Students brainstorm background knowledge and any questions they may have about magnetic fields. They investigate the role that William Gilbert had in laying the groundwork for modern experimental science. Students observe magnetic fields...

Students demonstrate the attraction of small pieces of paper to a charged plastic rod and conduct experiment with other objects to determine whether they can hold a charge. They then use online applets to apply their experiments to...

Young scholars experiment with magnets and sort objects based on magnetism. In this hands-on physical science instructional activity, the children are introduced to magnetism through discussion and experimentation and have the...

Do polar opposites attract? After an introduction on the polarity of molecules, pupils are asked to design a self-assembling model using materials with different polarity. The challenge should motivate learners to develop a workable...

Learners examine the properties of magnets and static electricity. They participate in experiments that demonstrate the behaviors of charged particles, and record their data on a worksheet.

Students explore magnets through the five lessons of this unit. The everyday uses of magnets and an awareness of magnetic attraction form the basis of the skills presented in these lessons.

Second graders conduct a variety of inquiry based learning activities. In this magnetism lesson, 2nd graders explore magnets with a partner, they learn the terms attract and repel, examine the poles of a magnet, and complete other...

Students experiment with magnets to determine the distances at which they attract and repel each other.

Students explain why some objects attract and some do not. For this physics lesson, students investigate the magnetic properties of objects using CEENBoT. They give some important applications of magnets.

Fourth graders investigate the poles of a magnet.  In this magnet lesson, 4th graders explore what a magnet attracts and what it repels. Students view the N and S on magnets. students recognize that like poles repel and opposite...

Learners examine the concept that static electricity is a phenomenon that involves positive and negative charges. They explore the Static Electricity section of the Science, Technology and Engineering website to learn more about the...

Students discover and identify positive and negative electrical charges and understand that like repels and opposite charges attract.  In this physics lesson, students observe how friction can be used to give electrical charge to...

Students are introduced to the attraction and repulsion of magnetic forces. In groups, they observe how the forces react with different materials and record their data. They develop their own conclusions about the poles of magnets and...

Fourth graders examine the attraction between two different charges to investigate lightning in a thunderstorm. They complete an experiment and a worksheet.

Students research lightning paying particular attention to how it is formed, where it is most likely to occur, and how most people struck by lightning survive.

Students explore naturally magnetic elements. In this magnets lesson, students examine the periodic table of elements. Students discover the parts of an atom and determine which three elements are magnetic.

Fourth graders complete a variety of experiments to meet science goals.  In this life sciences lesson, 4th graders make yogurt, discover the attraction of opposite charges in electricity, learn the effects of glaciers, and explore...

Fifth graders find examples of magnets in or around their homes and make a list. They discover that some motors use magnets and make a simple motor using magnets, a battery and copper wire. They add to their magnet list.

Students are able to answer basic questions about the process of turning light energy into electrical energy. They are introduced to the basic physics and chemistry behind the operation of a solar cell. Students explore how a single...

Students break up into groups to complete a demonstration rubbing a balloon in hair make their hair stand up. Thus, they conclude static electricity. They also experiment with a paper station, ping pong station and a water station...

Students identify the properties of a magnet. In this physics lesson plan, students explore the strength of the magnet by testing out how a magnet reacts to various materials. The various objects the students test include paper clips,...

Silver pennies and copper nickels are made possible by applying some chemistry. Learners use electrolysis to coat a penny with zinc sulfate and a nickel with copper sulfate. Their investigation builds an understanding of electroplating...

Stability is key when building a bridge. Scholars explore the forces acting upon bridges through an analysis of Newton's Laws and Hooke's Law. The activity asks individuals to apply their learning by building a bridge of their own.

Students investigate lightning. In this lightning lesson, students demonstrate how static electricity is in the air by observing how a balloon reacts to a charge.