moving through the sections or print/download the whole unit.


	1. Introduction
	2. Exploring magnets
	3. Finding magnetic materials
	4. Uses of magnets
	5. Behaviour of magnets
	6. Uses of springs
	7. Compressing and stretching springs
	8. Testing elastic bands
	9. Review

Science at key stages 1 and 2 (Year 3)

Objectives

Activities

Outcomes

Points to note

Sections in this unit