Download Identify the Big Ideas

Teacher Resource Pack
Unit Planning Resources
Subject Area/Grade: Science/4th Grade
Title: Magnetism & Electricity (FOSS)
Unit Theme: Magnetism & Electricity
GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS:
NC Science Essential Standards; Physical Science Domain; Forces & Motion, Matter:
Properties & Change, and Energy: Conservation and Transfer Strands
Conceptual Lens: Systems
Form & Function
Identify the Big Ideas: Magnetism and
electricity each have unique properties and
operate by specific rules for many practical
uses.
Enduring Understandings
Magnets stick to iron and steel.
Estimated Time Frame: 23 days
Atlas of Science Literacy: http://strandmaps.nsdl.org/?id=SMS-MAP-2085
http://strandmaps.nsdl.org/?id=SMS-MAP-2071
(Qwiki) graphic organizers: http://www.qwiki.com/q/#/Magnetism
http://www.qwiki.com/q/#/Electricity
http://www.qwiki.com/q/#/Electrical_conductor
http://www.qwiki.com/q/#/Insulator_(electricity)
http://www.qwiki.com/q/#/Static_electricity
NC Science Essential Standards
Essential Questions
4.P.1 Explain how various forces affect the
motion of an object.
Magnets attract or repel one another.
4.P.1.1 Explain how magnets interact with all
things made of iron and with other magnets to
The magnetic force causes magnetic
produce motion without touching them.
interactions.
4.P.1.2 Explain how electrically charged objects
push or pull on other electronically charged
The magnetic force of attraction between two objects and produce motion.
magnets decreases with distance.
4.P.2 Understand the composition and
properties of matter before and after they
Magnetism can be induced in a piece of steel undergo a change or interaction.
that is close to or touching a magnet.
4.P.2.1 Compare the physical properties of
samples of matter: (strength, hardness, flexibility,
A circuit is a pathway through which electric ability to conduct heat, ability to conduct
current flows.
electricity, ability to be attracted by magnets,
reactions to water and fire).
A closed circuit allows electricity to flow; an
4.P.3 Recognize that energy takes various
open circuit does not.
forms that may be grouped based on their
Conductors are materials that allow the flow interaction with matter.
What kind of materials do magnets stick
to?
What happens when you bring two or
more magnets together?
How do magnets interact with other
objects?
Does an iron object have to touch a
magnet to become a temporary magnet?
How does electricity flow through a
circuit?
What does a switch do in a circuit?
Can any of the test objects complete a
circuit?
of electricity; insulators are materials that do
not allow the flow of electricity.
A switch is a device that opens and closes a
circuit.
A circuit with only one pathway for current
flow is a series circuit.
A circuit that splits into two or more
pathways before coming together at the
battery [power source] is a parallel circuit.
Electromagnetism is magnetism created by
current flowing through a conductor.
The strength of the magnetism produced by
an electromagnet can be varied.
Science is knowledge of the natural world;
technology is using scientific knowledge to
modify the world to solve human problems.
Essential Terminology
Attract
Circuit
Closed circuit
Conductor
Insulator
Electricity
Force
Magnet
Magnetism
Open circuit
Parallel circuit
Pole
Repel
Series circuit
Switch
4.P.3.1 Recognize the basic forms of energy
(light, sound, heat, electrical, and magnetic) as
the ability to cause motion or create change.
4.P.3.2 Recognize that light travels in a straight
line until it strikes an object or travels from one
medium to another, and that light can be
reflected, refracted, and absorbed.
Can you get two bulbs to light at the
same time?
How many different ways can you wire a
parallel circuit?
Can you make a magnet that turns on
and off?
How does the number of winds of wire
around a core affect the strength of the
magnetism?
How can the strength of an
electromagnet be changed?
Can you use your knowledge of
electricity and electromagnetism to
reinvent the telegraph?
