Unit
Planning
I. Magnets: The Push and Pull of Them.
- This
unit will be planned for a fourth grade classroom. The students
will be conducting investigations, doing cooperative work and
collecting data. Students will be using a variety of
scientific investigation tools and using technology to help get
information and document their information.
- We will
be testing the strength of different magnets. There will be
multiple objects for the children to test the different strengths of
magnets. We will also do some investigation of electricity to
determine the link between them.
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I.
Science Competency Goal 3:
The learner will make observations and conduct investigations to build
an understanding of magnetism and electricity.
II. Computer/Technolgoy
Skills Goal 2: The learner will demonstrate
knowledge and skills in the use of computers and other technologies and
understand and use graphs and data analysis.
III. Enabling Objectives
I.
Science Competency Goal 3: The learner will make observations and
conduct investigations to build an understanding of magnetism and
electricity.
- 3.01
Observe and investigate the pull of magnets on all materials made of
iron and the pushes or pulls on other magnets.
- 3.02
Describe and demonstrate how magnetism can be used to generate
electricity.
- 3.03
Design and test an electric circuit as a closed pathway including an
energy source, energy conductor, and an energy receiver. <>3.04
Explain how magnetism is realted to electricity.<>
II Computer/Technology Skills
Goal 2: The learner will
demonstrate knowledge and skills in the use of computers and other
technologies and understand and use graphs and data analysis.
°
2.04
Enter/edit data in prepared spreadsheets to perfrom calculations using
simple formulas (+,-,*,/) and observe the changes that occur.
° 2.05 Use spreadsheets and graphs
to organize, calculate, and display data in content areas.
° 2.06
Identitfy, discuss, and use terms/concepts of menu/tool bar ( e.g.
print preview, WYSIWIG, page setup, Spell Check, thesaurus) in word
processing documents as a class.
IV. Introduction
<>
Sample: 6
point lesson plan
* Lesson
Plan I: Introduction to
Magnets
<>This lesson includes:
- Higher Order Thinking Skills Example
Starter Questions:
- Recall: What
is a magnet?
- Analysis: What
are the basic elements of a magnet?
- Comparison: What
are some comparisons to electricity?
- Inference: Predict
how much force is needed to break the attraction of two magnets.
- Evaluation:
In constructing your
circuit, why did you choose that method?
RESOURCES:
V. Development
- Lesson
2 - Magnetic Magic There will be five centers of
exploration for the students. The centers will consist of Center
#1 Testing Poles, Center #2 Making a Magnet, Center #3 Magnetic
Fishing- Can a Magnet attract through Water?, Center #4 Magnetic
Attraction, Center #5 Magnetic Strength. The students will be
making documentation of their work in their Science
Journals. (Lesson taken from LEARN NC)
- Lesson
3 - Computer documentation The students will be in the computer
lab working on spreadsheets that have already had some data placed in
them. Their job will be to go into those spreadsheets and place
the information they collected and save it for their continueing use.
- Lesson
4 - Explore magnets/electricity Students will be given a variety of
items to explore magnetism and electricity. They will be asked
once again to make documentation in their Science Journals of their
experimentation today.
- Lesson 5 - The
lesson from the previous day will carry over to this day also.
- Lesson 6 -
Powerpoint presentations Students
will have access to the computer lab and will begin making powerpoints
about their observations. They may use whatever resources from
the Internet and the classroom to produce these. We have digital
cameras, so they are allowed to pull pictures in that they may have
taken throughout the unit lessons.
- Lesson 7 -
Powerpoint work continues.
Students will finish their work on their Powerpoints
today. They were also allowed to write letters of invitation to
their parents for the final day of this unit. The children may
construct something in the next few days to show their parents other
than just their powerpoints.
- Lesson 8 -
Creations Students will be given the opportunity to create an
object or character out of magnets. If they do this, they will
have to come up with a story line to go with their character.
There will also be an opportunity to explore materials brought into the
classroom for their magnetic strength.
- Lesson 9 -
Assignments of groups to present spreadsheet information, creations
from magnets and the Powerpoints produced will be assigned today.
Any last minute questions on behalf of the students will be answered
and thought through today.
VI. Conclusion
The parents of the students will be here today for our
celebration of our unit on Magnets. Students will be
presenting their Powerpoints, creations and
spreadsheets.
Lesson
Plan 10: Final Presentations of Experiments
Higher Order Thinking Skills: (used
throughout lesson)
° Recall:
Analysis:
Comparison
Inference
Evaluation
VII. Materials/Resources Available/Needed
These information
resources include references to people, items on shelves and items in
computer storage (diskettes, hard drives, and networks).
- Expert from the United States: Richard E.
Taylor, Professor at the Stanford
Linear Accelerator Center,
Emeritus [email protected] <>
- Email Conferences
- Set of Books for BK-12 students:
Mr.
Fixit's magnet machine
Herman,
Gail, 1959-
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The magnet
book
Levine,
Shar, 1953
Driving
force : the natural magic of magnets
Livingston, James D., 1930-
Playing
with magnets
Gibson, Gary, 1957-
Magnet
science
Vecchione, Glen.
What
magnets can do
Fowler, Allan.
Science
projects about electricity and magnets
Gardner, Robert, 1929-
Janice
VanCleave's magnets : mind-boggling experiments you can turn into
science fair projects
VanCleave, Janice Pratt.
