Unit 3 — Electrical and Magnetic Forces
Description
Students determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces through the study of electrical and magnetic interactions. Students ask questions about cause and effect relationships of electric and magnetic forces between objects not in contact with each other. Students then apply scientific ideas about magnets to define and solve a simple design problem involving magnetic forces.
Essential Questions
- What are electrical and magnetic forces?
- How do electric and magnetic forces work on objects that are not touching?
- What causes changes in the strength and direction of magnetic forces?
- How can magnets be used to solve design problems?
Learning Objectives
- Ask questions to determine cause and effect relationships of electric or magnetic interactions between two objects not in contact
- Understand that electric and magnetic forces have both strength and direction
- Recognize how distance between objects affects the strength of electric and magnetic forces
- Recognize how the orientation of magnets affects the direction of magnetic force
- Define a simple design problem that can be solved by applying scientific ideas about magnets
Supplemental Resources
- Index cards for recording observations of magnetic interactions
- Printed word lists of electrical and magnetic force vocabulary
- Sorting mats for classifying types of forces by strength and direction
Engineering, Technology, and Applications of Science
Physical Sciences
Students read informational texts and cite textual evidence to demonstrate understanding of science concepts across all units. They ask and answer questions about weather, forces, traits, life cycles, ecosystems, and environmental change using content-specific texts. Students write opinion pieces, informative and explanatory texts, and conduct short research projects to build knowledge about science topics. They also report orally on topics with appropriate facts and descriptive details, and use information from illustrations, maps, and photographs to support scientific understanding.
Students apply mathematical reasoning and tools across science units to collect, represent, and analyze data. They measure liquid volumes and masses using standard units, draw scaled picture graphs and bar graphs to represent data sets, generate measurement data using rulers and display results on line plots, and reason abstractly and quantitatively when analyzing patterns and cause-and-effect relationships in investigations. Students also use operations and algebraic thinking when comparing and solving problems based on scientific data.
Formative Assessments
- Students conduct hands-on activities exploring static electricity with balloons and charged rods
- Students perform experiments with permanent magnets and electromagnets
- Students record observations about how distance affects magnetic strength
- Students identify cause and effect relationships in electric and magnetic interactions
Summative Assessment
Students design a contraption for a new exhibit that features a series of balanced, unbalanced, and magnetic forces to move an object
Benchmark Assessment
— not configured —
Alternative Assessment
Students may demonstrate understanding through a combination of hands-on manipulation of magnets and verbal explanation to a teacher or peer, supported by visual diagrams or photos of magnetic interactions. Sentence frames such as 'The magnet is stronger when...' or 'The force pushes/pulls because...' may be provided to scaffold responses about cause and effect relationships.
IEP (Individualized Education Program)
During hands-on investigations with magnets and static electricity materials, provide visual supports such as labeled diagrams of force directions and strength to help students connect observations to key concepts. Offer graphic organizers with sentence frames to scaffold cause-and-effect recording (e.g., 'When I moved the magnet farther away, the force became ___'). Allow students to demonstrate understanding through oral explanation or dictation rather than written responses alone, and break the summative design task into smaller, sequenced steps with checkpoints so students can show progress toward the final product.
Section 504
Provide preferential seating during whole-group instruction and demonstrations involving magnets and static electricity to minimize distraction and maximize observation access. Allow extended time for recording experimental observations and for completing the summative design task, and ensure all written directions for multi-step investigations are also given orally and posted visually throughout the unit.
ELL / MLL
Build key unit vocabulary — such as force, attract, repel, magnetic, electric, strength, and direction — with picture-supported word walls and bilingual glossaries where available, introduced before each investigation begins. Use physical demonstrations and realia (actual magnets, balloons, charged materials) as the primary entry point for new concepts, pairing actions with simplified language so students connect the vocabulary to what they directly observe. Allow students to share observations with a partner who shares their home language before reporting to the class, and provide diagram-based recording sheets that reduce the written language demand during experiments.
At Risk (RTI)
Connect the concepts of attraction, repulsion, and force strength to familiar everyday experiences — such as refrigerator magnets or static cling — before introducing more abstract ideas about objects not in contact. Simplify the complexity of recording tasks by using pre-structured observation templates that guide students step by step through what to notice and record during each investigation. During the design task, provide a limited set of materials and a clear starting framework so students can experience early success and build confidence as they explore force relationships.
Gifted & Talented
Encourage students to investigate the variables that affect magnetic and electric force strength in a more systematic, self-directed way — for example, designing their own controlled tests around distance, material type, or magnet orientation and forming evidence-based explanations for their findings. For the summative design task, challenge students to consider how competing forces (balanced versus unbalanced, magnetic versus friction) interact within their contraption and to document their design thinking using scientific reasoning about trade-offs. Students may also explore real-world applications of magnetic forces in engineering contexts, such as maglev technology or electromagnetic devices, to extend understanding beyond the classroom investigations.