Kacee Sommerfeldt

Grade 8

Lesson Plan
Class:

Science

Date:

Unit:
Topic:

Magnets and electromagnets

Making a magnet

16 September, 2016,
Friday

Outcomes: Upon this lesson students will be able to

1. Make a magnet out of magnetic material.
2. Identify that magnetic domains need to be lined up for magnetic material to act as a magnet.
Outcome
:

Can magnetism be made? Stopped? Can magnets be made?

Materials:

Instructional Strategies:
- Reinforcing effort & providing
feedback.
- Setting objectives & providing
feedback.
- Cooperative learning.
- Summarizing and note taking.

Magnets
Paperclips
J3a handout
Steel bar
Magnetism book

Resources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=079ROtsEf2k

Objective: By the end of this lesson you should be able to draw the
direction of the magnetic field line, and be able to make a magnet.
2:30

Have notebook, pencil out. Clear off work space, put everything away in
pidgin hole except for what we need! We need space for experiment.
Write on board topic: making magnets
Split up into partners and move to a table, 2 people per table.
Do you think it is possible to make a magnet out of magnetic material?
Write on front board at start of class.

How? Brainstorm ideas

J3a activity: Making a magnet: handout instructions and glue into book.

We will have about 30 min.

Call on someone to read intro, another to read equipment. Hand out

equipment. 1 magnet, I bar, some paperclips per partnership.

Plan and predict together: Discuss with partner, then call out. Eg. arrange
paperclips: in lines? groups? One at a time, more than one?
How to stroke? What is happening insides the magnet? Draw magnet on
whiteboard with magnetic field, In one direction! Why would this matter?
Show how magnetic domains in magnetized object are lined up. Write
magnetic domains on white board. Inside magnet south to north
direction. Why would N and S attract? Their domains are lined up in the
same direction. S and S repel? Opposing domains. Eg. cars in parking
lot any order will be shining their headlights all over so dim light, but
when they are all lined up they will be pointing in one direction causing a
brighter, or stronger light. Domains are like tiny magnets of different

Accommodation
/Modification
Each activity has a further
experiment you can do if
there is time, pay attention
and work together so you
can experiment more.

Option to start:
Stroke one paperclip
with magnet in same
direction 50 times,
then see if the
paperclip is
magnetized by using it
to pick up the other
paperclip. Did it work?
It does work

Perform the experiment

several times to get an
average reading. Always
hold magnetized steel
strip in same position to
get more accurate
results.

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Kacee Sommerfeldt
Grade 8
sizes within an object.

If time
there is a
video

Draw table on board and have class write it down. Include title, label
columns. Have them repeat experiment 3 times and record in table, then
average number of paperclips picked up for each number of strokes. It is
written out on my teachers notes handout.

Perform experiment. Write down data in table.

Discuss: What was the highest number clips picked up? Who picked up
the most with the least number of strokes?

Finish on Monday.

10:22 min Watch Bill Nye Magnetism video no 83

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=079ROtsEf2k

What does a magnetic field look like?

What are magnets made up of?

What ends are on a magnets and what do they do?

Why is the earth like a magnet? Core made of iron and ore. Lined up
domains make it magnetic (domain theory of magnetism), moving
electrons. Compasses.

5:49: question, why does piece float above other? Pause and discuss.
What happens if you turn the one piece over? They stick together.

If finish early can start

homework as wait for other
groups to finish. 8J.2 and
8J.3 all questions

It takes about 50 strokes in

same direction to work well
on a paperclip. On a steel
bar it only takes a couple
times.
How can you test for a
magnet?
You can only show that
an object is a magnet if it
repels a known magnet
Attraction is not a good
test because Fe, Co, and
Ni attract both ends of a
magnet.
If they are working well
and on task, can give them
extra time for the extension
activities.

3:15

Conclusion: Get back into poster making groups, talk among group what you
learned. Call on one person from each group. Add to your posters.
Homework: J8.2 pages 113-114 #1-9; 8J.3 pages 114-115 #1-7. Calculate
average for your experiment.

Self-Evaluation / Reflection:
Being Friday, last class, they were all very energetic. I found out after that a couple students had been in an
argument just before class in their previous class. There were also announcements from another teacher during
the transition of classes.
Things I did well: I wrote titles on board, topic. I walk around helping different groups. Attention worked well.
There are times when I get there full attention well. It is just hard to keep the focus. They were excited when it
worked well.
Things I need to work on: better transitions. Being the second week I feel students are testing the teachers, or me,
for what they can get away with. I should have split up V, F, and M instead of having them work together, or instead
of having them in the corner to move them to the end of the row. I need to make sure I have all of their attention
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Kacee Sommerfeldt
Grade 8
when I give directions, I need to be more consistent. I need to be faster with instruction and timing to keep things
moving forward so students can have more time to experiment. For the discussion I should have demonstrated
with the equipment the different things. Then had them write the table and then let them experiment instead of
taking so much time to discuss different methods. I took too long. I might ask too many questions, it would be faster
if I teach material first, then ask follow up thinking questions. I should have demonstrated how to stroke the steel
bar with the magnet with steel bar, made sure I had all their attention while I did it. Watching back, I did to that.
Some were not stoking it correctly even though I had said how to. I could have had them all practice together with
me so they had proper technique. I should have demonstrated a couple strokes for first experiment and written it
on the board. My closure was terrible. I think closing statement before we clean up may work better, when they
start to clean up things they automatically pack up and stand by the door. I could have got them to go back to their
desk, but grade 7 class had already come in. Being better with my timing, transitions, and instructions will help the
class move smoother. This is my first semester working with this age group and I will need to work on different
strategies that work better than what I have done in the past.

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