The
science book of magnets 1st
U.S. ed.
Ardley, Neil.
Magnets
Catherall, Ed.
- Curriculum Library Resources (info):
A list selected relevant curriculum library resources.
- WNCLN:
- Magnets--3 related subjects
- Magnets
- Magnet Experiments
- Magnets Experiements Juvenile Films
- Magents Experiments Juvenile Literature
- Video Resources (info)
- Magnets A First Look
- Introduction to Magnets 1987
- Inventing the Future: The K-16 Connection
in Science
- Learning Scicne through Inquiry
- Life Science: A course for K-6 Teachers
- Science
- The Science of Teaching Science
- Web sites
This is a list of useful web site addresses for this unit plan found
using the web search engines from each of these headings.
http://www.wondermagnet.com
http://my.execpc.com/%7Erhoadley/magindex.htm
- Web sites from Child Safe search engines (info):
Encarta ; E-Library.com ; NC Wise Owl ; Encyclopedia
Britannica ; Maps; Time Magazine ; Search CNN
Archives ; Search
USA Today Database ; The Web version of The New York Times ; U.S. News & World
Report ; Yahoo's Online Commerce Index ; International
Children's Digital Library; free
eBooks On-line
Del.icio.us ; Furl.net ; Kaboodle ; Reddit ; Wink ; Shadows
- MetaLibrary catalogs (info):
The Big Deal Web Site
Classroom Connect
CROP's
Collection of Educational Subjects
Education World
Public
Schools of North Carolina Web Resources
The Busy Teacher Site
- Instructional Software (info)
- Unit Plan Topic Database: This database
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the database, you
must download it to your computer and open it running the same
application as was used to create it.
- File name: magnets.mdb
- Windows Access
Database magnets mdb.
- Indicate
the name of the database application (e.g., Access, Filemaker Pro,
Appleworks, Clarisworks) that created it. Upload the file to your web
site and make a link to file using its file name here, properly
indicating the name of the application that created it and the
operating system that it runs on (Mac, Linux, Windows).
- Comparison Spreadsheet: -
- Application file. This spreadsheet
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the spreadsheet,
you must download it to your computer and open it running the same
application as was used to create it.
- Magnet
Comparison
- Web page view. Click this file name
to see a web view of this spreadsheet. Use the web page making command in
your spreadsheet program to automatically make a web page of the same
spreadsheet. The extension on this file will end in .htm or .html.
Upload this file to your web account, insert disk name and file name in
this location and link the file name to the HTML version of this file.
VIII. Equipment Needed
Tasks:
- This is a list specific equipment needed and
where equipment will be secured in the room or returned after its
checkout.
- Computer in classroom
- Active Board
- Magnet Kit ( supplied by school)
- Videos listed in the above fields (just
one due to budget)
- Overhead projector
- Supplementary books from library
- Resource books to aide in lesson planning
- Classroom
layout.
- Two and three dimensional view.
- Wishlist Shopping Spreadsheet
- It is easy for Technology Shopping Lists to
go beyond your classroom or even your school budget. To find that
funding, one can consult the
Grant Development Process site.
IX. Evaluation
Detailed Assessment of Magnet Unit
The evaluation of this unit will have been a
progressive one. Each of the objectives that they have been
working on will be assessed. Some of the requirements will have
had a rubric to go by, such as their Powerpoint and creations.
Students will be assessed by both formative and summative
assessments. I believe that feedback throughout this process is a
key to their success. The students need to know on an ongoing
basis how they are doing. I will try to do this on a daily or
every other day basis.
I will base my planning on the unit for next year on
how some of the objectives were meet during this lesson. Things
that worked well I will keep and things that were not successful will
need to be documented, looked at and a decision made as to keep or do
away with. The input from the students and their parents as to the
overall outcome will also be a factor in how I feel this unit
went. I plan to video some of the lessons to look back on myself
or possibly have my mentor look at to give me feedback as to how to
improve aspects of the lesson.
- Grading Spreadsheet:
- Grade
Spreadsheet
- Application file. This
spreadsheet file will not display on a web page. To see and use the
spreadsheet, you must download it to your computer and open it running
the same application as was used to create it.
- File
Name gradebook.xls
- Grade Spreadsheet (windows excel)
- Web page view. spreadsheets.html.
xls
- Student information Database: (used
for grades, comments on assignments and general student information
such as emergency phone numbers and health issues) This database
file will not display on a web page. To see and use the database, you
must download it to your computer and open it running the same
application as was used to create it.
- File Name: studentdatabase.mdb
- Operating System: Windows
- Software Application: Access
- Windows
Access Student Information Database studnetdatabase.mdb
- extra
credit: link a sample
of the mail merge document here. Insert disk name and file name of
sample mail merge word processing document, which is sent home at the
conclusion of the unit with grade and comments.
X. Time Period
Ten
days will be needed for this unit on magnets. Approximately 45
minutes daily will be alotted to work on this unit. If for some
reason I fall behind in the time frame, other times can be worked into
this. Writing and language arts are subjects that are integrated
into this lesson. In doing this, time factors are not as rigid if
you are soley only working on one subject area.
Unit Plan Author: - Lisa Finch
Template Designer: Houghton