Technology
Identify Misconceptions
Use formative probes: Uncovering Student ideas in Science, Volumes 1-4, by Page Keeley
Green Cover, Volume 4 page 67 - Magnets in Water
Orange Cover, Volume 3 page 57- Batteries, Bulbs, and Wires
Unpacked Content
4.P.1.1 Students know that a magnet pulls on
all things made of iron without touching
them, and that this pulling can result in
motion. Students know that a magnet attracts
some metals, but not all of them. Students
know that a magnet has a force field and
poles that determine how a metal affected by
the magnet will behave within its field.
4.P.1.2 Students know that an object that has
been electrically charged pulls or pushes on
all other charged objects and that this can
result in motion. Students know that
electrical charges can result in attraction,
repulsion, or electrical discharge.
4.P.2.1 Students know that samples of
matter have many observable properties that
can be measured. Students know that
samples of matter can be described
according to the characteristics of the
materials they are made from. Students are
familiar with, and can test for the following
properties: strength, hardness, flexibility,
ability to conduct heat, ability to conduct
electricity, ability to be attracted by magnets,
reactions to water (dissolve) and heat/fire
(melt/evaporate).
4.P.3.1 Students know basic forms of energy:
light, heat, sound, electrical, and energy of
motion. Students know that electricity
flowing through an electrical circuit produces
magnetic effects in the wires. In an electrical
Science For All Americans
FORCES OF NATURE
The two kinds of forces we are commonly aware of are
gravitational and electromagnetic.
Everything in the universe exerts gravitational forces on
everything else, although the effects are readily noticeable only
when at least one very large mass is involved (such as a star or
planet). Gravity is the force behind the fall of rain, the power of
rivers, the pulse of tides; it pulls the matter of planets and stars
toward their centers to form spheres, holds planets in orbit, and
gathers cosmic dust together to form stars. Gravitational forces
are thought of as involving a gravitational field that affects space
around any mass. The strength of the field around an object is
proportional to its mass and diminishes with distance from its
center. For example, the earth's pull on an individual will depend
on whether the person is, say, on the beach or far out in space.
The electromagnetic forces acting within and between atoms are
immensely stronger than the gravitational forces acting between
them. On an atomic scale, electric forces between oppositely
charged protons and electrons hold atoms and molecules together
and thus are involved in all chemical reactions. On a larger scale,
these forces hold solid and liquid materials together and act
between objects when they are in contact (for example, the
friction between a towel and a person's back, the impact of a bat
on a ball). We usually do not notice the electrical nature of many
familiar forces because the nearly equal densities of positive and
negative electric charges in materials approximately neutralize
each other's effects outside the material. But even a tiny
imbalance in these opposite charges will produce phenomena that
Benchmarks Reference
The main notion to convey
here is that forces can act at
a distance. Students should
carry out investigations to
become familiar with the
pushes and pulls of
magnets and static
electricity. The term gravity
may interfere with students'
understanding because it
often is used as an empty
label for the common (and
ancient) notion of "natural
motion" toward the earth.
The important point is that
the earth pulls on objects.
Without touching them, a
magnet pulls on all things
made of iron and either
pushes or pulls on other
magnets.
Without touching them, an
object that has been
electrically charged pulls
on all other uncharged
objects and may either push
or pull other charged
objects.
circuit containing a battery, a bulb, and a bell,
for example, energy from the battery is
transferred to the bulb and the bell, which in
turn transfer the energy to their
surroundings as light, sound, and heat
(thermal energy).
4.P.3.2 Students know that light travels in a
straight line. Students know that light can be
refracted, reflected, and/or absorbed.
range from electric sparks and clinging clothes to lightning.
Depending on how many of the electric charges in them are free
to move, materials show great differences in how much they
respond to electric forces. At one extreme, an electrically
insulating material such as glass or rubber does not ordinarily
allow any passage of charges through it. At the other extreme, an
electrically conducting material such as copper will offer very
little resistance to the motion of charges, so electric forces acting
on it readily produce a current of charges. (Most electrical wires
are a combination of extremes: a very good conductor covered by
a very good insulator.) In fact, at very low temperatures, certain
materials can become superconductors, which offer zero
resistance. In between low- and high-resistance materials are
semiconducting materials in which the ease with which charges
move may vary greatly with subtle changes in composition or
conditions; these materials are used in transistors and computer
chips to control electrical signals. Water usually contains charged
molecular fragments of dissolved impurities that are mobile, and
so it is a fairly good conductor.
Magnetic forces are very closely related to electric forces—the
two can be thought of as different aspects of a single
electromagnetic force. Both are thought of as acting by means of
fields: an electric charge has an electric field in the space around
it that affects other charges, and a magnet has a magnetic field
around it that affects other magnets. What is more, moving
electric charges produce magnetic fields and are affected by
magnetic fields. This influence is the basis of many natural
phenomena. For example, electric currents circulating in the
earth's core give the earth an extensive magnetic field, which we
detect from the orientation of our compass needles.
The interplay of electric and magnetic forces is also the basis of
much technological design, such as electric motors (in which
currents produce motion), generators (in which motion produces
currents), and television tubes (in which a beam of moving
electric charges is bent back and forth by a periodically changing
magnetic field). More generally, a changing electric field induces
The one aspect of the energy
story in which students of
this age can make some
headway is heat, which is
produced almost
everywhere. In their science
and technology activities
during these years, students
should be alerted to look for
things and processes that
give off heat—lights, radios,
television sets, the sun,
sawing wood, polishing
surfaces, bending things,
running motors, people,
animals, etc.—and then for
those that seem not to give
off heat. Also, the time is
appropriate to explore how
heat spreads from one place
to another and what can be
done to contain it or shield
things from it.
Objects and materials can be
described by more
sophisticated properties—
conduction of heat and
electricity, buoyancy,
response to magnets,
solubility, and transparency.
Students should measure,
estimate, and calculate sizes,
capacities, and weights.
a magnetic field, and vice versa.
Other types of forces operate only at the subatomic scale. For
example, the nuclear force that holds particles together within the
atomic nucleus is much stronger than the electric force, as is
evident in the relatively great amounts of energy released by
nuclear interactions.
North Carolina Connections: (local and state resources)
e-SMARTkids presented by Progress Energy: http://progressenergy.e-smartonline.net/
Museum of Life and Science, Durham, NC: http://www.ncmls.org/
High Touch High Tech (in-school fieldtrips/programs): http://www.sciencemadefuntri.net/
Annotated TEACHER Resources
Websites
FOSS Magnetism & Electricity Teacher Preparation Videos: http://lhsfoss.org/fossweb/schools/teachervideos/index.html#table
FOSS Magnetism & Electricity Module: http://www.fossweb.com/modules3-6/MagnetismandElectricity/index.html
NSTA Science Objects (free online professional development for teachers):
I. Electric & Magnetic Forces: Electric Charges: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/7/SCB-EMF.1.1
II. Electric & Magnetic Forces: Electrostatics and Current Electricity:
http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/7/SCB-EMF.2.1
III. Electric & Magnetic Forces: Electromagnetism: http://learningcenter.nsta.org/product_detail.aspx?id=10.2505/7/SCB-EMF.3.1
Books
Level: K-8
Stop Faking It! Electricity and Magnetism
Author: William Robertson
ISBN: 0-873-55236-9
Illustrated by: ---
Publisher: NSTA Press, 2005
Description: Helps teachers get past memorizing all those electricity-related formulas, rules, and procedures so they can understand the subject at a
level deep enough to teach it with confidence and comfort.
WRITING PROMPTS
Electricity cannot flow through all materials. Make a claim telling which two materials are conductors and which two are insulators. Describe
in step-by-step sequence what you would do to prove what is a conductor and insulator. Tell what you would see happen as evidence that
your claim is correct.
As you write, remember to
Follow a logical sequence and include topic sentences and supporting details.
Check your spelling, punctuation, and capitalization.
Write several paragraphs to explain your thinking.